Fact Check Team: DSA racks up primary wins as movement eyes two more major tests

Fact Check Team: DSA racks up primary wins as movement eyes two more major tests

WASHINGTON (TNND) — After years of economic frustration, some Americans are increasingly looking to the political left for answers. That shift is showing up in the 2026 primaries, where candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America are posting a string of notable victories. Meanwhile, a total of seven DSA-backed candidates have taken elected office — including two of the organization’s highest-profile members, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.

The other DSA-backed primary winners include Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York, Melat Kiros in Colorado and Donavan McKinney in Michigan.

DSA has highlighted McKinney’s victory in Michigan as the seventh major win for its endorsed candidates this cycle. The organization maintains a running tally of its nationally endorsed candidates and their election results.

The results reflect the growing role DSA is playing in Democratic primary politics. The electoral gains come amid growing frustration over the cost of living and economic insecurity. For some voters, rising housing costs, health care expenses, stagnant wages and concerns about wealth inequality have fueled dissatisfaction with the political establishment. DSA supporters argue that democratic-socialist policies — including stronger labor protections, expanded public services and greater government involvement in areas such as housing and health care — offer an alternative to the status quo.

The organization is not a political party. Instead, it is a membership-based political organization that endorses candidates and organizes volunteers and supporters around candidates who align with its democratic-socialist platform.

Many DSA-backed candidates run as Democrats rather than on a separate socialist ballot line. As the Democratic Party wrangles with a decade of a left-ward push in ideology and struggling Americans continue to their frustration with the status quo, voting for progressive and DSA-backed candidates at the ballot box.

The string of victories comes as the group looks to expand beyond individual House districts and into higher-profile statewide contests.

Two more races to watch

Tuesday's primaries in Wisconsin and Minnesota provide two more tests of the movement's electoral reach.

In Wisconsin, state Rep. Francesca Hong is running for the Democratic nomination for governor. Hong is a DSA-backed democratic socialist competing in a crowded Democratic field that includes Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and state Sen. Kelda Roys.

Hong has emerged as a major focus of attention for the DSA. A victory would put her in position to become the organization's first governor, making the Wisconsin race a particularly significant test of whether the movement can translate its success in legislative districts into a competitive statewide campaign.

Meanwhile, Minnesota voters are deciding whether Rep. Ilhan Omar will win the Democratic nomination for another term representing the state's 5th Congressional District.

Omar is the incumbent in a five-candidate Democratic primary. The winner will face the general election in November. Omar has long called herself progressive and not a DSA member, though.

Together, the Wisconsin and Minnesota races offer another look at the reach of the democratic-socialist movement — from established members of Congress to candidates attempting to take the movement into statewide office.

The DSA's 2026 primary successes have already gone beyond what some within the organization expected, and national political observers are increasingly watching to see whether those victories represent a lasting shift in the Democratic Party's ideological coalition.