Democratic Socialism's Momentum in an Era of Federal Fascism

A Hopeful Kind of Red Tide

10/9/2026

In the past couple of years, the U.S.A. has been doubling down on neo-fascist ideas. They are stripping women’s rights (Totenberg, 2022), abusing/harassing immigrants (Martínez-Beltrán, 2026), and cutting funding to social programs (Keith, 2025). And it keeps getting worse. Just recently, on June 26th, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Monsanto, making it harder for victims of Monsanto’s product to sue the company for undisclosed side effects and harm (Johnson, 2026). Tension is constantly rising amid the rollback of democratic norms. In the supposedly Land of the Free, of all places.

Yet somehow, hope lingers. Amidst the humanitarian disaster that the U.S.A. has currently been (involved) in, the democratic socialist movement is gaining momentum and reaping triumph after triumph. Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral successes prove effective, with his endorsed slate winning the New York Democratic primary (Habeshian, 2026). These wins prove that the left can channel anti-fascist resistance into tangible electoral power, even as authoritarian forces capture the commanding heights of federal government.

This string of victories was no surprise. With rising tension towards the U.S.A’s offensive foreign policies and neglect of domestic policies, the democratic socialists gain sympathy by running on populist economic platforms (housing, transit, rent control), combined with unapologetic anti-genocide and tax-the-rich stances. These wins for sure will create a national ripple effect, inspiring left-leaning candidates in cities and small towns to run. In turn, this phenomenon helps transform the Democratic Party from within: away from centrist stances, while creating and offering a materialist alternative to the right wing’s culture-war demagoguery.

However, these wins bring their inherent tensions. The democratic socialists must navigate the contradiction of operating within an establishment that rejects the movement (Gabbatt, 2025). This condition is exacerbated by the oppressive forces at the federal level. Against all odds, there they go; democratic socialist ideas are getting more popular. I think these victories are proof that the most viable response to authoritarianism is not necessarily third-party purity. But rather, an organized and disciplined primary challenges that build a working-class counter-power. Resistance can be found in the poll booth, even as democratic institutions weaken.