Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville tore into Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Friday, defending Costco and warning that his party keeps undercutting itself with what he called “stupid” positions.
Speaking on his Politicon podcast, Carville argued that Democrats are “drowning in salt water” and need “fresh water” heading into 2028. He urged the party to look for candidates from rural America rather than from California, New York or Massachusetts.
He then turned to Warren and her long-running attacks on major corporations.
“We do stupid s— like I think Sen. Warren came out against Costco? Who in the f— is against Costco?! I mean, honestly?!” Carville said.
Carville appeared to be referring to Warren’s 2024 push to increase competition among grocers. At the time, she named several corporations she blamed for high food prices since the COVID-19 pandemic, including Walmart, Costco, Kroger and Ahold, which she said control more than 70% of the grocery market in most major cities. Warren listed the chain among the “massive food conglomerates” she accused of “ripping people off” with inflated prices.
Carville wasn’t buying it.
“It’s the most integrated place in America,” he said of the wholesale retailer.
He warned Democrats against opposing corporations simply because they are big. He also noted that Costco and its co-founder, Jim Sinegal, have long been prominent Democratic donors, and he called Costco “historically the most Democratic corporation in America.”
“They make great wine. They’re very wealthy. They started out as huge Democratic donors. They still are. It’s in deep blue Seattle or Kirkland, whatever right outside of it,” Carville said.
He mocked the idea that his party would make an enemy of the retailer. “‘We’re against Costco.’ I mean, give me a freaking break, OK? I mean, really?”
The outburst is the latest in a series of public warnings from the longtime Clinton adviser, who has repeatedly argued that Democrats’ progressive wing is costing the party with ordinary voters.
It is also not the first time Carville and Warren have traded shots. Earlier this year, Carville said he would leave the Democratic Party if left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker became a party mainstay. Asked about those comments, Warren brushed him off. “Look, James Carville has an opinion on everything, and I pay attention to almost one out of 10,” she said.
Carville’s latest comments show the divide is still there. Moderates in his camp want Democrats to drop fights they see as alienating, while Warren and other progressives keep pressing their case against corporate power.
For Carville, the point was simple. Costco is a popular, Democratic-friendly company, and attacking it makes no sense for a party trying to win back working Americans worried about the cost of groceries.
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