Democratic Socialists of America to survey members on their choice for a 2028 presidential candidate

Leaders of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will survey members on whom the organization should support in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary, as the group seeks to build on a series of recent victories by candidates it has backed across the country. 

The effort comes amid growing attention on the influence that these so-called democratic socialists have within the Democratic Party, particularly after the election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. According to a report by Politico, DSA national co-chair Megan Romer said that the organization will play a significant role in shaping the 2028 presidential race.

“What DSA represents is a real contrast to Democrats who have run the last couple of elections on fear,” said DSA national co-chair Megan Romer, according to Politico. “You can’t run on that. You have to offer an alternative. And it’s really important that we be involved in that conversation in 2028. It’s important that we have somebody saying sensible things.”

DSA will distribute surveys to its 250 chapters for members to weigh in on potential presidential candidates, and responses are expected to be collected by September 15. The organization will then hold national discussions with Mamdani as well as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, with a formal vote expected at the organization’s 2027 convention.

“We’re going to be talking about millions of hours knocking doors for 2028 — so when we decide to really run somebody, people have to feel like they had a say,” explained Romer.

On Tuesday, multiple Mamdani-backed candidates won Congressional primaries in New York. Among them was Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is running to represent New York’s 13th congressional district. Chevalier has called for the abolition of US borders entirely, as well as eliminating police and prisons. She has called for the seizure of private property. 

Chevalier has said that if she gets to Congress, she will ensure that her Muslim faith will be reflected “in the halls of power.” She also co-founded Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which calls for the “total eradication of Western civilization.”

Before the primaries, Mandai said at a Brooklyn rally, “They ask, ‘Who do you want to run in 2028?’ Then they ask, ‘When does the race for 2028 begin?’ It starts now. It starts on Tuesday.”

Speculation has also risen on whether Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run for president in 2028. She has declined to discuss any presidential ambitions publicly, but she is expected to be a major factor in the DSA’s deliberations. There is also speculation that she may be interested in running to replace Chuck Shumer in the Senate.

Ocasio-Cortez’s relationship with DSA has been awkward in the past, as the organization backed her campaign in 2018, but in 2024 conditioned its endorsement on demands related to her positions regarding Israel.

“If it reveals that every chapter is like, ‘We want AOC, we want AOC’ — that’s something that could come out of this process,” Romer said. “And if that seems to be the overwhelming case, then that may be what we decide to do. We want to get in on the ground floor. It would be really great to be a day-one part of a campaign.”