Socialist Candidate Sidesteps Tax Rate Questions During Fox News Interview

Oliver Larkin, a Democratic Socialists of America-aligned congressional candidate in Florida, repeatedly avoided providing specific tax rate figures during a tense Fox News interview with Sean Hannity on Monday. The socialist contender defended his position that billionaires should be “taxed out of existence” while declining to detail how much high earners would pay under his preferred system.

Larkin, who has campaigned for former President Barack Obama in 2008 and managed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ New Hampshire operation during the 2016 presidential race, is challenging moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz in a district considered highly competitive for Republicans in November’s general election. The candidate emphasized pragmatism over ideology, saying his focus centers on delivering Medicare-for-all, universal childcare and other specific policy proposals to South Florida constituents.

Hannity pressed Larkin multiple times to specify what percentage of earnings individuals at various income levels should retain after paying federal, state and local taxes. When asked about someone earning $100,000 annually or $500,000 yearly, Larkin declined to offer concrete figures, instead citing historical tax rates under Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower as models.

The candidate later argued that billionaires including Tesla CEO Elon Musk have benefited substantially from government subsidies and therefore warrant significantly higher taxation. Larkin suggested raising the cap on income subject to Social Security taxes but did not specify an amount during the exchange.

The district has been represented by Democrats throughout most of the modern era, with Republican Col. Allen West serving as the sole GOP representative in recent decades. Voters will decide Tuesday whether Florida follows the pattern of other states where socialist-aligned candidates have won recent elections.