The Democratic Socialists of America made its mark on the Democratic Party on Tuesday and is now preparing to flex that power in Congress.
Six candidates backed by the DSA won House seats and are plotting a path to passing the organization’s historically far-left agenda, which includes government-run healthcare, transgender rights, abolition of illegal immigration enforcement, a 32-hour workweek, elimination of fossil fuels, taxation of wealth and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
“With the largest number of socialists in Congress in U.S. history, we are ready to make their demands a reality,” the DSA’s national headquarters declared after the election.
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DSA-backed House candidates triumphed in New York — where they two won seats — as well as Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania and California.
In Maine, Troy Jackson, who had been endorsed by the state chapter of the DSA during his gubernatorial bid, won the Senate race.
Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Senate race and distanced himself from the DSA during his campaign, is backing many DSA-endorsed proposals, including “Medicare for All” and the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
SEE ALSO: Meet Congress’ new batch of DSA-backed lawmakers
The socialist newcomers will join DSA-backed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Michigan Democrat, as well as Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, who shares many of their policy goals.
The group of official DSA House lawmakers will make up just a small fraction of the anticipated 255-member House Democratic Caucus and 56-member Senate Democratic Caucus.
Their agenda, however, will receive plenty of support.
It closely aligns with the nearly 100-member far-left House Progressive Caucus and several far-left Senate lawmakers, especially on universal healthcare, which appears to be the top issue the DSA wants to advance.
More than half of all current House Democrats have signed on to the Medicare for All Act introduced by Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, Washington Democrat.
In the Senate, more than a third of the Democratic Caucus has co-sponsored Mr. Sanders’ companion measure to replace private insurance with government-run healthcare.
“Our No. 1 responsibility has to make sure that we get Medicare for All ready as legislation, so that in ‘29, when we have the House, the Senate and the White House, we can sign it into law on Day 1,” said DSA-backed Melat Kiros, an Ethiopian immigrant and lawyer who won Colorado’s 1st Congressional District seat.
Ms. Kiros’ agenda, like the other DSA winners, would extend the government’s reach far beyond healthcare. She campaigned on passing a transgender bill of rights guaranteeing “access to gender-affirming care for all ages.” She also proposed transitioning to a zero-emissions energy grid, implementing a “holistic approach” to public safety and providing government-funded “long-term housing for all,” free childcare and “federally supported” elder care.
Like most other Democrats in the House, she would pay for it all by raising taxes.
A government-run healthcare program alone would cost more than $47 trillion over a decade, the White House Council of Economic Advisers estimated in October.
The DSA’s agenda would expand government programs far beyond healthcare.
DSA-backed Angela Gonzales-Torres won a seat in Congress representing part of Los Angeles. She said her illegal immigrant father was deported and plans to push to abolish ICE after she is sworn into office in January.
Ms. Gonzales-Torres is gearing up to push for a federal spending spree that pays for family and sick leave, childcare and housing.
She ran on a plan to launch a guaranteed basic income, beginning with a pilot program for thousands living in her district.
The plan would provide “direct, unconditional monthly payments” funded through “progressive taxation” and “public-private partnerships.”
The pilot program would aim to expand monthly government checks nationwide.
The DSA-backed freshmen also have their sights set on overhauling the criminal justice system.
Donavan McKinney, the DSA-endorsed Democrat who won Michigan’s 13th Congressional District with 77% of the vote, said he plans to do all he can to “transform” the criminal justice system to reduce incarceration rates. He wants to end cash bail, making it easier for those charged with crimes to go free pending trial.
Mr. McKinney said he backs changing sentencing guidelines to shorten incarceration and ending qualified immunity that shields police officers from prosecution.
Mr. McKinney held a rally and canvass event in August with Hasan Piker, a divisive far-left streamer with 3 million followers on Twitch. Mr. Piker blamed the United States for the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, declared he hates America and once called for killing landlords and conservatives.
Mr. Piker, a self-identified socialist and Marxist, campaigned for Mr. El-Sayed and Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, who is under federal investigation for suspected immigration fraud.
On Wednesday, Mr. Piker celebrated big wins for the DSA and far left.
“It’s just beginning,” Mr. Piker gloated in his postelection livestream. “The tears of our enemies will be the delicious nectar of victory. And we haven’t even seen them cry yet.”
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