Democratic socialism’s midterm rise
By Hannah Leeman · Staff Writer
With November’s midterm elections quickly approaching, the Democratic primaries have advanced several surprising candidates.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have pulled off unexpected wins throughout the country, prompting many to question the future of the Democratic Party and the political landscape at large. Formed in 1982, the DSA has experienced a surge in membership, recently surpassing 100,000 members, and has chapters in all 50 states. Its ideology has proved appealing to younger voters, with many of its supporters landing in the 18-to 30-year range.
The DSA is an independent political organization simultaneously placing its members on the Democratic ballot while growing its own political party. Its website denounces capitalism as “a system designed by the owning class to exploit the rest of us for their own profit” and calls its audience to concentrate power back into the hands of everyday people.
While it rejects its Marxist-Leninist past, critics point to its policies and commitments which seem to suggest the opposite. Major Republican figures frequently label the DSA as communist, and some DSA leadership has openly identified as Marxists.
But what can these victories really tell us about the future of U.S. politics? In recent years, democratic socialist candidates have won congressional state seats and mayoral offices throughout the country.
Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York City, for instance, dominated the news last November while Francesca Hong narrowly lost the Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin.
The buildup to this year’s midterms, however, may signal something larger. Forty-six states have held their primary elections, confirming which two candidates will run against each other in November. Within the last few months, the democratic socialists have secured the party nomination in multiple states: Angie Nixon in Florida for U.S. Senate, Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York, Melat Kiros in Colorado and N’kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas in Oklahoma.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, current New York Congressmember and frontrunner in 2028 Democratic presidential polls, also officially rejoined the DSA a few weeks ago. Other candidates, such as Mayor Mamdani, were endorsed by democratic socialists but do not describe themselves as part of the DSA.
The victories have raised concerns over the future of the Democratic Party, especially among the party itself.
Yet it is difficult to tell how much a handful of primaries will affect the political landscape of the next few years. Experts have been cautious not to read too much into these wins. Some believe they confirm the DSA’s growing power in far-left states, claiming this is only the start of its plan to gain a footing in Congress. Others pass it by as a short-lived trend among the younger generation. At this point, it is simply too early to say.
In the past, Christians have sometimes allied themselves with democratic socialism.
Mid-20th century European Christians believed the cause of socialism best followed Christ’s instruction to care for the poor.
Yet the materialist roots and secular trajectories of modern socialism call into question whether Christianity and socialism can ever truly align. This especially seems to be the case insofar as these “modern” versions are utterly committed to non-Christian agendas like pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ+ and the end of law enforcement.
And while most of the DSA disavow its Leninist past, its playbook recycles the same moves, pretending to give ownership and control to the people while concentrating economic production and power in the hands of the government.
The upcoming generation of Christian students would do well to study these new issues at play to better evaluate the moral, spiritual and political legitimacy of this burgeoning movement. As the example of mid-20th century European Christians so clearly demonstrates, Christians have fallen on both sides of the issue.
The DSA professes to reject Marxist teaching, but can we trust its claims when many of its positions seem to recycle the failed past?
