Joy Reid says many traditional Democrats find DSA-style candidates "unnerving" and that Black women "want support from our people and our party"
Joy-Ann ReidHost of the podcast "Reid This Reid That"
On the September 1, 2026 episode of her podcast Reid This Reid That, Joy Reid disagreed with Bakari Sellers's remark that Democrats will not be wasting money in Florida. Mediaite quotes her saying that many traditional Democrats find the rise of DSA-style candidates unnerving and prefer moderate candidates in the South, and that Black women want support from their party when they run.
Responding to
Bakari Sellers said on CNN on August 19, 2026 that Democrats will not be wasting money in Florida now because it is a Senate seat Democrats were not going to win, and that the money will go instead to states such as North Carolina, Ohio and possibly Iowa.
“I think for a lot of traditional Democrats, this rise in DSA-style leftists candidates is unnerving. And they’re not adjusting themselves to it. They’re still old school and want these moderate candidates, especially in the South, and they think that’s the only thing that can win. ... Black women want support from our people and our party when we run for office.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Are national Democrats holding back money from Angie Nixon's Florida Senate campaign because of her ideology and identity?
On September 24, 2026, Angie Nixon, the Democratic nominee for the Florida U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, told MS NOW that national Democratic leaders are reluctant to fund her campaign and gave two explanations: her progressive politics, and her race and gender. A spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) told MS NOW the committee monitors all races closely, including Florida. The committee's executive director, Devan Barber, has said additional investments require additional resources. Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings on record as of September 30, 2026 show a joint fundraising committee that includes the DSCC, a $5,000 contribution from a leadership PAC the FEC lists under Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and DSCC transfers totaling $24,000 to the Democratic Executive Committee of Florida in its July and August reports, but most of the period since the August 18 primary has not yet been reported. This case sets out what each side has said and what the filings show. It does not decide why national Democrats have spent what they have.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Mediaite report, published September 2, 2026, of Joy Reid's remarks on the Tuesday, September 1 episode of her podcast "Reid This Reid That." Mediaite says Sellers spoke on "a recent podcast interview"; the words it quotes match his August 19 remarks on CNN. We did not locate the podcast episode, so Reid's words are cited as Mediaite quotes them.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Mediaite reports that Reid said she was not a fan of Sellers's remark and thought it underestimated Nixon's chances. She began: "He knows politics, but I disagree with him on this one. Number one, it was not on-tone for where the people are."
After the quotation
Reid said "This sister has momentum" and "There's something happening in Florida around her." As Mediaite quotes her, she added: "Black women want support from our people and our party when we run for office. So I think he was just wrong."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Reid answers Sellers's winnability reason by saying that discomfort with DSA-style candidates, and a preference for moderates in the South, shape how traditional Democrats treat races like Nixon's, and she adds that Black women want party support. That supports the ideological and identity reasons Nixon gave. Reid was answering Sellers's remark about spending in Florida, but she speaks about traditional Democrats and the party in general, without naming the DSCC or a spending decision, so this is a statement of agreement with the proposition, not evidence for it. We labeled it Condemns.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Bakari Sellers
More from this case
Read the full caseDSCC executive director says "additional investments require additional resources" as Republicans outspend Democratic candidates
“Republicans are currently flooding core battleground states with money and outspending our candidates dramatically, so while we are excited about opportunities to expand the map further and monitor all races closely, additional investments require additional resources”Read statement
Jones criticizes Democrats' support for Nixon
“that's just a pattern”Read statement
Alford questions Democrats' willingness to invest in Nixon
“what do we get for our loyalty?”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Joy Reid says many traditional Democrats find DSA-style candidates "unnerving" and that Black women "want support from our people and our party"
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3762-on-the-september-1-2026-episode-of-her
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Joy Reid says many traditional Democrats find DSA-style candidates "unnerving" and that Black women "want support from our people and our party"". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3762-on-the-september-1-2026-episode-of-her