He went on to claim today's DSA-aligned activists “would merely have been regular old Democrats from 1914 to 1980,” adding that “media construction” rather than the Democratic Party's core values had changed.
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Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal took to Facebook Tuesday to defend the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) while describing the MAGA movement as “fascist,” injecting national partisan politics into the public profile of the elected official overseeing Washington state’s K-12 education system.
“I don't remember the media in 2016 wondering whether the fascist MAGA wing of the GOP would destroy that entire party,” Reykdal wrote in the Facebook post, “but they sure spend a lot of time perseverating on the idea that the DSA will destroy the Democratic party.”
Reykdal argued that MAGA and DSA should not be viewed as opposite ideological extremes.
“The former want to take away civil rights, further hand the economy over to oligarchs, and install a theocracy,” he wrote. “The DSA wants affordable housing, a fair tax code, and accessible education.”
He went on to claim today's DSA-aligned activists “would merely have been regular old Democrats from 1914 to 1980,” adding that “media construction” rather than the Democratic Party's core values had changed.
But the DSA's own newly released 2026 national platform is far more extreme than Reykdal described. The organization says achieving its objectives ultimately requires a “new political system” and calls for replacing the president and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary subordinate to Congress. It also explicitly demands the abolition of the US Senate.
The DSA program further calls for public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries, describes abolishing police and prisons as its ultimate goal, and calls for defunding the federal department responsible for the military while closing overseas bases and ending foreign wars.
On immigration, the organization explicitly demands abolishing ICE, ending detention and deportations, “legalizing migration,” granting amnesty to all immigrants regardless of legal status, and eliminating visa caps and quotas.
Its foreign-policy platform calls for ending all US military and economic aid to Israel and prosecuting US and Israeli leaders it holds responsible for alleged crimes in Gaza. The DSA’s platform was drafted between April and June 2026 by a committee created through its 2025 National Convention and subsequently finalized and approved by its National Political Committee.
Reykdal has served as Washington's elected Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2017 and won another four-year term in 2024. When asked about Reykdal's Facebook comments, however, his office distanced itself from the remarks and declined to address their substance. Katy Payne, chief strategy officer for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, told The Ari Hoffman Show, “Since the post was made on the Superintendent’s personal social media account, it isn’t something I will speak to from this office.”
Reykdal's latest remarks also come against the backdrop of a series of controversies over his approach to education policy and culture-war issues in Washington schools.
Reykdal has previously defended diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives amid efforts by the Trump administration to restrict federal funding tied to such programs. “DEI is not a harmful thing; it's a good thing,” Reykdal said. “We cannot allow the federal government to take money away from the state of Washington on a right that is clearly in the states and clearly in our local governments and in our community.”
His defense of DEI has coincided with significant concerns about Washington students' disastrous academic performance. The state's results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 71 percent of Washington eighth graders were not proficient in math and 69 percent were not proficient in reading, despite record levels of education spending.
Reykdal has also been at the center of Washington's battles over transgender policies in schools and athletics. He was among several Democratic officials who threatened legal action against the governing body for Washington high school sports if the organization adopted policies barring biological males from competing in girls' sports. Reykdal also threatened to withhold state funding from the La Center School District after the district adopted a policy requiring parents to be informed about their children's gender identity at school. Reykdal's office argued that the policy discriminated against students and families regarding gender inclusivity and the rights of queer and transgender students. The dispute over Washington's policies has continued with the Trump administration accusing the state of restricting information provided to parents and Reykdal maintaining that Washington law complies with federal requirements.
In February, in response to President Donald Trump's executive order recognizing two sexes, Reykdal said, “It is quite simply inaccurate to say biologically that there are only boys and only girls.” The controversies have put Reykdal at the center of debates over whether Washington's education leadership is prioritizing academics or progressive social policy as students continue to struggle with core subjects.
“I don't remember the media in 2016 wondering whether the fascist MAGA wing of the GOP would destroy that entire party,” Reykdal wrote in the Facebook post, “but they sure spend a lot of time perseverating on the idea that the DSA will destroy the Democratic party.”
Reykdal argued that MAGA and DSA should not be viewed as opposite ideological extremes.
“The former want to take away civil rights, further hand the economy over to oligarchs, and install a theocracy,” he wrote. “The DSA wants affordable housing, a fair tax code, and accessible education.”
He went on to claim today's DSA-aligned activists “would merely have been regular old Democrats from 1914 to 1980,” adding that “media construction” rather than the Democratic Party's core values had changed.
But the DSA's own newly released 2026 national platform is far more extreme than Reykdal described. The organization says achieving its objectives ultimately requires a “new political system” and calls for replacing the president and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary subordinate to Congress. It also explicitly demands the abolition of the US Senate.
The DSA program further calls for public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries, describes abolishing police and prisons as its ultimate goal, and calls for defunding the federal department responsible for the military while closing overseas bases and ending foreign wars.
On immigration, the organization explicitly demands abolishing ICE, ending detention and deportations, “legalizing migration,” granting amnesty to all immigrants regardless of legal status, and eliminating visa caps and quotas.
Its foreign-policy platform calls for ending all US military and economic aid to Israel and prosecuting US and Israeli leaders it holds responsible for alleged crimes in Gaza. The DSA’s platform was drafted between April and June 2026 by a committee created through its 2025 National Convention and subsequently finalized and approved by its National Political Committee.
Reykdal has served as Washington's elected Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2017 and won another four-year term in 2024. When asked about Reykdal's Facebook comments, however, his office distanced itself from the remarks and declined to address their substance. Katy Payne, chief strategy officer for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, told The Ari Hoffman Show, “Since the post was made on the Superintendent’s personal social media account, it isn’t something I will speak to from this office.”
Reykdal's latest remarks also come against the backdrop of a series of controversies over his approach to education policy and culture-war issues in Washington schools.
Reykdal has previously defended diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives amid efforts by the Trump administration to restrict federal funding tied to such programs. “DEI is not a harmful thing; it's a good thing,” Reykdal said. “We cannot allow the federal government to take money away from the state of Washington on a right that is clearly in the states and clearly in our local governments and in our community.”
His defense of DEI has coincided with significant concerns about Washington students' disastrous academic performance. The state's results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 71 percent of Washington eighth graders were not proficient in math and 69 percent were not proficient in reading, despite record levels of education spending.
Reykdal has also been at the center of Washington's battles over transgender policies in schools and athletics. He was among several Democratic officials who threatened legal action against the governing body for Washington high school sports if the organization adopted policies barring biological males from competing in girls' sports. Reykdal also threatened to withhold state funding from the La Center School District after the district adopted a policy requiring parents to be informed about their children's gender identity at school. Reykdal's office argued that the policy discriminated against students and families regarding gender inclusivity and the rights of queer and transgender students. The dispute over Washington's policies has continued with the Trump administration accusing the state of restricting information provided to parents and Reykdal maintaining that Washington law complies with federal requirements.
In February, in response to President Donald Trump's executive order recognizing two sexes, Reykdal said, “It is quite simply inaccurate to say biologically that there are only boys and only girls.” The controversies have put Reykdal at the center of debates over whether Washington's education leadership is prioritizing academics or progressive social policy as students continue to struggle with core subjects.
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