Democratic Socialists of America see record wins in US midterm elections

“This is a record for the DSA; these are numbers we have not seen in over a hundred years in socialist electoral activity,” National Electoral Commission member Chanpreet Singh said on a livestream on Tuesday night after the elections. The stream, broadcast on Twitch to more than 200,000 viewers, was hosted by political commentator Hasan Piker. The political group saw a surge in membership in 2016, when Vermont’s US Senator Bernie Sanders, a prominent DSA member, ran unsuccessfully for president, bringing the movement’s views on issues like universal healthcare and housing to a broader audience.

The election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City in 2025 brought more attention, and more members, to the DSA. Today the movement says it has more than 120,000 members, with chapters across all 50 states. Members vote to decide which candidates to back in elections, in federal contests like those for the US Congress, as well as state and local bodies.

Many of the candidates that the DSA endorses share views on core issues, including the war in Gaza, healthcare, and immigration.