Democratic Socialists Win Mayoral Races from DC to LA
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- Janeese Lewis George won the D.C. mayoral primary on a platform of subsidized childcare, down payment assistance, and pledges to resist Trump's reshaping of the federal district, ending 25 years of centrist governance in Washington.
- Zohran Mamdani, Katie Wilson, and Nithya Raman — all DSA members — have similarly ascended in New York City, Seattle, and Los Angeles, with Raman now facing Karen Bass in a November runoff, with no formal national coordination among them.
- The Democratic Socialists of America has grown from a few thousand members to more than 100,000 nationwide over the last decade, fueled by younger Americans joining after Bernie Sanders' presidential bids.
- Donald Trump threatened to potentially run Washington on a federal basis if a democratic socialist is elected mayor, saying 'we won't put up with it.'
- Mamdani and Lewis George both identify as 'sewer socialists' who emphasize responsive government services over critiques of market economics — a strategic rebrand to align leftist ideas with voters' top concern, affordability.
- Brandon Johnson in Chicago, endorsed by DSA in 2023, has drawn criticism on immigration, budgets, and public safety, and progressive district attorneys have been recalled in multiple jurisdictions over the past five years — evidence the wave has limits.
- Owen Fitzgerald, a University of Maryland graduate student, said he backed Lewis George for standing up to Trump and didn't know she was a democratic socialist until seeing news reports — a sign the label carries little weight with some voters.
Why it matters: DSA membership has surpassed 100,000, and the Working Families Party plans to target more mayoral offices this fall and 2028. The test: whether Lewis George, Mamdani, and Raman can deliver — failure echoes Chicago's Brandon Johnson backlash and the wave of progressive DA recalls over the past five years.
