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Democratic socialists are on the rise in Trump-era mayoral races

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Washington, D.C., mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George looked at a
teeming crowd Tuesday evening and issued a proclamation about her
now be laid to rest,” she said. “It is the people of D.C. who elect the
mayor of D.C.” 

Flanked by supporters after early Democratic primary results showed her
demands.” 

Her remarks came days after President Donald Trump had warned that he
could attempt a federal takeover of Washington if Lewis George, a City
Council member, rose to power. 

“We won’t put up with it,” Trump warned in comments to reporters.

But he already has. In some of the United States’ most powerful and
populous cities, including its financial hub and now potentially its
political center, politics are shifting further left — and some say it
is in direct response to Trump and his policies. 

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani spectacularly rose to prominence to
lead New York City in last year’s elections, offering free bus rides and
rent stabilization. 

In Los Angeles, democratic socialist Nithya Raman advanced to the
mayoral runoff, in which she’ll face off against incumbent Karen Bass, a
fellow Democrat. 

In Seattle, democratic socialist Katie Wilson assumed office this year
after having risen as a leader and an advocate in the Transit Riders
Union. 

In Chicago, far left-leaning Brandon Johnson — who, unlike the others,
is not a self-described democratic socialist but is an acolyte of Bernie
Sanders and was backed by the organization Sanders founded, Our
Revolution — is closing out his first term as mayor and is likely to
seek another. 

Now, Lewis George could claim power over the nation’s capital when Trump
is pushing the limits of power in the executive branch and residents are
increasingly feeling the squeeze of higher rent, higher transportation
costs, higher unemployment and low wages. At the same time, the nation’s
richest people are attaining wealth by leaps and bounds. 

“More people are having to work multiple jobs or just more hours to make
ends meet, just to deal with those costs. Meanwhile, people see what the
trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the already wealthiest,” said Ashik
Siddique, a national co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America.
“So when we have people who are running on credible platforms of
expanding public services to be universal and high-quality for everybody
and taxing the rich to do it, that message really resonates. People are
really hungry for an alternative to the status quo.” 

Progressives say the phenomenon is an evolution of a movement that began
with Sanders’ presidential run 10 years ago, which inspired a new
generation of leaders. Democratic socialism grew under his rise, with
major groups like DSA and Our Revolution recruiting and supporting
candidates for local offices. In most cases, DSA mayors and mayoral
candidates held previous positions on city councils or county
commissions or in local unions. 

Lewis George ran on what she called a “people first” platform focused
heavily on the cost of living. She said she would seek universal
childcare, caps on rent and stabilization of utility prices. As of
Wednesday, with ballot counting still underway, she had about 53% of the
vote, with her nearest rival, former City Council member Kenyan
McDuffie, at 37%. Ranked-choice voting will come into play to determine
the primary winner if she falls below the majority mark. 

Ironically, the rise of the far left mirrors the economic populism Trump
originally tapped during his 2016 run. His MAGA movement grew out of
promises to tear apart the status quo and “drain the swamp” in
Washington. It helped him win over some blue-collar white voters who had
voted for former President Barack Obama. 

But economic strain has dominated Trump’s second term in office, and
there is evidence he’s losing ground with those same voters. 

Today, poll after poll shows Americans are distraught over the economy
amid rising gas prices and grocery costs, as well as growing inflation. 

A recent NBC News poll, sponsored by the nonpartisan, nonprofit group
More Perfect and taken in advance of the nation’s 250th anniversary,
found that 78% of American adults believed the “American Dream” was more
difficult to attain now than it was a generation ago. The survey found
that the sentiment was consistent across demographic groups. 

“It’s a reaction to Trump. Trump has attacked major cities, which have a
higher concentration of Democratic voters. He’s infiltrated them with
ICE and National Guard troops. He’s cut off funding,” Our Revolution
Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese said. “It’s a part of a larger
trend. ... The cost of living is just unaffordable, and so you’re seeing
a referendum not just on Trump but also on this Democratic establishment
in their governance of these cities.” 

Whether Trump will follow through with his threats to attempt a federal
takeover in Washington should Lewis George win remains to be seen. Trump
made similar remarks amid Mamdani’s rise last year, only to later sing
his praises from the Oval Office. 

And groups on the left say that if Trump were to attempt a
militarization of Washington, he would expect it to be met with the kind
of wide-scale protests and resistance that eventually drove a large
immigration enforcement operation out of Minneapolis this year. 

“There was massive organizing at every level of society ... that helped
push them out and let them see that there’s just massive resistance from
the public,” Siddique said. In Washington, he continued, there’s a
storied history of pushing back against power grabs. He forecast the
same would happen if Trump tried to take that route. 

“There are a lot of people in D.C. who will stand with somebody who’s a
mayor who really represents all those organized people,” he said. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/democratic-socialists-are-
rise-trump-era-mayoral-races-rcna350312 

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