{"id":576,"date":"2026-06-19T10:44:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=576"},"modified":"2026-06-19T10:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T10:44:21","slug":"d-c-s-democratic-socialists-have-become-a-campaigning-powerhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=576","title":{"rendered":"D.C.’s Democratic Socialists Have Become a Campaigning Powerhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"
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D.C.\u2019s progressive left packed the house at Transmission, an underground dance club on H Street, for a \u201cfundraver\u201d in March to support Janeese Lewis George for mayor.<\/p>\n

Read more The Trump Administration Is Holding Up Billions in HHS Funding<\/a><\/p>\n

Lewis George and fellow democratic socialist candidate Aparna Raj, who is running to be Ward 1\u2019s council member, spoke to an energetic crowd. The attendees cheered as the candidates promised to champion causes that are important to them: lowering utility costs, protecting tenants, and standing up to President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe status quo wants to continue to fight against labor when we organize across this city. The status quo wants to continue having fossil fuels and lead in our water and continue environmental racism throughout this city,\u201d Lewis George said. \u201cThat [status quo] continues to want to be complicit in this fight against Donald Trump and ICE and fascism, but that status quo has one problem, and that is us.\u201d<\/p>\n

After closing her speech, Lewis George stepped off the stage and put on shades to rave with the 20-somethings, many of them Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America members, an organization that makes up a core pillar of her campaign apparatus.<\/p>\n

Those members have been at work.<\/p>\n

They spent hundreds of hours door-knocking and canvassing ahead of this week\u2019s primary. It paid off: Lewis George is all but certain to become D.C.\u2019s first democratic socialist mayor, beating out the other leading Democratic candidate, Kenyan McDuffie. Raj, who previously chaired the local DSA chapter, is leading<\/u><\/span> in Ward 1. Oye Owolewa, who received a DSA endorsement for his bid for an at-large seat, is also ahead after the first tally of ranked-choice ballots. Ward 5 Council member Zachary Parker, who the DSA chapter endorsed in his successful 2022 election and again this year, won his primary this week.<\/p>\n

Their successes are the surest sign yet of the growing influence of D.C.\u2019s DSA chapter as more democratic socialist candidates win races around the country, most famously New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. With strategic endorsements and a mass of eager volunteers, the chapter is expanding its foothold in D.C. politics.<\/p>\n

Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America added roughly 1,000 new members since this time last year and is well on its way to 4,000 members, according to Kurtis Hagans, chair of MDC DSA\u2019s steering committee.<\/p>\n

That growth added to the number of volunteers who were willing to do what DSA does particularly well: door-knocking at scale.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think now, between the two campaigns, I\u2019m at like 4,600 doors right now,\u201d said one member, referring to Lewis George and Raj, while canvassing an apartment complex in Ward 1 the day before the election (he noted that was well above average).<\/p>\n

The majority of door-knocking on Raj\u2019s behalf was done by DSA members, according to the chapter and the candidate. For Lewis George\u2019s campaign, MDC DSA placed the number at 20% to 30%. Lewis George\u2019s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

In total, MDC DSA says it has knocked on well over 100,000 doors for this campaign cycle.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had, I think, close to 300 unique volunteers coming out, knocking doors in the rain and the cold and the heat,\u201d Hagans said. \u201cI think we\u2019re certainly a force to be reckoned with in the region, and folks are starting to see that. It\u2019s interesting to see how folks are trying to develop reactions, because, you know \u2014 who\u2019s knocking doors for McDuffie?\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more This New York Race Is a Microcosm of Democrats\u2019 Identity Fight<\/a><\/p>\n

The DSA chapter\u2019s surge is happening at a politically tumultuous time. Trump has exerted an unprecedented level of federal power over the District, briefly taking over the city\u2019s police department last year and deploying federal agents throughout the city to conduct immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

The city also faces the same affordability concerns as elsewhere in the country. The DSA-endorsed candidates, like other Democrats nationwide, centered their platform on making D.C. more affordable, promising to advance policies that are socialist in nature, such as implementing free child care and building thousands of homes to boost the availability of affordable housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a change election, so voters are looking for people that have a message of something new versus more the same. Democrats, in particular, want someone to stand up to Trump, particularly on the ICE issue,\u201d said Byron LaMasters, a progressive political strategist.<\/p>\n

He said Lewis George \u201cdid a terrific job\u201d of talking about affordability.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cPeople are concerned about the affordability of everything from housing to gas to groceries, and Democrats I think can win by having a message on those issues pretty much across the country, and it certainly resonated here in D.C.,\u201d LaMasters said.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, MDC DSA members said they plan to use their growth and momentum to continue their efforts throughout D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are really excited to be able to work on the inside track with Janeese,\u201d Hagans said. \u201cWe would love to see the promises made to the District realized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raj said DSA and her campaign had offered people joy and a positive vision for the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransmission was a dance party, but it was also queer resistance in a lot of ways,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The votes are still being counted in Raj\u2019s race but she looks likely to win. If elected, she said she intends to serve like an organizer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw a huge mobilization of people who had never been politically activated before in our campaign,\u201d she said. \u201cI think this is an opportunity to bring people\u2019s voices to the Wilson building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Is Fed Up With Senate Republicans. The Feeling Is Mutual.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Metro D.C. 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