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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] |
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | New York | NY-14 | 2019 | current | member and local-only endorsee [b] | [10] [11] |
Rashida Tlaib | Michigan | MI-13, MI-12 | 2019 | current | member and national endorsee | [10] |
Name | State | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaal Bowman | New York | NY-16 | 2021 | 2025 | member and local-only endorsee [c] | [12] [13] [14] [15] |
Cori Bush | Missouri | MO-1 | 2021 | 2025 | member and national endorsee | [12] [16] |
Summer Lee | Pennsylvania | PA-12 | 2023 | current | former member (until 2021), not endorsed for this position [d] | [17] [18] |
Shri Thanedar | Michigan | MI-3, MI-13 | 2023 | current | expelled former member (until 2023), never endorsed [e] | [19] [20] [21] [22] [6] |
Danny K. Davis | Illinois | IL-7 | 1997 | current | former member, former endorsee [f] | [23] [24] [25] |
Jerry Nadler | New York | NY-17, NY-8, NY-10, NY-12 | 1992 | current | former member, former endorsee | [26] [27] |
John Conyers | Michigan | MI-1, MI-14, MI-13 | 1965 | 2017 | member, former endorsee | [28] |
Major Owens | New York | NY-12, NY-11 | 1983 | 2007 | member, former endorsee | [29] |
David Bonior | Michigan | MI-12, MI-10 | 1977 | 2003 | member, former endorsee [g] | [30] |
Ron Dellums | California | CA-9 | 1971 | 1998 | member, former endorsee | [28] [31] |
Name | State | Chamber | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rachel Ventura | Illinois | Senate | 43rd | 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [32] |
Zaynab Mohamed | Minnesota | Senate | 63rd | 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [33] |
Kristen Gonzalez | New York | State Senate | 59th | 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [34] |
Tanya Vyhovsky | Vermont | State Senate | Chittenden-Central | 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [35] |
Kyra Hoffner | Delaware | State Senate | 14th | 2022 | current | member, endorsee | [36] |
Jen McEwen | Minnesota | Senate | 8th | 2021 | current | member, endorsee | [37] |
Omar Fateh | Minnesota | Senate | 62nd | 2021 | current | member, endorsee | [37] [38] |
Jabari Brisport | New York | State Senate | 25th | 2021 | current | member, endorsee | [39] |
Nikil Saval | Pennsylvania | State Senate | 1st | 2021 | current | member, endorsee | [40] |
Megan Hunt | Nebraska | Nebraska Legislature | 8th | 2019 | current | member, endorsee | [41] |
Julie Gonzales | Colorado | Senate | 34th | 2019 | current | member, endorsee | [42] |
Robert Peters | Illinois | Senate | 13th | 2019 | current | [43] [44] | |
Julia Salazar | New York | State Senate | 18th | 2019 | current | member, endorsee | [45] |
Sam Bell | Rhode Island | State Senate | 5th | 2019 | current | member, endorsee | [46] |
Name | State | Chamber | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constance N. Johnson | Oklahoma | Senate | 48th | 2005 | 2014 | [47] | |
Julian Bond | Georgia | Senate | 39th | 1975 | 1987 | [48] |
Name | State | Chamber | Position | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sally Lieber | California | Board of Equalization | 2nd | since 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [109] |
Davante Lewis | Louisiana | Public Service Commission | 3rd | since 2023 | current | member, endorsee | [110] |
Name | State | Chamber | Position | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michelle Fecteau | Michigan | State Board of Education | At-Large | 2012 | 2020 | member, endorsee | [111] |
Name | Municipality | State | Position | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak [35] | Burlington | Vermont | Mayor | since 2024 |
Larry Agran [105] | Irvine | California | Mayor | since 2025 |
Eduardo Martinez [112] | Richmond | California | Mayor | since 2023 |
Khalid Kamau [113] | South Fulton | Georgia | Mayor | since 2022 |
James H. Coleman [114] | South San Francisco | California | Mayor | since 2021 |
Marc Elrich [115] | Montgomery County | Maryland | County Executive | since 2018 |
Name | Municipality | State | Position | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sara Innamorato [82] (former member) | Allegheny County | Pennsylvania | County executive | since 2023 |
Gus Newport [116] | Berkeley | California | Mayor | 1979–86 |
Konstantine Anthony [117] | Burbank | California | Mayor | 2022–23 |
Benjamin Nichols [118] | Ithaca | New York | Mayor | 1989–95 |
David Dinkins [119] | New York City | New York | Mayor | 1990–93 |
Ron Dellums [120] | Oakland | California | Mayor | 2007–11 |
Ethan Strimling (joined after serving as mayor) [121] | Portland | Maine | Mayor | 2015-2019 |
James Scheibel [105] | Saint Paul | Minnesota | Mayor | 1990–94 |
Name | Local Government Authority | State | Position | District | Tenure | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Andrew Gonzales [192] | Austin Independent School District | Texas | Board of Trustees | 6th | since 2022 | Local endorsee |
Jovanka Beckles [193] [177] | Alameda County and Contra Costa County | California | AC Transit Board | 1st | since 2021 | |
Soli Alpert [135] [194] [195] | Berkeley | California | Rent Board Commissioner | since 2018 | ||
Karla Griego [196] [197] [198] | Los Angeles | California | School Board | 5th | since 2024 | Local endorsee |
Rocío Rivas [199] [200] | Los Angeles | California | School Board | 2nd | since 2023 | Local endorsee |
Kenneth Mejia [201] | Los Angeles | California | Los Angeles City Controller | At-Large | since 2022 | |
Jumaane Williams [187] | New York City | New York | New York City Public Advocate | At-large | since 2019 | |
Brad Lander [188] | New York City | New York | New York City Comptroller | At-large | since 2022 | |
Xander Orenstein [202] | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | District Magistrate | since 2021 | Local endorsee | |
José Garza [203] | Travis County | Texas | District Attorney | At-large | since 2021 | Local endorsee |
Name | Local Government Authority | State | Position | District | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jackie Goldberg [204] [205] | Los Angeles | California | School Board | 5th | 2019-24 |
Auon'tai Anderson [206] [179] | Denver | Colorado | Board of Education | At-large | 2019–23 |
David Dinkins [119] | New York City | New York | Borough president | Manhattan | 1986–89 |
Ruth Messinger [184] [185] | New York City | New York | Borough president | Manhattan | 1990–98 |
Ryan Clancy | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | Board of Supervisors | 4th | 2020–22 |
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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.
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(help)East Bay Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is celebrating the primary victory of DSA member(...) Jovanka Beckles
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