House ‘Squad’ poised to double in size — and turn America into a ‘socialist hellhole’: source

The “Squad” won’t just be a fringe faction in the new House.

The far-left group that began with the 2018 election of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is set to be a substantial block whose members are itching to leverage their newfound power to try to turn their sprawling agenda — abolishing ICE, Medicare for All, expanding gender-affirming care, and government-run supermarkets — into action.

The radical clique is set to double from the current core of seven to as many as 16 after a series of primary wins, election experts say – a number that swells to two dozen when counting left-wing progressives who share some views but are not closely connected to the Democratic Socialists of America.

Much depends on the size of any Democratic majority.

If the Democrats win a slim advantage just north of a 218-vote majority on Tuesday, the expanded “Squad” plays an even bigger role — with the ability to tank House rules developed by the leadership and force votes on controversial amendments.

Republicans warn “lunatics” running the Democratic Party would set out on “woke wild goose chases,” dragging Democrats into ideological battles at the expense of more mainstream priorities, RNC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told The Post. 

“These communist wannabes would hold [likely Speaker] Hakeem Jeffries hostage until he helps them turn America into a socialist hellhole.”

Mainstream Dems are also worried.

“They’re going to cause problems. They’re going to try to dominate the narrative,” a former Democratic leadership aide told The Post, predicting socialists would jockey for powerful committee assignments and gain other levers of power within the system.

“Squad” size isn’t the only thing that matters, critics said.

“If they do take back control of the House on Tuesday, the Democratic leadership you’ve been promised will change too,” said former RNC national spokesperson Elizabeth Pipko. “This is not just about the Squad doubling in size, but the consequences of the Squad possibly doubling in influence.”

A Brookings Institution August study found 282 DSA candidates running nationwide, with 19 winning primaries in national races. The DSA’s internal numbers, drawn from online data and reviewed by The Post, show a jump from 90 candidates in 2025 to 338 this year — a nearly four-fold increase — and a cumulative 1,452 campaigns in eight years.

High-profile wins in November will have members of the socialist bloc clamoring for respect — and could fuel a presidential run by Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has stumped across the country for fellow lefties.

Policies floated by DSA-backed candidates or introduced as bills include abolishing ICE. Some soon-to-be members of Congress, like NYC’s American flag-defiling radical Darializa Avila Chevalier, want to fund free lawyers to assist millions of illegal immigrants get citizenship. Lefty New York congressional Democratic candidate Claire Valdez has touted nationwide rent control and wants to demilitarize the border.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, a likely Democratic winner of a Philadelphia-area House seat, has backed national grocery stores — a pet project of Gotham’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Nineteen of 22 left-wing lawmakers on a list of potential Squad allies support some form of Medicare for All, a proposal that critics say could eliminate private health insurance relied on by millions of Americans.

The candidates’ other priorities include ending military aid to Israel, eliminating cash bail and ending life sentences without parole.

Valdez has blasted “cowards” who are “betraying the entire working class” by disavowing transgender issues, calling for a trans bill of rights and “making sure that Medicare for All includes gender-affirming care and health care for trans folks.”

The DSA also calls for “fully abolishing the police and prison system which protects the rich and jails the poor.”

That’s a vastly different agenda than one promoted by dozens of Democrats who will be coming to Washington after defeating Republicans by blasting high gas prices and vowing to control inflation.

“We’re going to enter a new era of performative politics and just like crazy demands as well,” said Stu Smith, a socialism expert at the Manhattan Institute. He pointed to the DSA’s Workers Deserve More platform, which would “defund the Department of War” and take steps to “fully abolishing the policy and prison system.”

“This whole new batch [of DSA members] that they have are a totally different bunch of people.  Their kind of pedigree has been selected to be far more radical compared to someone like AOC,” he said.

A sharp turn left is worrying voters.

An October CNBC poll found that 28% of voters said their biggest concern under a new Democratic Congress would be the passage of DSA policies. Voters identified that more than any other concern, including inflation and rising taxes.

But individual socialist lawmakers in deep blue districts won’t face such constraints — and could carve out a national fundraising platform by standing firm, following the lead of AOC, who hauled in more than $37 million this election cycle.

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