Hillary Clinton is cautioning Democrats that Republicans’ efforts to brand progressive candidates as “communist” or “socialist” could become a potent campaign weapon in the 2026 midterm elections, urging her party to unify behind its nominees and broaden its appeal to independent voters.

Speaking Friday on the “Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway” podcast, Clinton reflected on Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, where Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens. She said Democrats now face the challenge of bringing the party together ahead of the general election.

“The real fight will be, How do we make sure that people who voted for Haley feel comfortable voting for Abdul El-Sayed? And, How do we get independents to feel comfortable?” Clinton said.

She argued that Republicans are likely to center their campaign strategy on portraying Democratic candidates as extremists.

“It’s not just about Michigan, but the Republican messaging is ‘communist, socialist.’ It’s going to be a very effective attack.

“And so people on the left have to be prepared to answer that and be effective in answering that.”

When podcast host Kara Swisher questioned whether branding candidates as “communist” would still be an effective tactic in 2026, Clinton pointed to President Donald Trump’s campaign strategy as evidence that Republicans believe the message resonates with voters.

“All I know is that’s the attack that Trump is leading with and I assume they’ve tested it and I assume that they have reason to believe that it’s effective or they wouldn’t be beating the drum on it,” Clinton said, noting that Vice President JD Vance and other Republicans also have adopted the message.

Clinton described the Republican approach as an effort to revive “scare tactics,” while acknowledging that Democrats must also overcome internal divisions between the party’s moderate and progressive factions.

El-Sayed, who earned the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during the primary campaign, is now set to face Republican Mike Rogers in November in a race widely viewed as critical to determining which party controls the Senate.

Clinton said Democrats encompass a broader range of political viewpoints than Republicans but stressed that electoral success ultimately depends on winning statewide general elections.

She also criticized some progressive activists for failing to fully support Democratic nominees after contested primaries.

“There was a lot of reluctance to support Kamala Harris. There was a lot of reluctance to support me when I got the nomination,” Clinton said. “So, it can’t be a one-way street.”

With Michigan expected to be one of the nation’s marquee Senate contests, Clinton said El-Sayed will need to unite Democratic voters—including those who backed Haley Stevens—and attract independents if he hopes to defeat Rogers.

“We’re not going to beat Republicans by being divided,” Clinton said.

{Matzav.com}