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Socialism in the United States |
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The following is a list of members of the United States Congress who have declared themselves to be socialists or have been a member of a socialist organization in the United States.
In the 1890s-1910s, most socialists who won election ran on the Populist or Socialist Party of America (SPA) ballot lines. While SPA won a few federal elections, SPA's electoral power was much greater in local and state elections, and briefly held over 1,000 local offices. [1] During the First Red Scare, the House of Representatives twice refused to seat socialist Victor Berger, who would be convicted of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and again won his seat. [2]
A very small number of members of Communist Party USA (CPUSA) ever won federal office, and never as open Communists. The Second Red Scare and McCarthy era resulted in persecution of socialists, removal of socialists from unions, and weaker socialist electoral outcomes. [3]
Starting in the 1980s, a small number of social-democratic and socialist Democrats affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). After the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign and explosion of DSA membership, DSA rapidly gained half a dozen seats in the House. In 2021, there were more socialists in Congress than any point in US history, [4] [5] most of whom are members of DSA. [6] After Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman lost re-election and Greg Casar and Summer Lee lost DSA endorsement, that number shrank again.
The table below lists members of the US Congress who were open socialists or open members of a socialist organization during their time in office.
As of September 15,2024 [update] :
Member | Photo | Chamber | Term start | Term end | State | Party | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greg Casar | ![]() | House | January 3, 2023 | Incumbent | Texas | Democratic Party (DSA member, former Austin DSA endorsee) | [7] [8] | |
Summer Lee | ![]() | House | January 3, 2023 | Incumbent | Pennsylvania | Democratic Party (former DSA member and former endorsee) | [9] | |
Cori Bush | ![]() | House | January 3, 2021 | January 3, 2025 | Missouri | Democratic Party (DSA member and endorsee) | [10] [11] | |
Jamaal Bowman | ![]() | House | January 3, 2021 | January 3, 2025 | New York | Democratic Party (DSA member and NYC-DSA endorsee) | [12] [13] [14] | |
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | ![]() | House | January 3, 2019 | Incumbent | New York | Democratic Party, Working Families Party (DSA member and former endorsee; NYC-DSA endorsee) | [5] [15] [16] | |
Rashida Tlaib | ![]() | House | January 3, 2019 | Incumbent | Michigan | Democratic Party (DSA member and endorsee) | [5] [2] | |
Bernie Sanders | ![]() | Senate | January 3, 2007 | Incumbent | Vermont | Independent (Endorsed in Democratic Party primaries, caucuses with Democrats) | [17] [18] [19] | |
Danny Davis | ![]() | House | January 3, 1997 | Incumbent | Illinois | Democratic Party (former New Party member and DSA member) | [a] | |
Bernie Sanders | ![]() | House | January 3, 1991 | January 3, 2007 | Vermont | Independent (won most Democratic Party votes) | [17] [18] [19] | |
Major Owens | ![]() | House | January 3, 1983 | January 3, 2007 | New York | Democratic Party (DSA member) | [2] [24] | |
David Bonior | ![]() | House | January 3, 1977 | January 3, 2003 | Michigan | Democratic Party (DSA member) | [25] [26] | |
Ron Dellums | ![]() | House | January 3, 1971 | February 6, 1998 | California | Democratic Party (DSA member) | [2] [27] | |
John Conyers | ![]() | House | January 3, 1965 | December 5, 2017 | Michigan | Democratic Party (DSA member) | [28] | |
Leo Isacson | ![]() | House | February 17, 1948 | January 3, 1949 | New York | American Labor Party | [29] | |
Hugh De Lacy | ![]() | House | January 3, 1945 | January 3, 1947 | Washington | Democratic Party (former Communist Party USA leader) [b] | [30] | |
Bolívar Pagán | ![]() | House | December 26, 1939 | January 3, 1945 | Puerto Rico | Republican Union (Socialist Party member) | ||
Vito Marcantonio | ![]() | House | January 3, 1939 | January 3, 1951 | New York | American Labor Party | [29] [31] | |
Thomas Ryum Amlie | ![]() | House | January 3, 1935 | January 3, 1939 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin Progressive Party (ideological socialist) | [32] | |
Vito Marcantonio | ![]() | House | January 3, 1935 | January 3, 1937 | New York | Republican Party | [29] [31] | |
Santiago Iglesias | ![]() | House | March 4, 1933 | December 5, 1939 | Puerto Rico | Socialist Party | ||
Thomas Ryum Amlie | ![]() | House | October 13, 1931 | March 3, 1933 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin Progressive Party (ideological socialist) | [32] | |
Fiorello LaGuardia | ![]() | House | March 4, 1927 | March 3, 1933 | New York | Republican Party (former Socialist Party of America candidate and self-identified socialist) | [33] | |
Fiorello LaGuardia | ![]() | House | March 4, 1925 | March 4, 1927 | New York | Socialist Party of America and Progressive Party | [33] | |
Fiorello LaGuardia | ![]() | House | March 4, 1923 | March 4, 1925 | New York | Republican Party (future Socialist Party of America candidate and self-identified socialist) | [33] | |
Victor Berger | ![]() | House | March 4, 1923 | March 3, 1929 | Wisconsin | Socialist Party of America | [2] | |
Meyer London | ![]() | House | March 4, 1921 | March 3, 1923 | New York | Socialist Party of America | [2] | |
Victor Berger | ![]() | House | March 4, 1919 | November 10, 1919 | Wisconsin | Socialist Party of America | [2] | |
Fiorello LaGuardia | ![]() | House | March 4, 1917 | December 31, 1919 | New York | Republican Party (future Socialist Party of America candidate and self-identified socialist) | [33] | |
Meyer London | ![]() | House | March 4, 1915 | March 3, 1919 | New York | Socialist Party of America | [2] | |
Victor Berger | ![]() | House | March 4, 1911 | March 3, 1913 | Wisconsin | Socialist Party of America | [2] | |
Henry Smith | ![]() | House | March 4, 1887 | March 3, 1889 | Wisconsin | Union Labor Party (former Socialist Party [c] member) | [34] | |
Horace Greeley | ![]() | House | December 4, 1848 | March 3, 1849 | New York | Whig Party (United States) | [35] | |
Robert Dale Owen | ![]() | House | March 4, 1843 | March 3, 1847 | Indiana | Democratic Party | [36] |
The table below lists members of the US Congress who were, at some point in their life, socialists or members of a socialist organization, but not while they held Congressional office.
As of September 15,2024 [update] :
The list below includes members who have sometimes been described as socialist, but are / were not ideological socialists or sincere members of a socialist organization:
There are currently 71 DSA members holding public office. This year, one was defeated for reelection and two did not run for reelection. Another 33 DSAers were elected this year for the first time, bringing the total to 101 when the new winners take office in January. This is greater than at any time since about 1912, when the Socialist Party had a strong foothold in both urban and rural America.
While Dellums and Owens were supportive of DSA, knowledge of their membership in an organization that at the time counted only a few thousand members was mostly left-wing insider baseball. Relatively few of their constituents had likely ever heard of DSA. Not so for the socialists in Congress today, in part because the organization itself has grown a dozen-fold in recent years, recently surpassing 80,000 members. The new socialists' organizational credentials are regularly cited by friends and foes alike ("Democratic socialists salivate over current, future New York state gains," Fox News reported with its usual taste and balance after last November's election.)
In the House, the entire Squad was re-elected, which includes DSA members and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.). They will be joined next year Summer Lee, who won in Pennsylvania. As a result, the next Congress will include more socialists than at any point in U.S. history.
The self-described 'democratic socialist' enters the race as a robust liberal alternative ...
The Illinois New Party is working intensively on Willie Delgado's state representative campaign. Delgado is part of an emerging Latino network in Chicago. We're also backing Danny Davis in a Congressional race, Barack Obama for state representative, and judicial candidate Patricia Martin. In addition to the electoral work, the NP in Chicago is supporting a local living wage campaign and an effort to prevent the placement of a waste site on the West Side.
And Danny Davis is certainly not foreign to Chicago DSA. From the very beginning, he has always been willing to help: appearing as a speaker with Michael Harrington, serving as a Master of Ceremonies without peer at the annual Debs – Thomas – Harrington Dinner.
I was DSA's liaison to Owens' congressional office in Brooklyn. I wrote and called his office when we wanted him to speak at one of our events. He never turned us down. Having once paid dues he believed himself to be a lifetime member of DSA and never let me forget my affiliation with the organization, interrupting me from time to time when I said something that surprised him, with "Is that the official position of DSA?"
Rep. Bonior and his wife Judy are longtime DSA members. They received the Douglass-Debs Award from Detroit DSA in 2003. Rep. Bonior was a co-host for DSA-PAC's successful fundraiser for Bernie Sanders in 2006. It was a pleasure for Detroit DSA to welcome David Bonior home for this event.
He wishes Republicans "good luck" with trying to paint him as a socialist, saying, "My family fled that."
Omar does not openly identify as a democratic socialist like Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez
Notably, she's not a political rookie, and she does not identify as a democratic socialist.
Pressley wasn't putting herself forward as a democratic socialist like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who successfully challenged the New York congressman Joe Crowley from the left.