A prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America has drawn criticism after saying she would not mind if progressive politicians turned out to have hidden extremist views, so long as they voted the "right" way. Emma Vigeland, a DSA member, podcaster and co-host of The Majority Report With Sam Seder, made the remark while discussing the political fallout facing Maine oysterman and Senate candidate Graham Platner, whose campaign was rocked by revelations about his past.

Speaking on a Vox podcast, Vigeland said she doesn't "really care if Bernie Sanders and AOC go home and they're a secret Nazi but they go out and they vote for the right things," prioritising legislative outcomes over a politician's personal beliefs or history. Vigeland, a former Young Turks correspondent, made the comments in the context of Democrats scrambling to defend or distance themselves from Platner amid the controversy surrounding his candidacy.