Democratic Socialist Leads in D.C. Mayor Race—Furthering Breakout Year For Left
· Time
Democratic socialists are flexing their growing political strength in the nation’s capitol, with Janeese Lewis George leading in vote counting in Tuesday’s Democratic primary to be Washington, D.C.'s next Mayor. If the results hold, she will be all but certain to replace Mayor Muriel Bowser as the city's leader in January.
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It is the latest sign of the influential Democratic Socialists of America expanding its reach in the wake of last year's election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City. Across the country, there are signs that more candidates are identifying as democratic socialists or aligning themselves with the DSA's platform, as the far-left organization's membership grows.
Earlier this month in Los Angeles, Nithya Raman, a city council member and DSA member, advanced to L.A.'s mayoral runoff against incumbent Karen Bass. A Raman victory in November could mean DSA members are running the two largest U.S. cities and the nation's capitol by next year, with another progressive, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, running the third-largest city.
Read more: Meet Nithya Raman, the Progressive Democrat Who Secured the Second Spot in LA Mayor Race
The mayoral race in Washington had largely come down to Lewis George, a D.C. Council member, and Kenyan McDuffie, a former at-large council member who ran as a more business-friendly Democrat. Lewis George's campaign platform included instituting universal affordable childcare, strengthening tenants' rights, halting gas and electricity rate hikes, and making buses free for DC SNAP recipients.
The main DSA chapter in Washington, D.C. mobilized more than 300 members to canvas for Lewis George, according to chapter chair Kurtis Hagans, who says Mamdani's rise has helped their members connect with voters.
“We have had folks on the doors who see us wearing Democratic Socialist gear, like hats or shirts, and they'll say, ‘Oh, DSA, like Zohran,’” he says.
Democrats far outnumber Republicans in the nation’s capital, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary is expected to easily be elected mayor in November.
A Lewis George victory would likely exacerbate Washington’s relationship with President Donald Trump, who has expressed alarm over her popularity. Last week, he threatened to invoke the Home Rule Act, allowing the federal government to take over management of the District of Columbia should she become mayor.
“I wouldn't like it, and maybe we'll take back Washington and run it on the federal basis," Trump said last week. "We won't put up with it. We're not going to lose our business.”
The DSA’s expanding influence is evident in its growing membership, which counted only about 5,000 members as recently as 2016, according to Megan Romer, national co-chair of the DSA. The organization has seen a significant bump in membership since the second Trump administration as well as Mamdani’s victory, she says, rising from around 70,000 in 2025 to more than 100,000 now. Romer said the new members are largely young and urban, often living in places where democratic socialists already hold office.
“I think that they are really excited to see a bright spot of hope, and a spot where they can actually have some control over what happens next,” Romer says. “Because in a world where it feels like so many things have almost kind of been decided for you by generations ahead of you, this is a place to see it.”
The growing influence of the DSA’s brand is forcing a power struggle with establishment Democrats, as prominent Democratic socialists like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York work to push the party further left through endorsements in Democratic primaries.
Last week, Mamdani announced endorsements in three New York congressional races in an effort to challenge Democratic incumbents or Democrats backed by more moderate incumbent lawmakers. Two of his picks are DSA members, including Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is aiming to unseat Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Axios reported that the DSA challenger’s rise has prompted a pro-Espaillat PAC to spend at least $2.5 million ahead of the primary later this month.
Modern socialist campaignOne of the DSA’s enduring challenges is how to handle politicians who champion the organization’s policies but distance themselves from identifying as democratic socialists. Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who claimed to be a DSA member on Reddit in 2018, later said that he is not a socialist and identifies himself as a “New Deal Democrat.” Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who is a part of the progressive “squad” in Congress that includes AOC, has never identified herself as a socialist and never sought endorsement from her local DSA chapter, but is oftentimes aligned with policies promoted by the organization.
“We're glad to see our ideas being taken up, though at the same time we think it's really important that we make decisions about policy and about the direction we're heading collectively,” Romer says, while adding that endorsed candidates will receive more resources such as canvassing volunteers and more political donations from members.
It took the DSA several years to home in on the electoral strategies that work for them, Romer says. During previous election cycles, local DSA chapters endorsed a slate of progressive candidates who weren’t associated with the organization due to its lack of resources and people. As the team continues to grow, the DSA is now pushing for organizers and volunteers within their local chapters like Zohran Mamdani to run for public offices. (Before her mayoral campaign, the DSA previously helped Lewis George win her seat at the city council in 2020 and her reelection campaign in 2024.)
“Those people, they understand what it is to be part of this collective movement. They're not a pretty face in a list of policies, they're really a part of this group decision-making process,” Romer says.
Still, most democratic socialists running for office are still doing so as Democrats instead of a candidate of a separate, socialist party. The DSA doesn’t have a formal relationship with the Democratic Party leadership. DSA officials acknowledge that using Democrats’ ballot line is a pragmatic choice, one that somewhat undercuts an electoral strategy that emphasizes working outside of the established party machine.
“Clearly the terrain is not right for a socialist running in a Socialist Party. There is no Socialist Party that has any strength or membership to speak of,” said Michael Kazin, a history professor at Georgetown University who has studied the socialist movement in America.
Kazin also pointed out that the modern socialist movement in America, as reflected in the DSA membership, is gravitating toward people with a college education.
“The socialist movement in the early 20th century was a working-class movement, by and large,” Kazin added. “Now working-class people have been moving away from the Democratic Party and moving away from the left in recent decades, so that's the difference from earlier too.”
Looking forward, the DSA has endorsed candidates in several down-ballot races in Utah, Florida, Georgia, and Texas, and plans to endorse in more races ahead of November. But in Romer’s view, the DSA’s path to more political power comes as much from growing its membership as it does fielding more candidates.
“We need more elected officials, but we also need people who are ready to knock those doors, stand in line for public comment, organize ballot measures and organize around bills that we want passed,” she adds. “It's all connected, and it all matters.”