# Communist Ideology Lurks in U.S. Politics

- Topic: usa
- Source: [gatestoneinstitute.org](https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22820/the-specter-that-haunts-america)
- Published: 2026-08-30
- Original: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22820/the-specter-that-haunts-america
- Language: en
- Image: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/pics/5770.jpg

## At a glance

- 1848 European revolutions spurred communist refugees to the U.S., embedding a leftist accent in local politics
- Neo‑communists today demand police defunding and military abolition, contradicting historical communist state models
- 58 % of Americans own stocks, challenging the feasibility of collective ownership claims
- Political figures such as Mamdani, El‑Sayed, and Ocasio‑Cortez illustrate the contemporary leftward shift

## Sources

- [gatestoneinstitute.org](https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22820/the-specter-that-haunts-america)

## The story

After the 1848 European revolutions failed, many communist leaders fled to the United States, where some became capitalists but left a lasting left‑leaning influence on local politics. The author argues that American neo‑communists today claim to defund police and abolish the military while historically communist regimes built powerful police states and armies. They also advocate collective ownership of the means of production, yet 58 % of Americans own stocks that would be dispossessed under such a system. Recent political figures—Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City; Abdul El‑Sayed, Michigan Senate candidate; and Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez, who hints at a 2028 presidential run—are cited as embodying this ideological shift. The piece traces the historical roots of leftist thought in America, from the Iroquois Confederacy’s collective management to Benjamin Franklin’s admiration of that model. It notes that communism never became a major force in U.S. politics, partly because the country framed it as an existential threat during the Cold War. The author concludes that the current leftward turn is a continuation of a long‑standing, though often covert, communist influence in American political discourse.

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