A question from commenter “F”:

Apparently the DSA thinks they’re on the ascendent right now, and they’re prepared to swing for the fences. Ironically, they are damaging their relationship with the Democratic part in doing so, and (as Neo points out), their numbers are too small to be a real national party. If they swing and miss they will damage not only their own brand, but that of the Democrats too. My question now is, how long will it take Democrats to see this and tell them to get lost, as people like John Fetterman is doing already?

I suppose it depends at least partly on what is meant by “swing and miss.” On the local level of city government in very blue cities, or representation in state legislatures from certain very blue districts, they seem to be batting over 500. As long as they choose their battles carefully and limit them to such places, they will win.

It’s when it gets to the state and national level that the results are unknown. So far, it’s instructive to note the campaign of Michigan’s El-Sayed for the US Senate seat. The approach is that, although he clearly is simpatico with the DSA’s goals, he is not a member and they have not endorsed him. That is a case of obfuscation, because they are invested in his win and support it:

DSA officials have “already shifted organizers, volunteers and resources” into Michigan as El-Sayed squares off against the more moderate congresswoman Haley Stevens in a bruising Democratic primary, Politico reported. El-Sayed’s campaign has also held discussions with the DSA about holding rallies in the state with left-wing officials like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), who recently endorsed El-Sayed, according to Politico.

“It’s DSA summer. We can’t stop racking up wins,” left-wing media host Emma Vigeland told the outlet. “We’re seeing the culmination of 10 years of democratic socialism becoming more mainstream.”

The DSA’s organizing in Michigan is notable given that El-Sayed is not officially a DSA member—and that he’s running for Senate in a swing state that narrowly backed President Donald Trump in 2024. Socialist candidates like Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York City and Melat Kiros in Denver, by contrast, won primary elections in deep-blue districts that are almost guaranteed to send them to Congress come November.

“Abdul El-Sayed is not DSA affiliated, but he’s a progressive fighter,” anti-American streamer Hasan Piker, who campaigned with El-Sayed in April, told Politico.

“Everybody in the coalition is on the same page, whether it be Justice Dems, whether it be [the Working Families Party], whether it be DSA,” added left-wing consultant Vincent Vertuccio, who said that Michigan is “absolutely the next focus of this national movement.”

Michigan also happens to have one of the larger Muslim population percentages in the US: it is fifth, according to a chart that can be found here, after Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. The would also help El-Sayed in the primary.

I think the general Michigan approach, which is to run a candidate for statewide office who is definitely aligned with DSA goals but not officially DSA, is the way it will go in the future in many states for state-level campaigns. I don’t know whether El-Sayed will win; it’s still early, but at the moment (now that a third candidate has dropped out) he is trailing his Democrat opponent Stevens.

So Michigan may not be ready for El-Sayed just yet. But one thing to remember about the left is that they take the long view and are extraordinarily patient. They have been preparing the ground for many decades, in particular through their outsize influence on our system of education, and it has borne fruit these days.

So, why don’t more people speak out a la Fetterman? For one thing, Fetterman is sui generis. For another, they are afraid of being primaried, and the far left is a very significant part of the Democrat base these days. I believe very many Democrat members of Congress, and governors, feel it’s in their personal interest (if they wish to get re-elected) to lay low on this issue and to inch closer to the far left agenda in order to keep as many voters as possible in their own camp. It’s a tricky balancing act for many, especially is blue areas. In purple ones, there is more to be gained by condemning DSA positions – and then voting for them in Congress when they are told to do so.