Democrats can’t outrun their socialist wing

“In New York, they don’t say ‘I love you,’ they say ‘NYPD suck my d**k’ and I think that’s beautiful.”

“A world without borders — just like a world without prisons or police — is possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward.”

Voters judge political parties by what they do, not by what they call themselves.

“Trick question — Israel doesn’t exist.”

Those are social media posts or reposts from Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate who won the 2026 Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District.

Many Democrats still insist the Democratic Socialists of America remain a fringe movement with little influence over the party. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), for example, recently promised that “common-sense Democrats will fight back” against the socialist agenda.

The evidence suggests otherwise.

The DSA’s influence no longer depends on how many members it elects to Congress. Its influence comes from how many of its priorities have become mainstream Democrat positions.

Approximately 250 DSA members held public office in 2025, with roughly 90% elected after 2019. Only two currently serve in Congress, but the movement’s real strength lies elsewhere: dozens of state legislators and nearly 150 local officials, including mayors, city council members, county commissioners, and school board members. Another 35 DSA-backed candidates advanced through this year's primaries and appear positioned to win office.

Increasingly, the DSA shapes the Democratic Party from the ground up.

Consider the issues. The DSA openly advocates sweeping changes on immigration, policing, transgender policy, censorship, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The DSA has long called for expanding the Supreme Court to reduce conservative influence. Democrat leaders have moved in the same direction. Former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Supreme Court reform, while Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced legislation in 2024 to expand the court to 13 justices, joined by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

On gender policy, the DSA advocates taxpayer-funded transgender procedures, including for minors, and has threatened hospitals that refuse to provide them.

Former New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) argued that schools should be permitted to withhold information from parents when a child socially transitions at school. Whatever differences may exist around the edges, the underlying assumption is similar: Parents should not always have the final say.

RELATED: Yet another establishment Democrat taken out by a Mamdani-like socialist from a foreign land

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Immigration presents another point of convergence.

The DSA opposes meaningful immigration enforcement and has labeled Immigration and Customs Enforcement itself an instrument of “state violence.” Democrat officials have likewise resisted federal immigration enforcement in a variety of ways.

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) publicly aligned himself with anti-ICE activists, while New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) has limited state cooperation with federal immigration authorities and expanded state funding for immigrant legal defense.

The rhetoric differs. The practical effect often does not.

The same pattern appears on free speech.

After Elon Musk purchased Twitter and restored numerous previously restricted conservative accounts, the New York City DSA launched a dedicated “Stop Musk” campaign.

Democrat officials have repeatedly criticized Musk’s moderation policies and supported efforts, both here and abroad, to pressure X over the speech it permits.

Again, the methods differ. The destinations look remarkably similar.

The DSA also embraced the “Free Palestine” movement immediately after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terrorist attack, issuing a statement calling for an end to the Israeli regime.

Many of the Democratic Party’s most prominent progressive members have likewise become leading voices in the pro-Palestinian movement. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) have all championed that cause, while several have also supported reducing police funding or sharply limiting law enforcement.

No, today's Democratic Party is not formally controlled by the DSA. But it increasingly advances many of the same priorities. That is why Democrat leaders spend so much energy insisting they are not socialists. They understand the label remains politically damaging.

The problem is that voters judge political parties by what they do, not by what they call themselves. When the Democratic Party repeatedly adopts positions first championed by the Democratic Socialists of America, the distinction becomes more difficult to see.

Democrats may not like the comparison. Their policies increasingly invite it.

In 2026, voters should recognize an uncomfortable political reality: A vote for today’s Democratic Party increasingly advances the agenda of the Democratic Socialists of America.