Inside the socialists' civil war over AOC and 2028
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 's potential run for president has exposed long-simmering divisions within the Democratic Socialists of America.
Key facts
- Political success brings scrutiny, and some DSA members and strategists who work with the group don't think its current leadership is ready for prime time ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028
- Megan Romer, a national DSA co-chair, had trouble articulating her organization's positions in a podcast interview with the New Yorker's David Remnick
- In August, the national DSA issued a statement commemorating the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and condemning the Trump administration's "genocide" of the Cuban people
- The DSA also includes ideologues who likely will fuel further rifts within the group going into 2028
Summary
The socialism movement's leaders are increasingly at odds over who should speak for them, what policies they stand for, and whether to support AOC, whom some dismiss as more establishment than insurgent. Political success brings scrutiny, and some DSA members and strategists who work with the group don't think its current leadership is ready for prime time ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 Democratic presidential primary. "We're not in a book club anymore," said one strategist who works with the DSA. "You could be growing this organization by pointing to AOC, Bernie , Mamdani, and instead they are going on cable news talking about abolishing the Senate, Fidel Castro and other weird stuff. "Their leaders aren't politicians," Yeverino added. It's been a learning experience, and they are listening to their members' feedback.