Former Obama and Biden adviser Meghan Hays is now reportedly calling on Democratic leaders to more forcefully challenge the party’s progressive wing, warning that failing to do so could allow candidates she says do not represent the broader Democratic Party to gain greater influence.
During a Friday appearance on Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum, Hays expressed frustration over recent Democratic primary victories by Democratic Socialist candidates in New York City and questioned why more party leaders have not publicly opposed them.
Speaking with host Martha MacCallum, Hays argued that the candidates in question do not reflect the views of most Democrats.
“These people are not Democrats,” Hays said. “They do not hold the values of the majority of the Democratic Party. Most of the country does not view 9/11 that way, or even a lot of these things people in New York were saying.”
Her comments referenced past remarks by Aber Kawas, a candidate backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who is now the Democratic nominee for New York State Senate District 12.
MacCallum’s discussion highlighted comments Kawas made during a 2017 episode of the Asian American Writers’ Association podcast.
“The idea we have to apologize for a terror attack that a couple of people did, and then there is no apology or reparations for genocides and for slavery… is something I find reprehensible,” Kawas said during the podcast.
Hays said the issue extends beyond individual candidates and reflects what she sees as a broader failure of Democratic leadership to confront positions with which she disagrees.
“What is really frustrating to me as a Democrat — and I know I’m very moderate — but why aren’t people in the party standing up to these folks?” Hays asked.
She questioned why more Democratic officials have not publicly spoken out or endorsed alternative candidates, particularly in politically competitive districts.
“Why aren’t more people endorsing?” she continued. “Why aren’t people saying, in these purple districts that are super important to take back the majority of the House and even have a chance in the Senate, ‘We won’t stand for this?’”
According to Hays, Democratic leaders appear reluctant to engage with the issue, choosing instead to remain on the sidelines.
“And you’re not seeing a lot of it,” she said. “I think everyone’s just like, ‘Oh, we’ll just stand back and let it happen.’”
Hays argued that such an approach represents a larger leadership problem within the Democratic Party.
“That is, I think, the biggest problem with our leadership that we have,” she said.
The former communications adviser warned that continued inaction could allow progressive candidates to gain increasing influence inside the party.
“Folks need to stand up or they will take over,” Hays said. “And again, not Democrats.”
Throughout the interview, Hays emphasized that she considers herself a moderate Democrat and repeatedly distinguished the candidates she criticized from what she described as the values held by most members of the party.
Her remarks come amid heightened debate within Democratic circles following recent primary elections in New York City, where several progressive candidates celebrated victories that have fueled renewed discussion over the party’s ideological direction.
Hays argued that party leaders must become more vocal if they hope to compete successfully in politically competitive congressional districts and prevent what she believes would be a continued shift away from the Democratic Party’s traditional mainstream.
[READ MORE: Massie Warns GOP Faces ‘Absolute Shellacking’ in Midterms if Party Doesn’t ‘Wake Up’]
