Socialism is surging across the country, and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is emerging as one of the movement’s fastest-growing political forces. Several DSA-affiliated candidates are currently running for elected office; two just won congressional primaries in New York on June 23; another, Nithya Raman, will face incumbent Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Nearly 170 DSA-endorsed candidates have won elections nationwide since 2018. Democratic socialists now run Seattle and New York City, and one will likely lead the nation’s capital next year, too. Much of the trend seems driven by voters in big cities looking for handouts, not a revolution. To the Democratic Socialists of America, however, the rise appears to be part of a much larger plan.
Me-First Socialism
For some people, socialism seems less about collectivist ideals and seizing the means of production and more about selfish interests: lower rent, free buses, job protection, and free healthcare, to name a few. So numerous voters gravitate toward socialist candidates who offer handouts paid for by taxing the rich. “It is a form of retail politics that appeals not to notions of the common good, as in prior waves of socialism, but to people’s narrow self-interest,” explained The Economist. “In place of ideology, people want someone to raise their incomes and cut their costs.”
Many people appear to equate this watered-down version with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) rather than a doctrine linked to the deaths of millions of people. Instead of communism or common ownership, “an increased percentage see it as representing equality and government provision of benefits,” said Gallup polling analyst Frank Newport. Perhaps that’s why more than 60% of Democrats view socialism favorably, yet only 42% say the same thing about capitalism.
Meanwhile, the DSA has a net favorability rating of +17 among Democratic voters, compared with just +4 for congressional Democrats, according to CNN data analyst Harry Enten. “They’re a better brand at this point than Democrats in Congress,” he said.
But most voters and DSA members don’t appear to have the same interpretation of socialism. In fact, what DSA candidates tout on the campaign trail seems far different from what members discuss behind closed doors.
The DSA’s Extremist Machine
Founded in 1982, the Democratic Socialists of America seeks a peaceful revolution “through the subversion of democracy,” explained The Free Press after reviewing thousands of pages of the organization’s internal documents last year. Leaders like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are “a tool in their agenda to abolish prisons and borders, and ultimately end … what they call the ‘barbaric order of capitalism.’” The group even plans to “run a socialist candidate in the Democratic presidential primaries” for the 2028 election. But its goals apparently go beyond the White House. “A socialist party in the United States,” one document read, “must be a part of the global political movement of the working class.”
Earlier this month, the DSA’s top leadership convened for its National Political Committee, the organization’s governing authority. Members discussed a slew of radical proposals, some of which aim to eliminate “the carceral forces of the capitalist state,” defund the Pentagon, abolish the US Senate, award amnesty to all immigrants, and replace “the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress,” according to documents reviewed by The City Journal.
The group appears to be a well-organized machine rife with true believers dedicated to transforming the country to their radical vision. “Already,” explained The Free Press, “they are mapping out city council races in Detroit, school board contests in the Pittsburgh suburbs, and county commission fights in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.” Meanwhile, the DSA has gained 10,000 members since February, a DSA spokesperson told Axios, putting the total at around 110,000.
Voters don’t hear much about these objectives from DSA candidates seeking elected office, and likely for good reason. How many Americans would approve of such drastic measures? Probably more than one might think, but would any of the group’s members still get elected if they were 100% honest with the public about the organization’s long-term goals?
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
The DSA is essentially using the Democratic Party as a Trojan horse, offering enticing ideas to struggling Americans to get elected while keeping quiet about its larger agenda. Blinded by the promise of government benefits, countless voters don't seem to ask many questions. Plus, they're apparently so fed up with traditional Democrats that they are eager to replace the old guard with a younger generation, unaware that doing so would likely amount to switching seats on the Titanic.
The longer Democrats struggle to regain their footing and govern effectively, the greater the chances voters will elect more democratic socialists in blue states. Though it might be difficult for the DSA to stretch its movement beyond deep blue areas, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, especially when the Democratic Party and the ideology of these insurgents appear to be merging. If the trend continues, socialists will eventually outnumber traditional Democrats and become the establishment, bringing them much closer to turning their ideas into a reality and upending the foundations on which this country was built.
