Democratic Socialists of America are poised to claim victory in two-thirds of the Tuesday elections in which it endorsed a candidate, making the radical offshoot an ascending force within the Democratic Party.
From Berkeley, California, to New York City, the hard-left group saw its preferred candidates win, underscoring how it is driving the larger party further toward socialism. The flex began in primary season, when the disciplined DSA took advantage of low turnout in deep-blue state and local elections to oust more moderate Democratic candidates. The fact that it carried through the general election solidifies the DSA’s power within the party.
Fox News Digital analyzed races for 161 candidate contests in DSA’s election tracker and found:
At 12:11 a.m., the DSA’s official X account posted a message with early returns: “Over 50 DSA victories tonight prove socialism can win in the U.S. Workers deserve more and a reality where all of us live with dignity and hope is closer than we think. The job’s not done, though. Tomorrow, we continue organizing, fighting, and winning for the working class!”
The DSA didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The DSA also endorsed an estimated 58 ballot measures, ranging from rent control, public banking and social housing to abortion rights, voting rights and tax initiatives, with many sailing to victory.
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Among the candidates, the database lists 11 federal races, 88 local contests, 60 state competitions and two municipal races.
The geographic and political range is noteworthy.
In Berkeley, five DSA-backed candidates competed for the Rent Stabilization Board. Four — Ida Martinac, Vylma Ortiz, Nathan Mizell and Avery Arbaugh — were leading for the five available seats in the latest Alameda County returns. The fifth DSA-backed candidate, Derek Rodriguez, was trailing.
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At the other end of the spectrum, DSA-backed candidates won or were leading in congressional districts on the East Coast.
Seven DSA candidates running in traditionally Democratic congressional districts have won their races. They include Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York, Melat Kiros in Colorado, Donavan McKinney in Michigan and Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won New York’s 14th Congressional District. Rashida Tlaib won in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. Angela Gonzales-Torres is expected to win in California’s 34th District.
Two DSA-backed House candidates lost or expected to lose: Mai Vang in California’s 7th District is losing and Lauren Jewett in Louisiana’s 1st District lost.
One of the most revealing races is in Ann Arbor, Mich., where Democratic socialist Yousef Rabhi defeated longtime Democratic Mayor Christopher Taylor in the primary before advancing to the general election, which he won yesterday. The upset showed DSA’s ability to challenge not only Republicans, but also the Democratic establishment from within its own primary process.
In Los Angeles, DSA-backed City Councilmember Nithya Raman’s unexpectedly close race against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass offers an even bigger test of whether the organization can move from winning legislative seats to capturing executive power in America’s second-largest city; early returns show the race too close to call.
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Results in New York state are particularly important, following DSA-backed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s rise to victory and power last year.
According to election results, 17 DSA-backed New York candidates are winners or expected winners, including three members of Congress, one state senator, 12 state Assembly candidates and one county legislator.
In California, DSA saw some defeats, revealing influence but not dominance. Of 43 California candidates, 23 were listed as winning or leading, while 17 are trailing.
The DSA was created in 1982 through the merger of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee and the New American Movement. Its roots are in socialist, labor, feminist and community organizing, but its national organization includes Marxist and communist wings.
On its election tracker, the DSA created graphics of its corporate logo — the red rose — spilling onto the page like confetti. DSA uses the red rose in its brand because of its longstanding history as an international symbol of socialism, labor organizing and working-class solidarity. The image also evokes the 1912 “Bread and Roses” textile strike, when workers “bread” and “roses,” symbolizing dignity. DSA’s logo combines the rose with two clasped hands, which the organization says symbolizes multiracial solidarity against capitalism and “divide-and-conquer” tactics.
DEMOCRATS NO LONGER HAVE THE NO. 1 WEAPON TO KEEP THEIR SOCIALIST WING IN LINE
DSA’s strategy has been clever. The DSA isn’t formally a political party, and most of its candidates run on the Democratic Party ballot line because the country’s winner-take-all system and state ballot-access rules make independent parties difficult to build. DSA’s strategy is to use Democratic primaries and local nonpartisan elections to elect candidates who identify with socialism and then organize them into a larger socialist movement.
DSA uses the Democratic ballot line as an electoral vehicle while openly describing its long-term goal as building an independent mass socialist party and ending capitalism. Its current endorsement criteria require candidates to identify publicly as socialists, support DSA’s national platform and, for national endorsements, meet its anti-Zionist requirements.
DEMOCRATS NO LONGER HAVE THE NO. 1 WEAPON TO KEEP THEIR SOCIALIST WING IN LINE
The results reveal that DSA is influential where three conditions exist: a safe Democratic district, a low-turnout primary and a disciplined local chapter capable of canvassing, fundraising and mobilizing volunteers.
While the DSA has muscle, the results don’t show that the DSA controls the Democratic Party nationally — yet. About one in three candidate contests are confirmed losses or expected losses. The group’s strongest results were concentrated in blue urban districts and local offices.
DSA’s reach also extends from Baltimore school boards to California education districts. DSA-backed candidates are winning or expected to win nine school-board or education-board races, including seats from Baltimore, Minneapolis and Chicago to Ferndale, Mich., Durham, N.C., and Petaluma, Inglewood and the Centinela Valley, Calif.
The geographic spread shows that DSA’s electoral strategy isn’t limited to congressional districts or major city councils. It is also targeting the local institutions that shape curriculum, labor policy and education spending, stretching from the East Coast through the Midwest to the West Coast.
