Socialists Continue to Gain Popularity Within the Democratic Party

This fall, the “new blood” could seriously influence both the composition of Congress and political power in major cities.

From New York to Los Angeles, the organization Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) continues to promote its candidates for Congress and for leadership positions in cities.

In New York, socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier is running for Congress in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx with the support of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose recent election was itself considered a sensation. In Brooklyn, another socialist, Claire Valdez, is also making a bid for Congress, likewise with Mamdani’s backing.

Last week in Washington, D.C., progressive Democrat Jenice Lewis George defeated the moderate candidate Ken McDuffie, virtually securing her victory in the election and setting the stage to replace Mayor Muriel Bowser. A week earlier in Los Angeles, Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, advanced to the second round of the mayoral election, where she will face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

In both Washington and Los Angeles, the socialists are running against very liberal Democrats. This means that if they win, political power in Democratic strongholds—as well as in Congress—will shift further to the left and become even more radicalized.

Of course, as in 2016, 2020, and 2024, the liberal establishment will likely find ways to manage these American-style Trotskyists—how to bring them into line, how to get them working toward common goals, and so on.

However, when selecting a new Democratic administration and drafting its platform, these new political sentiments will have to be taken into account. Voters have been equally disappointed by Trump and by the politicians whose actions helped Trump gain popularity and return to the White House twice.

So Biden, Harris, and most likely Newsom are all seen as non-starters, as is the liberal agenda centered on gender and climate issues. Not to mention that “take from the rich and redistribute” increasingly appears to many as the only way to sustain social programs, at least temporarily, in the face of an inflated and deficit-ridden budget.