This article is part of a series on |
Socialism in the United States |
---|
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political nonprofit organization, not a political party. Therefore, DSA members and endorsees usually run as members of the Democratic Party, Green Party, Working Families Party, or as independents.[ citation needed ]
In the 2017 elections, DSA members were elected to fifteen state and local offices. [1] In the 2018 midterm elections, DSA members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib were elected to the United States House of Representatives [2] and DSA members were elected to over forty state and local offices. [3] In the 2020 elections, DSA members Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush were elected to the House [4] and at least thirty-six DSA members won office, earning more than 3.1 million votes. [5]
Both national DSA and local DSA chapters can endorse candidates. DSA has no membership requirements, so anyone can join DSA. [6]
In January 2024, DSA said over 200 elected officials were affiliated with DSA. [7] The list below contains 212 such officials, including national endorsees, local endorsees, and non-endorsed members.
Name | State | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greg Casar | Texas | TX-35 | 2023 | current | member, not endorsed for this position [a] | [8] [9] |
Jamaal Bowman | New York | NY-16 | 2021 | 2025 | member and local-only endorsee [b] | [10] [11] [12] [13] |
Cori Bush | Missouri | MO-1 | 2021 | 2025 | member and national endorsee | [10] [14] |
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | New York | NY-14 | 2019 | current | member and local-only endorsee [c] | [10] [15] |
Rashida Tlaib | Michigan | MI-13, MI-12 | 2019 | current | member and national endorsee | [10] |
Name | State | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summer Lee | Pennsylvania | PA-12 | 2023 | current | former member (until 2021), not endorsed for this position [d] | [16] [17] |
Shri Thanedar | Michigan | MI-3, MI-13 | 2023 | current | expelled former member (until 2023), never endorsed [e] | [18] [19] [20] [21] [6] |
Danny K. Davis | Illinois | IL-7 | 1997 | current | former member, former endorsee [f] | [22] [23] [24] |
Jerry Nadler | New York | NY-17, NY-8, NY-10, NY-12 | 1992 | current | former member, former endorsee | [25] [26] |
John Conyers | Michigan | MI-1, MI-14, MI-13 | 1965 | 2017 | member, former endorsee | [27] |
Major Owens | New York | NY-12, NY-11 | 1983 | 2007 | member, former endorsee | [28] |
David Bonior | Michigan | MI-12, MI-10 | 1977 | 2003 | member, former endorsee [g] | [29] |
Ron Dellums | California | CA-9 | 1971 | 1998 | member, former endorsee | [27] [30] |
Name | State | Chamber | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rachel Ventura | Illinois | Senate | 43rd | 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [31] |
Zaynab Mohamed | Minnesota | Senate | 63rd | 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [32] |
Kristen Gonzalez | New York | State Senate | 59th | 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [33] |
Tanya Vyhovsky | Vermont | State Senate | Chittenden-Central | 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [34] |
Kyra Hoffner | Delaware | State Senate | 14th | 2022 | current | member, endorsee | [35] |
Jen McEwen | Minnesota | Senate | 8th | 2021 | current | member, endorsee | [36] |
Omar Fateh | Minnesota | Senate | 62nd | 2021 | current | member, endorsee | [36] [37] |
Jabari Brisport | New York | State Senate | 25th | 2021 | current | member, endorsee | [38] |
Nikil Saval | Pennsylvania | State Senate | 1st | 2021 | current | member, endorsee | [39] |
Megan Hunt | Nebraska | Nebraska Legislature | 8th | 2019 | current | member, endorsee | [40] |
Julie Gonzales | Colorado | Senate | 34th | 2019 | current | member, endorsee | [41] |
Robert Peters | Illinois | Senate | 13th | 2019 | current | [42] [43] | |
Julia Salazar | New York | State Senate | 18th | 2019 | current | member, endorsee | [44] |
Sam Bell | Rhode Island | State Senate | 5th | 2019 | current | member, endorsee | [45] |
Name | State | Chamber | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constance N. Johnson | Oklahoma | Senate | 48th | 2005 | 2014 | [46] | |
Julian Bond | Georgia | Senate | 39th | 1975 | 1987 | [47] |
Name | State | Chamber | Position | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sally Lieber | California | Board of Equalization | 2nd | since 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [107] |
Davante Lewis | Louisiana | Public Service Commission | 3rd | since 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [108] |
Name | State | Chamber | Position | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michelle Fecteau | Michigan | State Board of Education | At-Large | 2012 | 2020 | member, endorsee | [109] |
Name | Municipality | State | Position | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak [34] | Burlington | Vermont | Mayor | since 2024 |
Khalid Kamau [110] | South Fulton | Georgia | Mayor | since 2022 |
James H. Coleman [111] | South San Francisco | California | Mayor | since 2021 |
Marc Elrich [112] | Montgomery County | Maryland | County Executive | since 2018 |
Name | Municipality | State | Position | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sara Innamorato [85] (former member) | Allegheny County | Pennsylvania | County executive | Since 2023 |
Konstantine Anthony [113] | Burbank | California | Mayor | 2022–23 |
Ron Dellums [114] | Oakland | California | Mayor | 2007–11 |
James Scheibel [103] | Saint Paul | Minnesota | Mayor | 1990–94 |
David Dinkins [115] | New York City | New York | Mayor | 1990–93 |
Benjamin Nichols [116] | Ithaca | New York | Mayor | 1989–95 |
Gus Newport [117] | Berkeley | California | Mayor | 1979–86 |
Ethan Strimling joined DSA after he left power as the mayor of Portland, Maine. [118]
Name | Local Government Authority | State | Position | District | Tenure | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jovanka Beckles [163] [147] | Alameda County and Contra Costa County | California | AC Transit Board | 1st | since 2021 | |
Jackie Goldberg [164] | Los Angeles | California | School Board | 5th | since 2019 | |
Kenneth Mejia [165] | Los Angeles | California | Los Angeles City Controller | At-Large | since 2022 | |
Jumaane Williams [158] | New York City | New York | New York City Public Advocate | At-large | since 2019 | |
Brad Lander [166] | New York City | New York | New York City Comptroller | At-large | since 2022 | |
José Garza [167] | Travis County | Texas | District Attorney | At-large | since 2021 | Local endorsee |
Andrew Gonzales [168] | Austin Independent School District | Texas | Board of Trustees | 6th | since 2022 | Local endorsee |
Name | Local Government Authority | State | Position | District | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Auon'tai Anderson [169] [150] | Denver | Colorado | Board of Education | At-large | 2019–23 |
David Dinkins [115] | New York City | New York | Borough president | Manhattan | 1986–89 |
Ruth Messinger [155] [156] | New York City | New York | Borough president | Manhattan | 1990–98 |
Ryan Clancy | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | Board of Supervisors | 4th | 2020–22 |
Shri Thanedar is an Indian-born American businessman, author, and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 13th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Thanedar served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023. He was also a candidate in the Democratic primary for governor of Michigan in the 2018 election.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a big tent, democratic socialist political organization in the United States. After the Socialist Party of America (SPA) was renamed Social Democrats, USA, Michael Harrington formed the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC). The DSOC later merged with the New American Movement (NAM) to form the DSA. The organization is headquartered in New York City and has about 80,000 members. It leads organizing and protest campaigns, and has members in the House of Representatives, state legislatures, and other local offices.
Lee Jin Carter is an American former politician who represented the 50th district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Jackson Miller, the Republican House Majority Whip, to win the seat. Born in North Carolina, Carter is an IT specialist and a former U.S. Marine. The first openly communist state delegate in the United States since 1929, Carter served on the Finance Committee and the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee. In 2017, he was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), of which he was then a member.
Jessica González-Rojas is an American activist, politician, and academic. A Democrat, she is the New York State Assembly member for the 34th District, having been elected in 2020 after defeating incumbent Michael DenDekker in the primary.
Julia Salazar is an American politician and activist. She is the New York State Senator for the 18th district, which covers much of northern Brooklyn, centered on Bushwick. She won the seat as a first-time candidate after unseating incumbent Senator Martin Malave Dilan in the Democratic Party primary in 2018. She attracted national media attention for her support for sex workers' rights and other views. A member of the Democratic Socialists of America, she became the first member of the organization to serve in New York's state legislature.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 14 U.S. representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Party primaries were held on August 4, 2020. The Michigan delegation prior to the election consisted of seven Democrats, six Republicans and one Libertarian. Unless otherwise indicated, the Cook Political Report rated the races as safe for the party of the incumbents.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on November 8, 2022, to elect representatives for the thirteen seats in Michigan. The deadline for candidates to file for the August 2 primary was April 19. The congressional makeup prior to the election was seven Democrats and seven Republicans. However, after the 2020 census, Michigan lost one congressional seat. Democrats won a majority of seats in the state for the first time since 2008. This can be partly attributed to the decrease in the number of districts, which resulted in two Republican incumbents – Bill Huizenga and Fred Upton – in the new 4th district. Redistricting also played a part in shifting partisan lean of the districts which favored the Democrats overall, including in the 3rd district, which Democrats were able to flip with a margin of victory of 13 points. That was made possible by a non-partisan citizens' commission drawing the new political boundaries instead of the Michigan legislature after a 2018 ballot proposal was approved.
The 2021 New York City Council elections were held on November 2, 2021. The primary elections were held on June 22, 2021. There were several special elections for seats vacated in 2020 and early 2021; these special elections were the first to use ranked-choice voting in city council elections after it was approved by a ballot question in 2019 and the second to use ranked-choice voting since New York City repealed PR-STV in 1945. Due to redistricting after the 2020 Census, candidates also ran for two-year terms instead of four-year terms for the first time, stemming from the New York City Charter overhaul in 1989. Four-year terms will resume in the 2025 election after another two-year election in 2023.
Meagan Day is an American writer, editor, and activist, who is currently an editor at Jacobin, where she was previously a staff writer. The author of Maximum Sunlight (2016) and co-author of Bigger than Bernie (2020), her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times and The Guardian. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Erika Uyterhoeven is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 27th Middlesex district. Uyterhoeven is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Prior to serving in elected office, Uyterhoeven was a political activist and antitrust economist.
New York City's 32nd City Council district is one of 51 districts in the New York City Council. It has been represented by Republican Joann Ariola since 2022. She replaced Eric Ulrich, who was term limited in 2021 and could not seek re-election. Until 2021, it was the only district in the city outside of Staten Island to be represented by a Republican.
Kristin Richardson Jordan is an American politician who was the Council member for New York City's 9th City Council district from 2022 to 2024. Jordan identifies as a democratic socialist and police abolitionist. In her 2021 race for the New York City Council, she campaigned on a platform of "radical love."
Megan Ellyia Green is an American politician and educator from St. Louis, Missouri. She has served as the President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen since 2022 and previously represented the 15th ward on the Board from 2014 to 2022. Green is a progressive Democrat and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
The 2023 Salt Lake City mayoral election took place on November 21, 2023, to elect the mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. The election was officially nonpartisan. Incumbent mayor Erin Mendenhall won reelection to a second term in office, defeating former mayor Rocky Anderson and filmmaker Michael Valentine. This was the first mayoral election in the city's history to utilize ranked-choice voting, although Mendenhall won a majority of votes in the initial round, so no ranked-choice tabulation was necessary.
The 2024 Alabama Democratic presidential primary took place on March 5, 2024, as part of the Democratic Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 59 delegates to the Democratic National Convention were allocated to presidential candidates. The contest was held on Super Tuesday alongside primaries in 14 other states and territories.
The 2024 Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary took place on March 5, 2024, as part of the Democratic Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 116 delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be allocated to presidential candidates. The contest was held on Super Tuesday alongside primaries in 14 other states and territories.
The 2024 Minnesota Democratic presidential primary took place on March 5, 2024, as part of the Democratic Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 92 delegates to the Democratic National Convention were allocated to presidential candidates. The contest was held on Super Tuesday alongside primaries in 14 other states and territories.
The 2024 Washington Democratic presidential primary was held on March 12, 2024, as part of the Democratic Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 111 delegates to the Democratic National Convention were allocated to presidential candidates.
The 2024 New York Democratic presidential primary was held on April 2, 2024, as part of the Democratic Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 306 delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be allocated to presidential candidates.
The 2024 Connecticut Democratic presidential primary was held on April 2, 2024, as part of the Democratic Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 74 delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be allocated to presidential candidates.
At least 48 DSA members were on the ballot this November, and at least 36 won office, earning more than 3.1 million votes for socialist candidates altogether.
For reasons known only to himself, he joined DSA — anyone can join the organization. DSA's open membership policy makes the distinction between being a self-selecting member and a group-endorsed politician especially salient and critical. Neither Thanedar's local chapter nor the national organization ever endorsed his campaign. Searches for his name on the organization's local and national websites turn up nothing; they've never touted his membership, a pointed omission given that he's a sitting US congressman. [....] Thanedar personally escorted Prime Minister Modi to Congress for the address. Unsurprisingly, Thanedar's local branch of DSA voted to expel him from the organization in September.
A spokesperson for the Detroit chapter of DSA told Forbes in a statement that Thanedar's "views are not—and have never been—representative of Detroit DSA." Thanedar was expelled from the chapter last month "due to his support of the far right, violent, Islamophobic Modi regime in India," the spokesperson said.
The Detroit chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America fired back at Thanedar, saying he can't renounce his membership because he was removed from the local group on Sept. 17.
Julie [Gonzales] joined DSA shortly after her victory.
Brian Cina is in the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Burlington, Vermont. He is also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
They said the same in 2012 and 2018 when they elected DSA members Tim Smith and Mark King (...)
For Strimling, though, the loss turned out to be liberating, allowing him to push for radical policy reforms from the grassroots up rather than the City Council down. No longer constrained by the dysfunctional city government, the ex-mayor threw in his lot with members of the local DSA branch and took his ideas about housing reform directly to the people.
East Bay Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is celebrating the primary victory of DSA member(...) Jovanka Beckles