Democratic socialists roar back into spotlight with LA, DC races

Democratic socialists are back in the spotlight after notching two high-profile mayoral primary victories in major cities this month.

In Washington, D.C., this past week, progressive Democrat Janeese Lewis George outperformed moderate Kenyan McDuffie, all but assuring she’ll succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The week before in Los Angeles, fellow Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member Nithya Raman advanced to a November runoff in the mayoral race against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (D).

Their successes follow the most prominent DSA election victory in recent history: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani last summer defeated establishment Democrat Andrew Cuomo for the party’s nomination before again defeating the former New York governor, who reentered the general election as an independent.

While some see the results as a sign that DSA candidates and ideas are gaining traction in the Democratic Party, others caution against drawing broader ideological conclusions, saying the races reflect voters’ desire for change as the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election loom. 

“There are some lessons that can be learned from the election results in New York and Washington, but I think that there are limits to how much this will tell you about voting in the rest of the country,” veteran political strategist Doug Sosnik, former senior adviser to then-President Clinton, told The Hill.

“What happened in those two cities that does apply is that voters want change,” he continued. “They are tired of the same old politicians defending the status quo. Voters want people to blow up the system.”

Sosnik said he thinks the recent DSA wins are a validation of the economic populist policies championed by some of those candidates, but he noted the same trend is true for the Republican Party, pointing to President Trump’s election in 2016 and 2024. 

“People not only want change, but they also want their elected officials to focus on the middle class and break up a system that currently favors the rich and powerful,” Sosnick said. “That has been a consistent pattern throughout the primaries so far.”

Mamdani won his office last year with a bold vision for affordability in the country’s financial center, proposing rent freezes, city-owned grocery stores, universal childcare and free city buses. Though some criticized his goals as unfeasible, the 34-year-old’s promises of a “new era” in New York City propelled him to victory as a political newcomer. 

In Los Angeles, Raman shook up........

© The Hill