{"id":489,"date":"2026-06-24T23:07:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489"},"modified":"2026-06-24T23:07:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:07:01","slug":"why-urban-democrats-love-socialists-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489","title":{"rendered":"Why urban Democrats love socialists now"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Democratic socialists won big in New York\u2019s primaries Tuesday, as two members of the Democratic Socialists of America defeated the Democratic establishment choices in congressional primaries, and several more triumphed in state legislative primaries.<\/p>\n

Read more Why Trump is blocking a big housing bill<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The victories suggested that DSA member Zohran Mamdani\u2019s election as mayor of New York City last year wasn\u2019t a fluke. Democratic socialism has become a real force to be reckoned with not just in New York \u2014 but in several cities around the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In Washington, DC, DSA member Janeese Lewis George won a blowout victory in Democrats\u2019 mayoral primary last week, making her all but certain to be the district\u2019s next mayor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In Seattle, Mayor Katie Wilson, who defeated incumbent mayor Bruce Harrell last year, is a self-identified democratic socialist. And in Los Angeles, city council member Nithya Raman, a DSA member, advanced to this November\u2019s runoff against Mayor Karen Bass.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The DSA has also elected several members of the city councils of New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, Portland (Oregon), San Antonio, and more. And they\u2019ve elected a handful of state legislators in many states \u2014 mostly from urban districts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But winning beyond deep-blue urban areas \u2014 in suburbs, in rural areas, and in statewide contests \u2014 is a tougher challenge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That\u2019s even true in New York, where on Tuesday, establishment-backed Democrats turned back left challengers easily in the state comptroller race and in the state\u2019s most competitive GOP-held House district. (The DSA did not endorse in either race \u2014 likely in part because they thought they had little chance of winning.) Mamdani\u2019s favorability ratings statewide are not especially impressive either, considering New York is a blue state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

So what are the main reasons the DSA has been catching on in big cities \u2014 and what do those reasons tell us about whether it might eventually catch on elsewhere, too?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

A discredited establishment, an energized opposition, and a base moving left<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Cities have, of course, long voted overwhelmingly for Democrats. But the rise of the democratic socialists is a more recent phenomenon \u2014 occurring gradually over about the past decade, before its explosion last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In most cases, the takeover followed a pattern \u2014 there was an increasingly sclerotic Democratic establishment that had been in power for a while, and that had gotten out of touch with the concerns of its increasingly left-leaning base.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThe Democratic Party apparatus that has traditionally been responsible for providing goods and services and representation to the people has atrophied,\u201d said Asad Dandia, a public historian from Brooklyn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

As the party machines looked increasingly hollow, the DSA tried to fill the gap with organizing \u2014 something they were particularly successful at in New York.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThe NYC DSA is the crown jewel of all the DSA networks around the country,\u201d pollster Adam Carlson told me. \u201cMy understanding is a lot of it\u2019s just like hustle \u2014 they\u2019re out in the community, they\u2019re talking to people. One of the reasons why they\u2019re so successful in cities is literally that they\u2019re walkable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

This led to some DSA successes in the late 2010s, such as the election of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to Congress. But the Biden administration years brought some stasis for the party.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Then, over the past few years, a confluence of political changes revived their prospects \u2014 by discrediting the Democratic establishment in the eyes of many of its voters. The Israel-Gaza war became a moral litmus test to many on the left. And the failure of the party establishment to stop Trump from returning to power \u2014 followed by his immigration crackdown and other crises \u2014 spurred an appetite for change.<\/p>\n

Read more Will this 13-year-old girl be the next dictator of North Korea?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

All this occurred amid the simmering issue of affordability and the cost of living in the post-Covid economy \u2014 something that millennials and zoomers living in expensive cities felt acutely. And many came to view the party establishment as representing the status quo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cDSA largely comprises young people \u2014 people in their 20s and 30s \u2014 who are for the most part college-educated and renters,\u201d said Dandia. \u201cI\u2019m including myself in this category. We don\u2019t have access to the resources and the wealth and the necessities for us to achieve the American dream. We get stuck with being perennial renters. We\u2019d like to advance in life, just like everyone else has, and we haven\u2019t had the opportunity to do so because of these gaping inequalities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

So in several cities now, democratic socialists have put up younger, progressive \u201cchange\u201d candidates who\u2019ve channeled many voters\u2019 dissatisfaction with the Democratic establishments both in their cities and nationally \u2013 and promised something new, while an increasingly out-of-touch establishment was defending the past.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cYou have an extremely energized left activist network that really knows how to put together a ground game, whereas on the moderate side there\u2019s just a void,\u201d said Jordan Weissmann of the Progressive Policy Institute (who is sympathetic to the moderates). \u201cWhat\u2019s the center-left organization that is supposed to provide any kind of counterweight to DSA? There\u2019s none.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

But can it play elsewhere?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Democratic socialists have won big-city mayoralties and parts of city councils, and they\u2019ll have several members of Congress. But winning elsewhere will be more of a challenge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cPredictably, our electoral victories map pretty closely onto blue cities and blue states, that\u2019s not surprising,\u201d DSA national co-chair Megan Romer told me. \u201cWe\u2019re not blind to this. It is something that is being worked on.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Suburbs and rural areas are simply less Democratic than cities, but even the Democrats there are older and typically less left-leaning, and different issues are salient to them \u2014 for instance, they are more likely to own homes. \u201cHomeowners don\u2019t want to rock the boat as much,\u201d said Carlson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cWe talk a lot about housing justice and housing policy, and that is mostly relevant to people who live in places with apartments and lots of landlords,\u201d Romer said. \u201cWe have to figure out, okay, what policies do we have that can work out here?\u201d She flagged opposition to data centers as one possibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Carlson also cited the logistical difficulties of organizing outside cities, in areas where populations are less dense and concentrated: \u201cI\u2019m not going to say it\u2019s impossible. But as it stands right now, without some kind of national unifying force behind it, like a presidential campaign, or maybe a really compelling statewide campaign \u2014 it\u2019s tough to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Even in cities, there\u2019s a big question about how the socialists will fare in the longer term, as they move from the opposition faction to the governing faction. Can they actually address the cost of living crisis and prove they can run the snowplows the next time a blizzard rolls through?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Mamdani is well aware the stakes for the broader leftist movement rest in how well his city functions now that it\u2019s in the spotlight. He identifies as a \u201csewer socialist\u201d \u2014 a term for early-20th-century elected socialists who emphasized their competence in providing basic services like sanitation and health care over grander ideological struggles. And he\u2019s been notably pragmatic in his own governance, including keeping his predecessor\u2019s police chief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

So far, it\u2019s working, but there are recent examples of local governments electing ambitious progressives and failing to deliver. Weissmann pointed to San Francisco, which had a very left-leaning government for years, as one example where \u201cmoderates really took time to organize and build a coherent vision to respond to the city\u2019s problems\u201d \u2014 and then regained power. Mayor Daniel Lurie has maintained his popularity since winning in 2024 \u2014 his approval was in the 70s in one poll this year \u2014 while emphasizing public safety and new housing affordability plans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It\u2019s one thing to be the \u201cchange\u201d faction capitalizing on voters\u2019 unhappiness with the establishment. It\u2019s quite another challenge to keep those voters happy, and actually solve their problems, once you are the establishment. If socialists hope to succeed outside of cities, the first step is probably to prove they can actually govern cities well.<\/p>\n

Read more Who gave AI companies the right to build the future?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

See More:<\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
  • Politics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In New York, Washington, DC, and other cities, socialist candidates are winning. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy urban Democrats love socialists now - American Living Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why urban Democrats love socialists now - American Living Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In New York, Washington, DC, and other cities, socialist candidates are winning. Here\u2019s why.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Living Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-24T23:07:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8\"},\"headline\":\"Why urban Democrats love socialists now\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T23:07:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489\"},\"wordCount\":1380,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/e577500efa042f019dd71d761a4ad498.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489\",\"name\":\"Why urban Democrats love socialists now - American Living Report\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/e577500efa042f019dd71d761a4ad498.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T23:07:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/e577500efa042f019dd71d761a4ad498.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/e577500efa042f019dd71d761a4ad498.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":624},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?p=489#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why urban Democrats love socialists now\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Living Report\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanlivingreport.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why urban Democrats love socialists now - American Living Report","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why urban Democrats love socialists now - American Living Report","og_description":"In New York, Washington, DC, and other cities, socialist candidates are winning. Here\u2019s why.","og_url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489","og_site_name":"American Living Report","article_published_time":"2026-06-24T23:07:01+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8"},"headline":"Why urban Democrats love socialists now","datePublished":"2026-06-24T23:07:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489"},"wordCount":1380,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e577500efa042f019dd71d761a4ad498.webp","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489","url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489","name":"Why urban Democrats love socialists now - American Living Report","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e577500efa042f019dd71d761a4ad498.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-24T23:07:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e577500efa042f019dd71d761a4ad498.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e577500efa042f019dd71d761a4ad498.webp","width":1200,"height":624},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?p=489#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why urban Democrats love socialists now"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/","name":"American Living Report","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b970e3bc484fe2e26860a4380d70de8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanlivingreport.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanlivingreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}