Summary:

Socialist-aligned Democrats have achieved a series of notable victories in the 2026 primary season. State representative Angie Nixon secured the Democratic Senate nomination in Florida, defeating Alexander Vindman, while Abdul El-Sayed narrowly prevailed over Representative Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Senate primary. In Colorado, Melat Kiros defeated 15-term incumbent Diana DeGette in Denver’s 1st Congressional District, and Janeese Lewis George won Washington, D.C.’s Democratic mayoral primary in the city’s first ranked-choice contest. These successes are concentrated in urban districts and have coincided with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) surpassing 120,000 members. Socialist candidates have also faced setbacks in broader electorates, including losses in Arizona, Missouri and Florida’s 25th District. Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank, has launched a $15 million campaign through 2028 to counter the DSA. Polling indicates that while a majority of Democratic voters now view socialism positively, national attitudes remain divided. September primaries remain in several states, after which the midterms will test whether these nominations can translate into broader electoral success.

 

Detailed Report

1. Socialist Primary Wins and Losses Across the 2026 Map

State representative Angie Nixon won Florida’s Democratic Senate primary on 18 August, defeating Alexander Vindman. Two weeks earlier, Abdul El-Sayed narrowly secured Michigan’s Senate nomination over Representative Haley Stevens, 48.5% to 47.5%. In Denver, 29-year-old Melat Kiros defeated 15-term Representative Diana DeGette. Janeese Lewis George, a D.C. council member, won Washington’s Democratic mayoral primary in the city’s first ranked-choice contest, taking a majority of first-choice votes. House nominations have also been won in New York and Detroit, and Representative Rashida Tlaib won renomination in Michigan.

Other socialist-aligned candidates fell short in Arizona, in Missouri’s 1st District, and in Florida’s competitive 25th District. In Wisconsin, Francesca Hong finished second to David Crowley in the Democratic race for governor. DSA’s tracker listed about 172 races as of mid-August, with 63 wins and 54 losses, most of them for mayor, council and state legislature, including legislative wins in Vermont, Minnesota and New York.

 

2. September Primaries Still Ahead Before the Midterms

September still holds primaries in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware. The last DSA-backed House race is New Hampshire’s open 1st District on 8 September, where state representative Heath Howard is in a crowded field against better-known Democrats, including Stefany Shaheen. The rest of the organisation’s September list is municipal and legislative. Once those contests close, the nominees already chosen go to the midterms on 3 November.

 

3. Younger, College-Educated Democrats Form the Socialist Primary Base

The nominations have been carried by younger, college-educated Democrats in cities. The New York Times found that support for New York House nominees Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier rose with the youth of a precinct, and that younger Democrats in the 7th District turned out at a higher rate than older ones. College towns and high-education neighbourhoods have been the base; working-class and lower-education precincts have not.

White Democrats have been more willing than Black or Hispanic Democrats to back candidates who call themselves democratic socialists. Haley Stevens held Detroit and other majority-Black cities in Michigan, while El-Sayed won university cities and a large share of the Arab-American vote in Dearborn. An Emerson poll before that primary had voters under 50 for him by 42 points and voters over 60 for Stevens. Avila Chevalier was competitive among Black voters in Harlem and younger Latinos in Brooklyn, but the incumbent held older Hispanic precincts in the Bronx.

 

4. Most Democrats Now View Socialism Positively

A CBS News/YouGov poll of 12–14 August found 58% of Democrats with a positive view of socialism and 50% with a negative view of capitalism. Among college-educated Democrats, socialism was 71% positive, and 62% said they would vote for a candidate identified as a democratic socialist. Fox News in July found 52% of Democrats favourable toward socialism, and Rasmussen this month found Democrats preferring a socialist candidate to a capitalist one, 44% to 38%. Pew Research, from a January survey, found that 32% of Democrats like politicians who identify as democratic socialists. Among all adults, the CBS poll found socialism at 35% positive and 42% negative.

 

5. DSA Membership Grows Nationwide

The DSA has more than doubled in two years. Dues-paying membership rose from about 50,700 in October 2024 to 120,000 on 4 July and to about 129,000 by the end of that month. The organisation reports more than 200 chapters across all 50 states. Its youth wing, YDSA, grew from about 100 chapters to 150 over the past year, and from about 2,000 members to 3,600.

The rise is not confined to New York. Between December 2025 and the end of July, Los Angeles grew from about 4,420 members to 6,000, Washington, D.C. from 3,200 to 4,000, Portland from 2,610 to 3,700 and Chicago from 2,520 to 3,300. Members not attached to a local chapter rose from about 4,560 to 6,500. New York City remains the largest chapter, at about 15,800, up from 5,700 in mid-2024.

 

6. Third Way Launches $15 Million Campaign Against DSA

Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank founded in 2005 and led by Jonathan Cowan, announced the $15 million effort after El-Sayed’s primary win. Cowan told the New York Times the money would fund opposition research, polling, digital advertising and outreach to party activists through 2028, aimed at the DSA rather than at individual nominees. He called the organisation a “mortal danger” to Democrats. Party committees and allies had already spent heavily in several of these primaries. Once the nominations were settled, Senate and House leaders moved behind the winners.

 

Conclusion

The socialist left now has Senate nominees in Florida and Michigan, House nominees in districts the Democratic Party already holds, and a larger set of local and legislative nominations, while falling short in wider primaries. Younger and college-educated Democrats have been carrying the urban wins, while overall the party’s voters have grown more comfortable with socialism. September will close the remaining primaries, after which the midterms will test whether these nominations can travel beyond a Democratic primary electorate.