The Democratic Socialists of America are riding a historic surge in electoral power. In recent weeks, DSA-backed candidates have swept primaries from New York to Colorado, ousting long-serving incumbents and claiming victories that seemed implausible just months ago.
The momentum crystallized in New York's primary elections last week, where nine of ten DSA-endorsed candidates won, including Darializa Avila Chevalier in the NY-13 congressional race. Chevalier, a pro-Palestinian newcomer, defeated a veteran incumbent who outspent her by millions. Across the country, Melat Kiros unseated Diana DeGette, a long-serving US representative, in Colorado's deep-blue first congressional district centered on Denver. Chris Rabb secured the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's third congressional seat, while Janeese Lewis George is slated to become Washington DC's next mayor.
The organization's growth has been explosive. DSA's New York chapter, its largest and most active, swelled from 5,900 paying members in fall 2024 to 14,000 before the recent primary. In the first day after the results, at least 900 more joined. Nationally, DSA now boasts more than 100,000 members across more than 200 local chapters, including twenty chapters with over 1,000 members each. The fastest-growing chapters are in unexpected places: Macon, Georgia; Corpus Christi, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Sonoma County, California.
The victories underscore a transformation in American politics. When Zohran Mamdani won election as New York City mayor last November, becoming the city's first immigrant, Muslim, and DSA member in that office, it raised the question: was this a one-off fluke or a sign of deeper change? The recent sweep suggests the latter.
"If we only elect Zohran, we only elect AOC, our project will have been a failure," Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of New York DSA, told a crowd of hundreds in Brooklyn. "Our ambitions are so much higher than just a position in government. We want to transform the world."
Maurice Isserman, a historian of the American left and a co-founder of DSA, had once predicted the organization faced a "death spiral" following the 2024 losses of Missouri's Cori Bush and New York's Jamaal Bowman. He has reversed that assessment. "I did not anticipate Zohran," Isserman reflected. Mamdani's election was a "game changer" that proved DSA "has indeed become the left wing of the possible."
More races loom. Cori Bush is running to reclaim her seat in Missouri. In Wisconsin, DSA-backed state legislator Francesca Hong is polling strongly for governor, a race that could test whether socialist candidates can succeed in swing states. Donavan McKinney, backed by Michigan's DSA chapter, is running for Congress.
The party establishment has reacted with alarm. Jaime Harrison, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, posted on social media: "If you hate the Democratic Party, then please don't run for our nomination." DSA members shrugged off the criticism. "What's a party if not its voters?" Mamdani responded.
Ashik Siddique, DSA's national co-chair, said the organization has the "correct theory of change" and that it is "really resonating." He added that Democratic leadership should take note of what voters clearly care about: affordability, housing, and other issues DSA candidates champion. "If they want to keep catering to tech oligarchs, fossil fuel executives, the 1%, then there is a basic conflict," he said.
Pro-Palestinian activism has become central to DSA's identity and appeal. After a turbulent period following the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, the organization doubled down on its support for Palestinian liberation. That stance, once controversial even on the left, now appears to energize young voters and differentiate DSA candidates from establishment progressives on the same policy issues. Attacks on DSA candidates' pro-Palestinian activism seem only to boost their support.
"Palestine has been really front and center," Siddique said. "It's really become a shorthand for having moral clarity." Mamdani proved one could take a clear stance on Gaza and win a citywide election.
The machinery driving these wins is old-fashioned ground organization. Mamdani's campaign relied on an army of volunteers knocking on more than one million doors. Streamer Hasan Piker, increasingly visible in rallying leftist voters, urged supporters to seize the moment. "I hope that, although Zohran was the first in New York City, by the end of these midterms, Zohran will seem unremarkable," he said. "Because by then, we will have elected so many."
Some DSA leaders are already discussing a run at the ultimate prize: a socialist candidate for the 2028 presidential election. It remains a long shot, but after the recent wins, the organization is bullish about pushing what's possible.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Democratic Socialists have finally figured out how to translate grassroots energy into actual power, and the Democratic establishment still doesn't know what hit them."
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