Democratic Socialists’ Surge In The US Midterms Worries Conservatives – Analysis

Cropped file photo of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

Photo Credit: Matt Johnson, Wikipedia Commons

November 9, 2026

By P. K. Balachandran

Key Takeaways:

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), described as a left wing of the Democratic Party with roughly 130,000 members, are credited with helping Democrats secure major midterm gains, including Senate and House majorities and 28 governorships.

The DSA platform includes calls to abolish police and prisons, end aid to Israel, legalise migration and replace the Electoral College, Senate, presidency and Supreme Court with a single congress, though figures such as AOC say capitalism and socialism can coexist.

Exit polls linked the shift to economic discontent, the Iran war and anti-incumbency, while conservatives warn of Trotskyite “entryism” and cite historical failures of socialist regimes.

Much like the Gen Z who appeared from nowhere to topple entrenched regimes in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, America’s Democratic Socialists, dismissed as an inconsequential fringe group by mainstream analysts, inflicted defeats on scores of right-wing Republicans in this month’s US midterm elections.

But conservatives, who represent the bedrock of American political thinking, are warning about the grim consequences of socialism, citing the But conservatives, who represent the bedrock of American political thinking, are warning about the grim consequences of socialism, citing the regimes of Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc

Electoral Successes

In the Midterms, the Democratic Party took both the Federal House of Representatives and the Federal Senate. In the US, overall, the Democrats did better than the Republicans. As on November 8, according to AP, the score was 54 Democrats and 44 Republicans in the Federal Senate, and 254 Democrats and 162 Republicans in the House. 28 Governorships went to the Democrats and 20 to the Republicans.

Democratic Socialists of America

A noteworthy feature of these midterms is the role played by the socialists and their fellow travellers in the Democratic Party, who identify themselves as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). It is said that the DSA has 130,000 members nationwide.

The DSA is not a separate political party, but is the left-wing of the Democratic Party. It has members as well as ideological affiliates. Prominent among people associated with it are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Rashida Tlaib (both members of the US House of Representatives), Zohran Mamdani (Mayor of New York).

Founded in 1982, the socialist group was resurrected by Bernie Sanders in the 2016 US Presidential election. The DSA is now firmly entrenched within the Democratic Party, determined to thwart the schemes of the extreme right-wingers represented by MAGA (Make America Great Again) led by President Donald Trump.

MAGA got identified with White racism, White supremacy and Zionism. Animosity towards immigrants from Africa and Asia is another feature. It also lacked sympathy for the marginalised economic, ethnic and sexual communities. In foreign policy, MAGA fully backed Israel vis-à-vis Palestine, Gaza and Iran.

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders, the Democratic Socialists’ guru, sought government ownership of the energy, banking, telephone, electricity, and drug industries. He has also called for a 100% marginal income tax on higher earners to help fund cradle-to-grave government services, including medical care, housing, childcare, education, Internet, and meals.
Key Structural Changes Envisaged

DSA’s 2026 manifesto said that the future it foresees will also include “fully abolishing the police and prison system”; “queer liberation”; enacting “reparations”; abolishing the Department of War; ending “all military and economic aid to Israel”; and legalising “migration.”

The DSA platform also calls for abolishing the Electoral College and the Senate. It would “replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to” one Supreme People’s Congress.

Not Communism, but Quite Radical

The Democratic Socialists have said that they are not communists and have produced “new versions” of socialism like “democratic socialism,” looking like an advancement on President F.D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is quoted in The New York Times as saying that she thinks it is “totally possible for capitalism and socialism to coexist.”

Anti-Incumbency Factor

According to Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University, and Kelly Dittmar, associate professor of political science at Rutgers University–Camden, many compared this election to the 1974 Watergate midterms in which anti-incumbency was a decisive factor (https://www.rutgers.edu/news/what-drove-historic-blue-wave-2026-midterms).

According to media reports on exit polls, a plurality of voters mentioned the economy as the most important problem facing the country. Nearly 9 in 10 said the cost of living was a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress, nearly 6 in 10 said they’re very concerned about gas prices, and three-quarters rated the national economy negatively.

Corruption and the state of the country’s democracy were also on the voters’ minds. Nine in 10 voters called government corruption a crucial or major factor in their vote, and a third named democracy the most important issue facing the country—second only to the economy. More voters trusted Democrats than Republicans to handle the economy.

The elections pointed to deep dissatisfaction with President Trump, his policies, and his handling of both the economy and the war in Iran. Vice President J.D. Vance has openly said that the Iran war had caused loss of votes. The media is now predicting the impeachment of the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth

Socialism Attracted

The polls also showed a leftward shift among key voting blocs. Every key demographic group swung toward Democrats, reversing much of their rightward shift from 2024.

As per the CBS News/YouGov survey done before the polls, Democrats overwhelmingly had a more favourable view of socialism than capitalism. Nearly 60% of party members supported socialism compared with 32% who had a favourable view of capitalism. Among those who had a college degree, 71% favoured socialism compared to 16% viewing it unfavourably.

Changing Views on Who is Electable

Women proved again that they are a key to Democratic success. Democratic women will now hold record levels of representation in the US House, US Senate, and Statewide elective executive offices, including Governors. They flipped at least 10 districts from Red (Republican) to Blue (Democratic) and won some of the toughest contests for US Senate and Governor.

Koning and Dittmar say that together, these results challenge yet again any notions that women are less electable than men. Even more, one saw historic wins for women of Colour, including the first Native American woman Governor, Deb Haaland of New Mexico, and the first Black woman Governor in the US. These women’s wins not only proved their electability but also disrupted dated views about who can and should lead at the highest levels of US politics.

Ethnic Dimension

Democrats also solidly won back Latino voters, 62% to 35%, including Latino men, who broke for Trump in 2024 but backed Democrats 56% to 41% this time around. Democrats also gained double-digit ground with Asian and suburban voters, winning about 7 in 10 Asian voters and nearly 6 in 10 suburban voters, and even made significant inroads with non-college voters, narrowly losing a group Trump won comfortably in 2024, Koning and Dittmar say.

Flip Side: Trump’s Warning

Given the rise of the Far-Left, President Trump worked to paint leftists as full-blown communists and urged Republicans to spotlight their hardcore policies heading into the midterm elections.

“Our American identity under a renewed attack. A generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism, there is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success,” The President had said.

“No more checks and balances. No more federalism. No more republic,” commented a conservative writer.

Trotsky’s Entryism

Conservatives suspect that the Democratic Socialists are following Trotsky’s tactic called “entryism,” which means infiltrating larger movements, converting followers, taking charge of power centres, and then altering policies to the Left. The Democratic Socialists have infiltrated the Democratic Party to make it a socialist party. Sanders and his team began recruiting socialist candidates to run in primaries, it is pointed out.

Conservatives warn that the socialist experiment in every country has failed. And the authoritarianism that accompanies centralisation and state control will only alienate people in the long run.

Given the traditional conservatism of Americans and the strong trend towards some form of socialism seen in the midterms, America is at a critical political and ideological crossroads. But the dalliance with socialism is expected to continue till America’s domestic and foreign policy issues are sorted out to the satisfaction of Americans.

About P. K. Balachandran
P. K. Balachandran is a senior Indian journalist working in Sri Lanka for local and international media and has been writing on South Asian issues for the past 21 years.
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