EXCLUSIVE: Michigan Dem Hillary Scholten worries DSA candidates are ‘alienating’ voters, vows to ‘fight for progressive causes’

The moment highlights the ongoing fracture of the Democrat Party, where more and more races are being won by by DSA-backed candidates such as Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros, and others. The DSA has said their intention is to use the Democratic Party infrastructure to gain a foothold as they push out the more moderate ideals.

"Someone like Adriano [Espaillat], who is like just such a barrier breaker, and like in many ways is such a progressive. Like to see him lose a race like this, I don't know," Scholten said.

"It's the democratic process, but it's the margins were so low, and the turnout was so low," she added, reflecting on Espaillat's loss to Chevalier. She said that when she was talking to Espaillat, he recounted that people have been shocked at his loss and that some have apologized for not turning out to vote.

"I was talking to him just last week," she said, "and he was like 'it's so painful to have people coming up to me and be like, you lost?' He's like, 'People will tell me, I feel so bad I didn't vote,'" Scholten said, recounting her conversation with Espaillat.

Chevalier won 36,292 votes to Espaillat's 33,555 in a district that has a population of nearly 750,000. Only 73,389 people came out to make the decision for almost a million New Yorkers, with less than 3,000 voting for another candidate.

"We can fight for progressive causes," said the unvercover cameraman later, urging Scholten on.

"Absolutely, we can. Absolutely, we can," Scholten said. "But you know, but I think we have to keep in mind, you know, who we're alienating if you embrace, you know, that brand of politics too much, too soon, and everything that comes with it."

The comments from Scholten, who is widely seen as a moderate Congressional Democrat, highlights the tension between the establishment Democrats and newcoming far-left DSA-affiliated candidates such as Chevalier, who has bragged about wiping her hands on the American flag and using it as a napkin.

In a 2019 social media post, Chevalier wrote, "I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me."

Espaillat is a progressive who has been in Congress since 2016. He was attacked by Chevalier for his stance on Israel and for accepting donations from pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.

Scholten has not endorsed far-left candidate Abdul El-Sayed as he seeks to represent Michigan in the Senate, pointing to his associations with far-left DSA streamer Hasan Piker. Piker previously said that America deserved 9/11. Piker later walked back those comments, but has been campaigning and advocating for DSA candidates. Piker previously said that streets should soak in “red capitalist blood” and dons the outfit of Chinese communist dictator Mao Zedong on occasion, saying he bought it in China. Piker has campaigned for El-Sayed.