BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — Rep. Josh Gottheimer is sounding the alarm over what he calls an effort by socialists to “hijack” the Democratic Party, arguing that the Democratic Socialists of America represent a loud but relatively small faction that does not reflect mainstream Democratic values.

Gottheimer, a Democrat and member of the House Problem Solvers Caucus, made the remarks during an appearance on News 12 New Jersey’s “Power & Politics” with host Eric Landskroner.

Asked about his recent criticism of the DSA and the rise of socialism within the Democratic Party, Gottheimer pointed to comments from Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries rejecting several positions associated with the group.

“I do not support defunding the police. I do not support open borders. I do not support abolishing the Senate,” Gottheimer said, citing Jeffries.

Gottheimer said the DSA is not representative of the Democratic Party but is instead attempting to use the party to advance its own agenda.

“The DSA, they're not Democrats,” he said. “They're trying to use the Democratic Party as a vessel for their ideas, their extremism.”

He pointed to calls to defund the police, eliminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement, abolish the Senate and get rid of the court as examples of positions he said are fundamentally out of step with Democratic values.

“Stop trying to hijack our party,” Gottheimer said. “They're socialists, they're not Democrats. They should get their own party and start their own thing.”

Gottheimer acknowledged that the faction is relatively small, but said its members receive outsized attention because of their ability to generate headlines.

“The good news is, it's a small sliver, but it's a loud sliver, and it gets a lot of attention,” he said.

He also warned that Democrats have a political stake in keeping the movement from gaining a larger foothold in Congress.

“I want a permanent majority, not a temporary minority,” Gottheimer said. “And if these bomb throwers who are saying all these things get through and are in the Congress, the key is that they don't upend our majority and upend our chance of winning the presidency in 2028.”

Gottheimer also turned to Israel and antisemitism, arguing that some of the rhetoric coming from the movement goes beyond criticism of Israeli policy.

Discussing New York City politics, he criticized Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for what he described as an excessive focus on Jewish issues.

“When you're not protecting synagogues and places of worship, and you're allowing people to literally boycott Jewish businesses, I don't know what that has to do with Israel,” Gottheimer said. “That just seems like plain antisemitism to me.”

Gottheimer said Democrats need to distinguish themselves from the socialist movement heading into the midterm elections.

“That's not the Democratic Party,” he said, arguing that Democrats should focus on issues including affordability and the concerns of “hardworking American taxpayers.”

His message was blunt: Socialists are free to pursue their political views, but Gottheimer does not believe they should be able to redefine the Democratic Party from within.