House Democrats should only demand the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if it increases their chances of winning their elections in November, according to one lawmaker.

"In 2018, our mission is very clear: We're not trying to elect a president of the United States — we're trying to win the House of Representatives. That means we're going to need to win Miss Ocasio-Cortez's district in Queens," Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., told CNN Friday morning. "We're also going to need to win districts in places like Western Pennsylvania, in Ohio, Virginia, where quite frankly, I don't think 'abolish ICE' plays as well as it plays in Queens."

"If that works for Miss Ocasio-Cortez in Queens, fine. Do what you need to do in your district. What I'm warning against is let's not have purity tests where we assume that a message that works for one of the bluest districts in the country is necessarily going to work for Conor Lamb in Western Pennsylvania or people running out West. Give people the room to say 'yes' or 'no' to different ideas in their district that allow them to win," he added.

[Also read: Trump to host White House event honoring ICE amid Democratic calls for its abolition]





The lawmaker has previously complained that socialist candidates and sitting lawmakers have gone so far left that it's making it harder for more moderate members of his party to remain popular.

Himes said his party is at a crossroads because its House Democratic leaders are "too old and too white" and unable to reach people under the age of 50.

"That is, in fact, a problem," he said, referring to 78-year-old House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and 79-year-old House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland.

"I don't care how good you are. There is a generational gap," he added. "Soon the Democratic Party is going to need to get some faces and some people that can speak to people in their 40s — people in their 20s."