DSA Gains Ground Inside Democratic Party

Voter registration table with forms, pens, and informational materials — Photo: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock

Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates have already knocked off two sitting House Democrats this year, and the group’s own leaders say they are now plotting their next moves to grow power inside the party.

Story Snapshot

DSA-backed challengers beat two sitting House Democrats in 2026 primaries.
CNN reports DSA leaders are planning further steps to expand influence inside the party.
Commentator Michael Knowles and other conservatives argue the takeover is already finished.
Top Democrats, including Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Ritchie Torres, flatly reject that claim.

DSA Notches Wins Against Sitting Democrats

Democratic Socialists of America members gathered at Chicago’s McCormick Place in early August to plan their “next steps for taking over the Democratic Party,” according to CNN’s reporting on the group’s convention. The outlet noted the DSA has taken a deliberate, strategic approach to building power inside the party, already unseating two sitting House incumbents this year through primary challenges.

Beyond the House races, DSA-aligned candidates have also broken through in statewide contests. Florida Senate nominee Angie Nixon and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed both won their primaries this year while carrying the group’s backing, fueling confidence among DSA organizers that their push into the party is working. Those wins followed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s earlier ascent, which conservative commentators point to as the moment the group’s strategy shifted into higher gear.

Conservative Voices Sound the Alarm

Podcaster Michael Knowles has argued publicly that the Democratic Socialists of America takeover of the Democratic Party is a “fait accompli,” pointing to figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as evidence the party’s most visible voices now align with the group’s brand. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has gone further, comparing the primary wins to a “Bolshevik Revolution” and warning of a coming Democratic “civil war”.

Scalise specifically cited DSA platform positions, including proposals to defund prisons, as proof the party’s direction has shifted sharply left. Other conservative commentators, including venture investor David Sacks, have argued the group no longer treats the party’s traditional establishment as an ally but instead sees it as an obstacle to be replaced entirely. A Washington Times column went as far as declaring that the takeover has already happened, not just started.

Democratic Leaders Push Back Hard

Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel rejected the takeover framing outright, saying he does not consider the Democratic Socialists part of the Democratic Party at all. “Run as a separate party,” Emanuel said. “The Democratic Party is not open to being taken over”. His comments drew sharp responses from commentators who argue the party’s platforms and messaging have already blended with DSA policy for years.

Rep. Ritchie Torres offered a more measured rebuttal, telling reporters the group represents a vocal minority rather than a governing majority. “Does it represent anywhere approaching a majority of the party? No,” Torres said, while acknowledging DSA-aligned officials rank among the party’s most popular figures. Organizational research groups note the Democratic Socialists of America is legally a separate political organization, not a party faction, even though it frequently backs candidates in Democratic primaries.

“Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, told the convention crowd, "The Democrat Party has been completely taken over by crazy communists. I call it the Bolshevik Revolution in the Democratic Party”

— #🇺🇸seiyu#NoCrime#NoUranet#No#covetnot Videoneon (@videoneonr) September 10, 2026

A Familiar Pattern With No Clean Verdict

Political scientists have a name for what’s happening here: entryism, a decades-old tactic where a smaller, disciplined group enters a larger organization to build leverage without ever securing full control. Scholars studying this pattern across parties in Britain and elsewhere caution that real-world cases rarely produce a clean, provable takeover; instead, they produce exactly this kind of standoff, where one side sees capture and the other sees a loud minority.

Reuters has documented that the group’s actual platform, including Medicare for All, universal rent control, and a smaller military budget, diverges sharply from mainstream Democratic positions on Israel, immigration, and foreign policy. That gap helps explain why both sides can point to real facts, primary wins on one hand, formal denials on the other, and still reach opposite conclusions about who actually controls the party’s future.