On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Democratic U.S. House nominee and New York State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez responded to a question on if the party’s tent is big enough for her and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Israel by saying that Democratic voters “don’t want to see our tax dollars going to fund a genocide, apartheid occupation.”
Valdez said, “[I]f the Democratic Party is willing to stand for Medicare for all, is willing to fight for abolishing ICE, and bringing them — the billions, trillions of dollars we spend on forever wars back into our communities, then that’s the Democratic Party I want to be a part of. That’s what we’re fighting for in these races, and I think we saw, over the last several weeks, months, as progressives around the country are winning and last night, that this is what the working class and the Democratic electorate is also hungry for.”
Host Erin Burnett then asked, “So, and you have a point there, then when you listen to Sen. Fetterman, the dirtbag left is having their moment. Obviously, when it comes to an issue like Israel, right? He is diametrically opposed to where you stand. But can you recognize that the two of you are even in the same party?”
Valdez answered, “It’s a big tent party. And I think what’s important for me right now is saying that we won with a mandate in this race, we won across the entire district, and that the message that we had at the doors resonated. People want affordability. They want politicians who will stand up against ICE, who will stand up against forever wars, and who want to see the resources that we pour into agencies that do not make us safer back into our neighborhoods and hospitals and healthcare and education, the things that actually make lives dignified and beautiful here in New York 7.”
Burnett then asked, “So, there’s affordability, there’s also the issue of Israel, and I want to follow on that just because, obviously, Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s (D-NJ) talked about that a lot as well. Is the party big tent enough that you can be in the same party where you support Palestinian statehood and are talking about genocide with people who support arms sales to Israel and Israel’s actions in this war and in Lebanon? Is the tent big enough to include a John Fetterman and a you on that issue?”
Valdez responded, “What I’d say is that the people who do not agree with me that we should not be aiding and abetting a genocide and occupation, that the Democratic electorate does not reflect that position by far and large. The Democratic electorate wants to see us pull resources away from that, and again, put them back into our communities. They don’t want to see our tax dollars going to fund a genocide, apartheid occupation. They’re tired of that, and we heard this over and over again at the doors. But this is an opinion that is reflected across the entire country. It’s not just in New York City. And I think that Democrats would be well-advised to listen to the people who put them in their offices when they say that.”
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