Democratic Socialist Candidates Set to Join House After Nov. 3

A group of candidates who identify as democratic socialists are positioned to win House seats on Nov. 3, adding to the two democratic socialists already serving in Congress. The candidates come from Democratic strongholds and several defeated long-serving incumbents during their primaries. Their arrival will shift the makeup of the House during the final two years of President Donald Trump's term, regardless of which party holds the majority.

The candidates include Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York, who defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Chevalier, a former community organizer and field staffer for Mayor Zohran Mamdani's campaign, became a democratic socialist last year. She said voters are weary of a political system she described as beholden to donors. In Colorado, 29-year-old Melat Kiros, an immigrant from Ethiopia and a lawyer, defeated 30-year incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the Denver area. Kiros campaigned on abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and passing Medicare for All.

Donavan McKinney, a 34-year-old Michigan state lawmaker, unseated Rep. Shri Thanedar in a Detroit-area district after overcoming a spending gap in the primary. McKinney, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, ran on utility cost reform and getting money out of politics. 'No longer can our party continue to serve two masters,' he said at an August event. In Pennsylvania, Chris Rabb won a four-way primary in a heavily Democratic Philadelphia district. Rabb, who has spent 10 years in the Pennsylvania state House, joined the Philadelphia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America in 2026. 'I believe that the Democratic Party listens more to people who fund it than the people who actually come out to vote,' he said.

Claire Valdez, a New York state lawmaker and member of the New York City chapter of the DSA since 2019, won the Democratic primary for a district covering Brooklyn and Queens. She defeated the chosen successor to retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez and campaigned on affordability and generational change. Valdez told the Associated Press earlier this year that dissatisfaction with party leadership is widespread. 'Right now there's really mass dissatisfaction with the way the party leadership has been operating and not standing up strongly enough to Trump,' she said.

Other candidates on the left wing of the party are also running. Adam Hamawy, an Army veteran and medical doctor, is competing in a safe Democratic district in New Jersey. He said he is not a DSA member but would work with those seeking to remove corporate money from politics. In California, Angela Gonzales-Torres is running to unseat Rep. Jimmy Gomez in Los Angeles. In Michigan, climate activist William Lawrence is challenging GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in a competitive seat.

The candidates are running two years after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's election and amid the continued influence of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.