The left is all in on Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates in deep-blue strongholds, but the movement’s biggest names are silent in a genuine battleground state.

Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong sits on the verge of a historic nomination, and one election away from becoming the first Democratic socialist governor in American history, in the state President Donald Trump carried in 2024. Still, despite being one of the most talked about gubernatorial candidates of the 2026 cycle, the most prominent elected members on her side want nothing to do with her. Their indifference or calculated move could reveal the limits of the socialist boom in the U.S.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory sent far-left organizers into overdrive, ushering in similar surges in other liberal cities and districts. Several DSA candidates have won primaries in deep-blue areas as the base begins showing its might against the party establishment and they convince themselves that the party has shifted permanently leftward.

“…As a political organization, [DSA] punches far above its weight, and my hope is that Mamdani’s extraordinarily buzzy win…inspires a wider swath of Americans to consider democratic socialism. What better time than now?”https://t.co/YP8f0yhsqw— DSA (@DemSocialists) November 6, 2025

“…As a political organization, [DSA] punches far above its weight, and my hope is that Mamdani’s extraordinarily buzzy win…inspires a wider swath of Americans to consider democratic socialism. What better time than now?”https://t.co/YP8f0yhsqw

And to an extent, socialism is having a moment in the U.S. These candidates have been able to tap into the residual anti-establishment energy from the Trump era to capture the frustrations young voters and the working class have after years of inflation and stagnant wages. However, Wisconsin is a true purple state where margins are measured in the tens of thousands of votes, and the true test of whether the DSA has an electability problem among swing voters is set to play out should Hong take the nomination. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)

The left will be closely watching Hong’s race as a test run for 2028 presidential ambitions and potential validation that their politics can travel beyond its coastal enclaves. Progressive Democrats of America Executive Director Alan Minsky........

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