Ruy Teixeira explains why democratic socialists are likely to do more harm than good for Democrats.
There was a brief, shining moment right after the 2024 election when it seemed like the Democratic Party might move closer to the views and values of the working-class voters it was so obviously losing. But that trend quickly dissipated as #Resistance fever gripped the party, the usual suspects mounted stiff resistance to any revision of policy positions, and momentum shifted to the energized progressive Left.
That trend continues today, as exemplified by the remarkable success of the Democratic Socialists of America. First there was DSA member Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the 2025 New York City mayoral race, which was followed this year by a surge of DSA triumphs. Mamdani and the DSA backed three Democratic primary candidates in New York City House districts—Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander, and Claire Valdez—all of whom won. Notably, these wins came not against moderates but against firmly progressive Democrats, including Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair Adriano Espaillat, who Chevalier ousted. …
… Does all of this mean the DSA is about to “take over” the Democratic Party? I don’t think so. But it does mean a big hit on the party’s potential to de-Brahminize and become more attractive to working-class voters.
The DSA has had significant success and recently hit 120,000 members, making it the largest socialist membership organization in American history. But it’s a big country! As Kyle Saunders points out, to match the per capita membership of the Eugene Debs-era Socialist Party, the DSA would need more like 400,000 members.
Furthermore, DSA wins have been confined to very blue, urban areas of the country where securing the Democratic nomination is equivalent to winning the general election (we’ll see what happens in the statewide Michigan and Wisconsin contests). Today’s Democratic Party, despite these trends, includes many, many politicians and voters who do not hail from intensely blue areas and who are far less likely to succumb to the DSA’s blandishments.
