An increasing share of U.S. voters are self-identifying as democratic socialists, contributing to electoral successes for the far-left Democratic Socialists of America during the midterm elections. In some states, almost a third of voters subscribe to the leftist ideology.
Hawaii.
According to data compiled by Jacobin, a left-wing democratic socialist magazine, Hawaii had the largest share of midterm voters who self-identified as “democratic socialist.” Specifically, 29 percent of midterm voters in Hawaii identified as such.
Despite having the largest share of democratic socialist voters of any state, the Democratic Socialists of America endorsed only one candidate in Hawaii. DSA-backed Jason Liang ran for Honolulu City Council, but did not win, securing only 9.63 percent of the vote.
Oregon.
Oregon came in second, with 25 percent of the state’s midterm voters identifying as democratic socialists. The state’s capital, Portland, has a reputation as a far-left stronghold. The city’s DSA chapter was founded in 1982, making it one of the oldest and largest in the country.
The DSA backed nine candidates in Oregon during the midterms. Six were elected. Specifically, Mitch Green, Tiffany Koyama Lane, and Angelita Morillo were re-elected to Portland City Council. Alongside Sameer Kanal, who was not up for election, four out of 12 City Council members are DSA-aligned. Meanwhile, Tammy Carpenter and Lesly Muñoz were both elected to Oregon’s House of Representatives, while Callee Ackland was elected to Springfield City Council.
Delaware.
Delaware has the third-largest share of democratic socialist voters, at 24 percent.
The DSA backed four candidates in the state. Three were ultimately elected. Branden Fletcher-Dominguez and Shay Frisby were elected to the State House and State Senate, respectively, while Jason Hoover was elected to New Castle County Council.
New Mexico, California, and Vermont.
New Mexico, California, and Vermont all had midterm electorates in which 23 percent of voters identified as democratic socialists.
The DSA backed two candidates in New Mexico, one of which, Eleanor Chavez, was subsequently elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives. The organization also backed a statewide ballot initiative to establish a salary for state legislators, which was passed.
The DSA endorsed 55 candidates and 11 initiatives spanning all levels of government in California, more than any other state. While California does not have the highest share of democratic socialist voters, it has the largest number of DSA-aligned representatives, spanning every level of government, including newly elected U.S. Representative Angela Gonzales-Torres.
Seven candidates running in Vermont were backed by the DSA, and six were elected. Jeffrey Peterson, Matt Gile, Adam Franz, and Trang Do were elected to the State House while Tanya Vyhovsky was elected to the State Senate. Marek Broderick was also elected to Burlington City Council.
Connecticut.
Connecticut had the fifth-largest contingent of voters, with 22 percent identifying as democratic socialists.
Three DSA-endorsed candidates ran in the state. Nick Gauthier was subsequently elected to the State House and Maryam Khan was elected to the State Senate.
Colorado and New York.
Colorado and New York tie with 21 percent of their midterm voters identifying as democratic socialists.
Four candidates were endorsed by the DSA in Colorado, but only Melat Kiros was successful. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Colorado’s 1st congressional district. The DSA also backed three citywide ballot initiatives in Boulder, two of which were successful: a proposal for a residential vacancy tax, and a proposal to adjust city council electoral cycles.
New York has the largest DSA-endorsed congressional delegation of any state, with three members of the U.S. House of Representatives: Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In total, 11 DSA-endorsed candidates were elected to the State Assembly, while two were elected to the State Senate.
New York City’s DSA chapter (NYC-DSA) is widely regarded as the largest and most successful chapter in the country.
