Bill Maher warned Democrats that some on the far left want communism and urged moderates to take back the party after its strong showing in the midterm elections. The comments came on his HBO program Real Time, where he criticized democratic socialists who have gained ground within the party. Maher said candidates pushing far-left policies want to move the country toward communism, and he argued that moderate Democrats should reassert their influence. He framed the party's wins as a check on that wing.
The remarks followed a strong night for Democrats, who won at least 254 House races, according to the Associated Press. That total gives the party its largest House majority since 2009. Among the results that drew attention, Nithya Raman, a democratic socialist, defeated Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The year before, Zohran Mamdani, also a democratic socialist, won the New York City mayor's race. Maher had earlier in June cited socialist wins in New York, along with a Supreme Court voting ruling, as examples of the party's direction.
During the segment, guest Coleman Hughes argued that rent control and socialism raise rents and hurt the economy. Maher offered a broad definition of socialism, describing it as government doing what the private sector does not. He pointed to Medicare, Social Security and the Marine Corps as government functions he considered acceptable, a framing that placed those programs outside his criticism while targeting the more expansive policies favored by the party's left flank.
The Supreme Court's April 29 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which struck down a Louisiana congressional map, forms part of the broader political backdrop to the midterm contests. Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff criticized Maher's definition of socialism as sloppy. Shroff also noted that Maher had dined with President Donald Trump at the White House the previous month. He pointed to government stakes in Intel, roughly 10 percent, and MP Materials, roughly 15 percent, as examples of government involvement in private companies that complicate the sharp line Maher drew.
It remains unclear whether moderate Democrats will regain control of the party's direction, and whether socialist policy is broadly unpopular with voters is a question the midterm results alone do not settle. Fox News Digital requested comment from Maher but had not received a response by publication.