Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

Extracted Attributes

• Founded

  1982

• Youth Wing

  Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA)

• Headquarters

  New York City, New York, USA

• Chapter Count

  239 nationwide chapters

• Governing Body

  National Political Committee (17 seats)

• Membership Size

  90,000+ members (as of November 2025)

• Organization Type

  Political nonprofit organization (501(c)(4))

• Public Officeholders

  204 individuals (endorsed or members)

Timeline

• The Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) is founded by Michael Harrington. (Source: Canary Mission)

  1973-01-01

• The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is formed through the merger of DSOC and the New American Movement (NAM). (Source: Wikipedia)

  1982-01-01

• DSA membership is recorded at approximately 6,000 individuals. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2015-12-31

• The organization begins a period of rapid growth following the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2016-11-01

• Membership reaches 24,000 individuals. (Source: dsausa.org)

  2017-07-01

• Membership grows to more than 90,000 individuals. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2021-12-31

• DSA launches its 'Workers Deserve More' program for the 2024 elections. (Source: platform.dsausa.org)

  2024-01-01

• Reports indicate the organization maintains close to 80,000 to 90,000 members and 239 chapters. (Source: Canary Mission)

  2025-11-24

• Political analysts on the All-In Podcast predict the DSA will be a 'winner' in the 2026 political cycle. (Source: All-In Podcast)

  2026-01-01

List of Democratic Socialists of America public officeholders

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), based in New York City, is a political nonprofit organization, and is not a political party with a ballot line. DSA members and endorsees usually run as members of the Democratic Party, and occasionally with the Green Party, Working Families Party, or as independents. Both national DSA and local DSA chapters can endorse candidates. DSA has no membership requirements, so anyone can join DSA. The list below contains 204 individuals elected to public office who are endorsed by DSA National, endorsed by a DSA local chapter, or are members of DSA.

Web Search Results

• Democratic Socialists of America - Wikipedia

  The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest socialist organization, with more than 90,000 members as of November 2025. A big tent on the left-wing to far-left of the political spectrum, the organization is primarily organized around the tenets of democratic socialism, with its members active in electoral politics, labor organizing, and direct action campaigns. DSA, which is not a political party, has a decentralized structure in which local chapters and ideological caucuses have significant autonomy. [...] DSA is a membership-based organization with a national structure and local chapters across the United States. Its highest decision-making body is its national convention, held every two years. Between conventions, the organization is led by the 17-seat National Political Committee (NPC), which is elected by delegates at the convention. The post-2016 membership is significantly younger than the pre-2016 organization. But the new membership's demographics are "primarily white and largely made up of college-educated members" and DSA has undertaken campaigns to root itself more deeply in the multiracial working class. Since its rebirth, the organization has also focused on developing a layer of "cadre "Cadre (politics)")"—militant, politically developed, and dedicated organizers—in numbers [...] DSA was a minor political force until the 2016 presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-identified democratic socialist, after which its membership swelled from about 6,000 members in 2015 to more than 90,000 in 2021. This growth transformed DSA into an organization with a much younger and more activist base, and shifted its strategy toward one centered on building an independent political force, though this remains a subject of internal debate. The organization's platform calls for reforms such as a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and free higher education, with a long-term aim of social ownership and democratic control of the economy. DSA's foreign policy is non-interventionist, strongly supporting spending cuts to the U.S. military and pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist

• Democratic Socialists of America - Canary Mission

  REPORT AN INDIVIDUAL REPORT AN EVENT REPORT AN INDIVIDUAL REPORT AN EVENT Last updated: Nov. 24, 2025 # Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is the largest socialist organization in America with close to 80,000 members and 239 chapters nationwide. Its youth wing, Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), has close to 114 chapters in various educational institutions in American colleges and high schools. [...] The DSA has changed since its founding in 1982 from a 6,000-member pro-Israel group with the goal of progressive socialist reform within the Democratic Party to a virulently anti-American and anti-Israel revolutionary movement that now aims to completely dismantle the U.S. political system and replace it with socialism, Marxism and abolitionism. The DSA’s substantial growth came in 2016 with Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and the subsequent rise of popular socialist politicians, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, Democratic congresswomen and members of the so-called “Squad).” [...] DSA was a signatory on the “Reject AIPAC” campaign, which was paid for by INN in 2024 and calls on candidates for federal office to pledge not to take endorsements or contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) or aligned PACs. The DSA was founded in 1982 through the merger of two groups: the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) and the New American Movement (NAM). The DSOC, which began in 1973 and was led by Michael Harrington, was an outgrowth of a faction from the Socialist Party of America that had previously folded. Harrington co-founded the and was its most influential leader in its early years.

• History - Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

  DSA at 24,000 members in July 2017 is the largest socialist organization in the United States since the Communist Party before its implosion in 1956 after the Khrushchev revelations about Stalin. Most young people joining the organization want to be active, and our new chapters across the country have already incorporated thousands of members into activist projects. These include working to elect open socialists such as khalid kamau (GA) and Dylan Parker (IL) to local city and county councils, as well as Mike Sylvester (ME) and Mike Connolly (MA) to state legislatures. [...] Joseph M. Schwartz has been active in DSA since he served as DSOC’s first campus organizer in 1979-1981. He teaches radical political theory at Temple University, is an active member of his faculty union (AFT) and serves on DSA’s National Political Committee. The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 85,000 members. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. [...] Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—and its two predecessor organizations, the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) and the New American Movement (NAM)—had their origins in the early 1970s, at the beginning of a long-term rightward shift of U.S. and global politics. This shift to the right—symbolized by the triumph in the 1980s of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher—somewhat overshadowed the central role these organizations played in the movements of resistance to corporate domination, as well as in today’s ongoing project: organizing an ideological and organizational socialist presence among trade union, community, feminist and people of color and other activists.

• Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) -

  Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) rose compass page book rose phone handshake fist checkbox globe rose globe rose book handshake rose map megaphone rose compass page star dl book rose compass page book rose phone handshake fist checkbox globe rose globe rose book handshake rose map megaphone rose compass page star dl book ## Who we are The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 80,000 members and chapters in all 50 states. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. ## What we do [...] It can feel impossible to keep up with every DSA chapter across the country, even for our most active members. Luckily Democratic Left has you covered with chapter report updates from coast to coast. This round will cover chapters with campaigns for LGBTQ rights and international work. The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 85,000 members. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. [...] ## What we do We are a political and activist organization, not a party; through campus and community-based chapters, DSA members use a variety of tactics, from legislative to direct action, to fight for reforms that empower working people. # Get Involved The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States because we’re a member-driven mass organization. We believe that working people should run both the economy and civil society, and we show our commitment to this principle by being an organization of, by, and for the working class. Find your chapter Join DSA Learn about national projects # Our Campaign Priorities

• DSA Platform - Democratic Socialists of America

  Neither major party is capable of advancing a positive program for the 2024 elections that meets the needs of the majority of Americans. That’s why the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is presenting a bold alternative course of action. In our 2024 program, “Workers Deserve More,” we hope to bring together millions of people throughout the U.S. to fight for a true democracy where working people have control over their own lives, their government, and the economy. We deserve more, and we have to fight like hell to make that vision a reality. Black and white illustration of workers pushing large gears labeled 'Workers Deserve More', surrounded by crowds of people marching and protesting.