DSA’s rise puts left flank at center of Democrats’ 2026 fight

NEW YORK (Gray Media) - As Democrats hope to secure a majority in one, potentially both chambers of Congress, the rise of their left flank is in focus. Democratic Socialists of America say they’re fighting for a democracy powered by everyday people, not capitalists. DSA members are now some of the most prominent voices in the Democratic Party, occupying roles from the Halls of Congress to the mayor’s mansion in New York City.“For a long time, they were completely irrelevant,” said Lincoln Mitchell, a political expert at Columbia University. Mitchell says the organization’s roots trace back to the 1960s, but it only recently became a major player on the national stage.“What DSA has done powerfully is to center working people and to center poor people in the story of urban America,” Mitchell said.Sen. Bernie Sanders is often credited with igniting democratic socialism over the last decade. Mitchell says Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani brought the DSA