At least five DSA-endorsed candidates win House seats

None of the incoming DSA-endorsed lawmakers has committed to Hakeem Jeffries

At least five candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and its local chapters won House races on Tuesday, according to Associated Press race calls. The winners are Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York, Melat Kiros in Colorado, Donavan McKinney in Michigan and Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania, all in reliably blue congressional districts. A record number of endorsed candidates were elected to the House this cycle, and the number of DSA members in the House is on track to more than triple when the new Congress is seated in January. NPR described the night as historic for the movement.

NPR linked the victories to a competitive primary cycle in which DSA candidates won by championing what it called economic populist policies such as universal healthcare and childcare. NPR described abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a more polarizing stance. Throughout the primaries, DSA-endorsed candidates criticized or broke with Democratic leadership, challenging sitting incumbents or competing against establishment picks.

Among the winners, Kiros had defeated Rep. Diana DeGette — a 15-term incumbent and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus — in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District in July. Just days earlier, Chevalier narrowly defeated Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in New York’s 13th Congressional District. NPR described Chevalier’s victory as a major upset.

Many of the candidates ran on a core value set aimed at bettering the working class and tapped voter frustration with the larger political system. They swore off campaign donations from corporations and pro-Israel lobbying groups, condemned the war in Gaza and called for the United States to stop supplying Israel with military aid.

NPR reported that the DSA platform energized some voters on the left and became a prominent attack line for Republicans. Republicans sought to paint the broader Democratic Party as too extreme and to link more moderate candidates to democratic socialist figures such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

NPR said the results grow the organization’s Capitol Hill presence and bring to Congress a bloc that will look to translate its electoral success into policy wins that push the Democratic Party further to the left. The policies NPR cited included universal healthcare and childcare, along with a stance of abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The DSA is not a registered political party. With Tuesday’s victories, the number of DSA members in the House is on track to more than triple when the new Congress is seated in January. Currently, two sitting lawmakers — Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ocasio-Cortez — are members of the organization.

NPR described the DSA’s House coalition as small but growing and said it could complicate the legislative agenda of Democrats if they succeed in winning back the House. In a new Congress where Democrats have only a thin majority, the coalition could wield outsize influence. If Democrats can win a broader majority, its influence could prove more limited.

The upcoming vote for House speaker may serve as an early test, NPR reported. If Democrats win the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is poised to be elected the nation’s first Black speaker. Currently, none of the incoming members with DSA endorsements has committed to supporting Jeffries.