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Democratic Socialists ruled election night in New York City’s primary this week, and their victories spotlight a broader contention among the Democratic party.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a subgroup of the Democratic party. The three congressional candidates New York City Mayor and DSA member Zohran Mamdani endorsed advanced to November’s general election and two incumbent Democratic congressmen were ousted.
The DSA has had a significant presence in Los Angeles since 2020 and currently, almost 1/3 of L.A.’s City Council are members.
“I think one of the problems that the Democratic party has faced, and particularly in dynamics with DSA, is that the candidates from a DSA background, or with DSA endorsements, tend to have a bolder and a more ambitious agenda. And for a very long time, the establishment has said ‘Oh, you gotta be realistic, you can only do so much at a time.’ Well, if you look at Zohran in New York, I mean, whether you love him or hate him, the guy’s delivering on his agenda,” said Mike Bonin, the Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State Los Angeles.
“Some of their supporters are very skeptical of Democrats. Others of their supporters are somewhat skeptical of old-school socialists. This is a way for them to communicate with both groups. That they represent something different, that deserve their support…is the DSA using the Democratic party to advance their agenda? Of course they are. The same way the Democratic party is using DSA to broaden its expanse beyond its traditional base,” said Dan Schnur, a political communications lecturer at USC and UC Berkeley.
Candidate for Los Angeles Mayor Nithya Raman has a more complicated relationship with the DSA than Mamdani. During the primary, the DSA didn’t endorse her, but instead recommended a vote for her.
“Yes, I have been a member of the DSA for a number of years and I’m not trying to hide that fact from anybody. I will also say that my record on the council has demonstrated that no matter who has supported me or no matter where I’ve been a member, I have stood up for what i think is right. I’ve stood up against for example, I’ve stood up for reforms in ULA. Something that many people across organizations that had endorsed me in my last election, did not support because I believed that was the right thing to do. I’ve done that over and over again in my policy making and I invite voters to look at my record of independence because I believe that independence is what they’re looking for in City Hall right now,” said Raman.
The wins in New York show the breadth of Mamdani’s political influence in a deep blue section of the country. But it’s unclear how far that extends because in swing districts, districts that Democrats need to flip if they want to take back the house, voters in many cases are opting for more moderate choices.
“Voters, for the most part, don’t vote on whether or not somebody is DSA, or DSA affiliated, or DSA endorsed, right? They vote based on what they’re hearing the candidates talking about, and how the candidates are appealing to them. So, you know, candidates are talking about affordable housing. They’re talking about different ways of more effectively keeping neighborhoods safe. They’re talking about ways of keeping people housed and not thrown out on the street. So, you know, it’s very neighborhood and pocketbook focused, I think is what people are hearing from candidates in L.A. who have backing from DSA,” said Bonin.
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