One of the main narratives of the 2026 primary season was the rise of Democratic socialist and other progressive politicians in the Democratic Party. After displacing centrist or establishment-backed candidates in a number of primary races, Democratic socialist candidates had a strong showing in Tuesday’s general election.

DSA-backed candidates win multiple congressional races

Prior to Tuesday’s vote, only two politicians associated with the Democratic Socialists of America held positions in Congress: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who both won their respective reelection races. The number of DSA-affiliated members of Congress will soon multiply, however, as at least five additional DSA-backed candidates were newly elected to the House. The victorious DSA candidates, all people of color and mostly women, will add to the ethnic, gender and ideological diversity of the House. In New York, Darializa Avila Chevalier won the heavily Democratic 13th District with over 87% of the vote, while Claire Valdez won the 7th District with over 83% of the vote. As Blavity previously reported, both women were among a slate of New York-based congressional candidates who won primaries after being endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, one of the country’s most popular Democratic socialists.

In Michigan, Donovan McKinney won election to represent the state’s 13th District after having defeated incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar in the Democratic primary. McKinney’s victory Tuesday not only places a DSA-aligned candidate in Congress to represent Detroit but also means that the city will once again have a Black representative. In Colorado, Melat Kiros, one of an increasing number of Gen Z candidates, handily won the state’s 1st District by 64 points, exceeding the most recent margin of victory by outgoing Rep. Diane DeGette, who has represented the district for 30 years but was defeated by Kiros in the Democratic primary. Chris Rabb won one of the most one-sided races in Tuesday’s general election, racking up over 93% of the vote in Pennsylvania’s heavily blue 3rd District. Later on Wednesday, Angela Gonzales-Torres in California’s 34th District was projected to win over incumbent Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a fellow Democrat.

Dozens of DSA victories around the country

Fox News noted two additional DSA House candidates, Lauren Jewett in Louisiana’s 1st District and Mai Vang in California’s 7th District, who had lost or were likely to lose their respective races. And DSA-aligned Senate candidate Angie Nixon came up short in Florida, where she faced an uphill battle and a lack of resources in a solidly red state that largely defied Tuesday’s Democratic wave. Despite the shortfalls, the overall DSA victory on Tuesday was significantly larger than the successful congressional races. By Fox’s count, at least 60 DSA candidates had won across local, state and federal races, a number that could climb as high as 106 based on candidates who were leading races that had not yet been called.

Overall, the numbers represent a strong showing for the 161 DSA-supported candidates in Tuesday’s races. Among these local victories were mayoral races won by Janeese Lewis George in Washington, D.C., and David Morales in Providence, Rhode Island, as well as a possible win by Nithya Raman, who was leading incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in Los Angeles. Together, these completed and likely victories position the DSA to drive policy in a number of localities and to influence the direction of the Democratic Party going forward. “Over 50 DSA victories tonight prove socialism can win in the U.S.,” the DSA posted on X. “Workers deserve more and a reality where all of us live with dignity and hope is closer than we think. The job’s not done, though. Tomorrow, we continue organizing, fighting, and winning for the working class!”

Democratic socialists have emerged as a significant force within the Democratic Party and featured heavily in Tuesday’s “blue wave” election. With an unprecedented number of DSA-aligned candidates elected to offices around the country, Democratic socialism may have turned a political corner in these midterm elections.