Democratic Socialists of America the DSA

Who Are the Democratic Socialists of America? Founded in 1982 through the merger of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) and New American Movement (NAM), DSA began with approximately 6,000 members. Today, DSA describes itself as the largest socialist organization in the United States and as a political and activist organization, not a political party. DSA advocates democratic socialism and greater democratic control over economic and political institutions. Its priorities include organized labor, healthcare, housing, climate policy, electoral politics, and economic inequality. In July 2026, DSA reported reaching an all-time high of 120,000 members, with numbers nearing an estimated 200,000 before the year’s end. A key indicator of the DSA’s growth has been coverage by U.S. media outlets such as CNN, MSNOW, Meet the Press, the New York Times, and others that maintain high, often favorable, coverage of the DSA. Sanders, AOC, Mamdani and the Modern Democrat Socialists of America Movement Readers meet influential personalities and political figures connected to the movement, from Michael Harrington and Bernie Sanders to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Zohran Mamdani and a new generation of socialist organizers and candidates. New personalities include El-Sayed, Hasan Piker, and numerous political candidates, many of whom have an affiliation outside the United States of America. Richly illustrated and designed for accessible reading, this book examines DSA history, leadership, elections, beliefs, supporters, critics, internal debates, and controversies—giving readers a visual reference for understanding what DSA is, where it came from, what it says and means.