Democratic Socialism and the Future of the Democratic Party
From big, blue centers like New York City to swing states in the Midwest like Michigan, a movement which once seemed extremely localized and functioned as a marginal political faction is becoming extremely difficult for the Democratic Party to ignore. Through figures like Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and recently New York City’s Mayor Zohran Mamdani, democratic socialism has caught the attention of many voters across the country. Organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have gained increasing attention as the movement continues to impress with its recent success. Although democratic socialism is gaining vast amounts of popularity, many question how the movement will survive in the more moderate parts of the country, as its success has largely been seen in extremely Democratic urban areas. So, how will the trajectory of the Democratic Party change with democratic socialism on the rise? Will the Democratic Party turn into a party heavily based on socialist values and policies, or will it maintain its more pragmatically minded political agenda of the 21st century?
One thing is for sure: democratic socialism has led to a growing divide in the Democratic Party. Recent Democratic primaries have exposed this divide, with several democratic socialist candidates winning their races this summer. In New York City, two democratic socialists and one former DSA member won their primaries and gained Democratic Party nominations for United States Representative this summer, including Claire Valdez, Darieliza Avila Chevalier, and Brad Lander. All three candidates won with the help of Mamdani’s powerful endorsement. These wins highlight the impact that Mamdani’s extremely progressive platform of affordability and economic intervention is having in New York City and other places across the country.
Hundreds of miles away in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, an extremely progressive candidate for the U.S. Senate mainly focused on Medicare For All, defeated moderate candidate Haley Stevens.Stevens, a House Representative of Michigan’s 11th district, was backed by tenured centrist Democratic stalwarts like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Although El-Sayed does not identify as a Democratic Socialist, he was backed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and is considered very progressive, adopting many policies also endorsed by the DSA. Similarly, in Colorado, Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros won her primary for U.S. Representative defeating 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette.
The movement has gained a serious amount of momentum with these victories; however, they did experience a key loss. In the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary in August, DSA candidate Francesca Hong lost to Democratic moderate David Crowley in a race that Hong was expected to win according to the polls. Charles Homans, a reporter from the New York Times, wrote this about Hong’s loss, “The movement had fallen short of proving what it claimed was possible. But that only meant it still was”.
Following these results, many politicians have spoken out about Democratic Socialism and their thoughts on the movement. Republicans such as President Donald Trump have expressed their fierce disapproval of the movement, referring to DSA candidates as “communists”, a traditional and inaccurate snub intended to raise suspicion and fear of the movement. Moderate Democrats such as Sen. John Fetterman and former Chief of Staff to President Obama Rahm Emanuel have also expressed their distaste for the movement and believe that Democratic Socialism does not belong in the party. Fetterman noted, “There’s a significant part of our party that’s getting taken over with these extreme views.” However, some moderate democrats like Haley Stevens, who lost her race against progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed, have called for unity in the party and asked for all Democrats to focus on winning the midterm elections. After her loss in the primary, she stated, “The voters voted. We got to move on”.
Ultimately, the strength of the DSA may depend on how much the Democratic Party adopts its policy positions and goals. The DSA is not an official political party and is unlikely to survive as a third party movement, so it relies on the Democratic Party to advance its candidates and project power. While the Democratic Party has long had progressive elements within its tent, such as the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), the DSA incorporates more populist positions and also emphasizes some controversial foreign policy stances. Populism is often described as the struggle between ordinary people and powerful elites. Democratic socialists put populism at the forefront of their political agenda by advocating for workers and the destruction of what they see as a powerful oligarchy in the U.S. Policies such as universal healthcare, taxing the rich, and affordability are a primary focus of the movement. For example, Mamdani has implemented a “rent freeze” for roughly 1 million apartments, which prevents landlords from increasing the rent on those apartments for two years.
Both parties have been grappling with how to manage shifting attitudes towards Israel in the American electorate. Many individuals will not vote for a candidate simply because they are funded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group. Democratic socialist candidates may be less likely to receive support from AIPAC because the organization has mainly focused its spending on opposing progressive Democratic candidates who criticize Israel and support Palestine. This support for Palestine has garnered severe backlash from individuals in both parties. However, American public opinion may be shifting more in line with the DSA’s position, as it has become much less sympathetic to Israel over the prosecution of the war in Gaza.
Democratic socialism is unlikely to completely take over the Democratic party with its progressive policies; however, its profound impact on the shifting political scene cannot be ignored. As we approach midterm election season and, eventually, what will be the historical 2028 presidential election, one thing remains to be fully seen – what impact will democratic socialism have on the American electorate?
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