Most of the 29 U.S. House campaigns backed by Democratic Socialists of America or its local chapters have failed, but the raw total masks where the organization has made its most consequential gains.
At least fifteen candidates have lost or withdrawn, nine have advanced to the general election and five still face primaries, based on a candidate tracker reviewed and updated by The Dallas Express on August 5.
Seven of the nine candidates who advanced are positioned in heavily Democratic districts where winning the Democratic primary usually makes November victory highly likely. Five of those seven would be new members of Congress, while U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) are seeking reelection.
The record suggests DSA is not making broad electoral progress across the country. It is, however, converting a small number of targeted Democratic primaries into probable congressional seats.
Primary Defeats Do Not Tell The Whole Story
DSA-backed candidates suffered four additional defeats on August 4. Former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) lost her rematch with U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Missouri). Kyle Blomquist lost in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District, Hartzell Gray lost in Missouri’s 4th District and Nila Devanath lost in Virginia’s 2nd District.
The same election produced one of DSA’s biggest victories of the cycle. State Rep. Donavan McKinney (D-Michigan) defeated U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Michigan) in the safely Democratic 13th Congressional District. Tlaib also won renomination in Michigan’s 12th District.
McKinney joined Melat Kiros, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Chris Rabb and Claire Valdez as DSA-backed non-incumbents who won Democratic nominations in districts strongly favoring their party. Kiros defeated 15-term U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado), while Avila Chevalier ousted U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-New York).
By contrast, two advanced candidates remain long shots. Mai Vang faces Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (D-California) in California’s top-two general election, while Chicago Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez is running as an independent in a Democratic district.
Five Primaries Remain
The remaining DSA-backed candidates are Brittney Robinson and Oliver Larkin in Florida, Emily Berge and Katrina DeVille in Wisconsin, and state Rep. Heath Howard (D-New Hampshire). The Wisconsin primaries are scheduled for August 11, Florida votes August 18 and New Hampshire votes September 8.
Even a sweep would not erase the 15 failed campaigns. The more important measure is whether DSA continues winning Democratic nominations in districts where the general election presents little resistance.
“Socialist” Or Communist?
| DSA says it seeks a “democratic road to socialism” through elections and organizing. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, its platform calls for public ownership of major corporations, an end to immigrant detention and deportations, voting rights for noncitizens, limits on Supreme Court judicial review and a new Constitution centered on a single federal legislature.
DSA also contains Red Star, an openly Marxist-Leninist caucus that says capitalism must be “overthrown and replaced,” with the ultimate goal of communism. Red Star argues that elections should help build socialist organization and delegitimize the existing political system, not merely win office. That distinction matters. Red Star does not represent every DSA member or candidate. Red Star has publicly criticized Ocasio-Cortez and opposed her national re-endorsement, showing that the communist caucus and DSA-backed officeholders are not interchangeable. This audit found no primary-source basis to label any of the 29 candidates a Red Star member. Candidates seeking DSA’s national endorsement must commit to its program, identify publicly as socialists and consider themselves “socialist organizers first, and legislators second,” but the 29-candidate list also includes local endorsements. Those national criteria cannot automatically be assigned to every candidate in the tracker. |
The Bottom Line
DSA’s 2026 House record is both narrower and more significant than a simple win-loss tally suggests. More than half of its backed campaigns have failed, and several remaining candidates are running in Republican-leaning districts or against stronger Democratic opponents.
Still, DSA-backed candidates have defeated three sitting Democratic House members and positioned at least five newcomers to enter Congress from safely Democratic districts. The organization is not winning everywhere. It is winning where a primary victory can matter most.
Full Audit: All 29 DSA-Backed House Campaigns
Status and outlook reflect information available at 11 a.m. Central on August 5, 2026. “Strongly favored” is an electoral outlook, not a race call. The tracker combines national and local DSA endorsements.
Provided by Dallas Express
