The Real Reason the Democratic Socialists Are Surging
More Democrats aren’t becoming socialists, they’re just really pissed.
THE DSA WING OF THE DEMOCRATIC COALITION is having a bit of a moment. Three Zohran Mamdani–endorsed congressional candidates won their primaries recently, sweeping aside more moderate challengers. This week in Colorado, socialist Melat Kiros routed Rep. Diana DeGette, a nearly three-decade incumbent who has served in the House longer than Kiros has been alive.
There’s talk of a Democratic Tea Party, an insurgent movement that’s poised to finish the job that Bernie Sanders started a decade ago: taking over the party and shoving it in a more populist direction.
So, is Democratic socialism the new hotness? Should mainstream Democrats panic? I don’t think so. But mainstream Democrats do need to wake up to what their voters are demanding.
Here’s what I can tell you from my focus groups: