Democratic Socialists Are Trying to Trounce Democrats in the Primaries
In early 2018, a relatively unknown democratic socialist named Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) in the Democratic Party primary election, in what Politico called a “shocker.”
At the time, Crowley seemed politically invincible; he was a 10-term incumbent, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, and considered to be a top candidate to become Speaker of the House.
However, “in an astonishing fall … Ocasio-Cortez’s activist campaign overran Crowley’s old-guard support,” as Politico reported at the time.
Nearly a decade later, with the 2026 midterm primary elections rapidly approaching, we could see an onslaught of democratic socialists poised to defeat many more long-standing, old-guard Democrats.
In Los Angeles, for example, democratic socialist Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles City Councilmember, announced she will run a primary campaign against Mayor Karen Bass.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Raman is “L.A.’s original democratic socialist insurgent,” who “shocked the city’s political class in 2020 by beating Councilmember David Ryu — the first time in 17 years that an incumbent lost their seat.”
Raman’s decision to enter the fray against Bass, who she has called an “icon” and endorsed just a few months ago, sent political shockwaves in far-left Los Angeles.
With the midterm elections coming soon, we will likely witness a blitz of democratic socialists challenging incumbent Democrats.
“Los Angeles is at a breaking point;” it is “no longer a place of opportunity,” Raman declared as she threw Bass under the bus.
In Wisconsin, Francesca Hong, a state representative who “has been vocal about her support for the DSA in the past” announced she will enter the Democratic Party’s primary for governor.
Already, Hong has received endorsements from the Milwaukee Democratic Socialists and Wisconsin’s Electoral Socialists (WES).
“Rep. Hong is the first credible socialist candidate for statewide office in Wisconsin in several generations. She has established herself as a leader in Wisconsin’s anti-capitalist movement, having joined the Wisconsin Legislative Socialist Caucus in her second term, and is now proudly and openly running as a socialist for statewide office,” writes WES.
Meanwhile, in New York, former NYC comptroller Brad Lander, a self-avowed democratic socialist, has announced that he will primary Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). So far, Lander has received endorsements from Democratic Socialist stars like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
The point is that these challenges are occurring across the nation, from the West Coast to the East Coast, as well as the Midwest and even the South. They are also occurring at multiple levels of government: municipal, statewide, and federal.
While some may dismiss these as one-offs, I think that is a short-sighted error in judgment.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) “is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 95,000 members and chapters in all 50 states.” It also has a youth movement, Young Democratic Socialists of America, “a national organization of recognized campus chapters and several hundred activists.”
Believe it or not, Democratic voters overwhelmingly favor democratic socialism. Based on a 2025 survey, “74 percent of likely Democratic voters said democratic socialism comes closest to their viewpoint.”
Recent Gallup polling confirms the trend of Democrats embracing socialism. In 2010, “only” 50 percent of self-identified Democrats had a “positive image of socialism.” As of 2025, pro-socialist Democrats have increased to 66 percent.
Make no mistake, the DSA is pouncing on this sudden shift in sentiment about socialism among ordinary Democrats.
“What the mainstream of the party wants is both democratic socialism as a value system and democratic socialist politicians,” said Gabe Tobias, executive director of the Democratic Socialists of America Fund in reference to such polls.
It would be wise to take Tobias’s statement seriously. With the midterm elections coming soon, we will likely witness a blitz of democratic socialists challenging incumbent Democrats.
By the looks of it, it sure seems like socialism is on the upswing among the Democratic Party, whether the old guard likes it or not.
Keep in mind, while not all Democrats are indeed democratic socialists, all democratic socialists run as Democrats.
READ MORE from Chris Talgo:
Chicago Public Schools Are Corrupt and Unsafe. School Choice Is the Only Solution.
Biden–Harris Flip-Flop on Fracking
MSNBC’s Joy Reid Calls ‘Heartland’ a Racist Term
Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.