A SYSTEM THAT HAS NEVER WORKED
Read The Platform
They Hope You Won’t.
The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the U.S. — and it says so, in its own words, on its own website. [1] This site quotes DSA directly, lays out specific positions its own chapters and leadership have advocated, and then shows what socialism has produced everywhere it has been tried at full scale. No regime in history that centralized the economy this way has delivered on its promises.
Every claim below is footnoted. Check the sources yourself — that’s the point.
#NEVERDSANOT WHO YOU THINK
Who’s Behind This Site
This site wasn’t built by a MAGA operative or anyone tied to the Trump campaign. I spent decades as a member — and later Vice Chair — of a Democratic Party Executive Committee here in Florida. I identify as a Clinton/Obama Democrat, and I still agree with most of what the Democratic Party has historically stood for.
But I was raised in Europe. I watched, up close, what unchecked socialist policy does to a functioning economy and to individual freedom. So when a faction of the American left started pushing the same playbook — the platform quoted throughout this site, in their own words — it alarmed me enough to act. I left the Democratic Party and registered No Party Affiliation (NPA) last November.
I reject political extremism, on either side — and it turns out most Americans do too. As of 2025, Gallup found that only 27% of U.S. adults identify as Democrats and 27% as Republicans, while a record 45% call themselves independents. [25] A plurality of the country has chosen not to align with either party, yet that plurality gets treated as an afterthought by politicians — and by factions within both parties — who put party loyalty over the country.
Some Democrats are furious right now at other Democrats for refusing to fall in line behind DSA-backed candidates, waving the “Vote Blue No Matter Who” banner. I reject that logic entirely. Just because I reject far-right extremism doesn’t mean I owe my support to far-left extremism instead.
“Telling me to vote blue no matter who is like telling me to eat whatever’s on the plate no matter what — turns out I still get to check the ingredients.”
This site exists because a platform this consequential deserves scrutiny, regardless of who’s doing the scrutinizing. Everything on it is sourced back to DSA’s own words. Judge it on that, not on assumptions about who published it.
What DSA Actually Says About Itself
Not a caricature. Not a rumor. These are direct statements pulled from the Democratic Socialists of America’s own national website, dsausa.org.
“We are socialists because we reject an international economic order sustained by private profit, alienated labor, race and gender discrimination, environmental destruction, and brutality and violence in defense of the status quo.” [1]
— DSA, “About Us”
“DSA’s members are building progressive movements for social change while establishing an openly democratic socialist presence in American communities and politics... over 95,000 members.” [1]
— DSA, “About Us”
“On September 15, 2017, DSA endorsed Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All Act... a single-payer system, eliminating the healthcare insurance industry, funded in part by a wealth tax.” [2]
— DSA, official statement
“Solidarity with Palestinian civil society... a call to support BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions].” [4]
— DSA National Convention resolution, 2017
CONTEXT — NOT DSA’s OWN WORDS
Independent watchdogs and journalists have documented DSA’s internal fights over anti-Zionism as an organizational litmus test, and its embrace of positions that critics — including the Anti-Defamation League — describe as crossing from criticism of Israeli policy into antisemitism. [5] [6] Reasonable people disagree on where that line is. Read the primary sources and decide for yourself.
Beyond the Slogans
“Democratic socialism” is a friendly label. Here is what specific DSA bodies, working groups, and DSA-published writers have actually put in writing, on DSA’s own platforms, about the machinery of the state.
Abolish ICE
DSA runs a standing “AbolishICE” organizing page and an official Abolish ICE Commission that coordinates rallies, lobbying, and direct action nationwide to eliminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement entirely and close detention centers, [13] [14] a position DSA says it has held “for over a decade.”
Defund the Police
DSA maintains a National Abolition Working Group whose stated mission includes “reducing the state’s carceral forces” and implementing demands to defund police departments, distributing toolkits to local chapters to run defund campaigns. [15] DSA’s own blog has debated turning that slogan into concrete policy — annual, mandatory cuts to police budgets and scope of enforcement. [16]
Replace the Constitution & Abolish the Senate
DSA’s national platform, “Workers Deserve More,” calls for drafting a new U.S. constitution, abolishing the Senate, and extending voting rights to all permanent residents — reporting confirmed by national press coverage of the proposal. [17] A DSA co-chair has separately and publicly defended abolishing the Senate, ICE, and prisons, and eliminating national borders over time. [21] DSA’s formal internal constitution and bylaws — a separate document governing the organization itself — are public and linked below for reference. [18]
Repeal the Right to Bear Arms
DSA has published pieces on its own national site arguing there is “no Second Amendment right to a gun” and calling for firearms to be restricted to organized militias like the National Guard, [19] and a separate DSA-published piece explicitly calling the Second Amendment “a threat to us all” and advocating for its repeal. [20] These ran as bylined opinion pieces on dsausa.org, not adopted convention resolutions — but DSA chose to publish and host them as its own editorial content.
Fairness note: DSA is a large, decentralized membership organization, and not every local chapter or every member holds every position above. But these are not fringe rumors — they are official working groups, national platform planks, and pieces DSA itself chose to publish under its own name. Judge the organization by what it puts in writing.
Their Platform, Plank by Plank
“Workers Deserve More” is DSA’s current official national program, published on its own site. [22] These are direct quotes, not summaries written by critics — though a widely-shared independent breakdown flagged many of these same planks as the platform’s most radical. [23]
Abolish the Senate & Electoral College
“Expand the House of Representatives, implement proportional representation and ranked choice voting in all elections, and abolish the Senate... Abolish the Electoral College.” [22]
Subordinate the President & Supreme Court to Congress
“Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.” [22]
Draft an Entirely New Constitution
“We are workers fighting to transform society: to win the battle for democracy, draft a new constitution, and create a democratic socialist republic.” [22]
Abolish ICE & Grant Amnesty to All, Regardless of Status
“End ICE detention and deportations... Legalize migration, grant amnesty for all immigrants regardless of status, provide a path to citizenship for all permanent residents, and end visa caps and quotas.” [22]
Fully Abolish the Police and Prison System
“Demilitarize police departments, disempower police unions, and redirect funding to public services as steps towards fully abolishing the police and prison system which protects the rich and jails the poor.” [22]
Nationalize the Largest Corporations
“Establish public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries to ensure democratic control and accountability to the people.” [22]
Defund the Military & End Aid to Israel
“Defund the Department of War... End all military and economic aid to Israel. Prosecute U.S. and Israeli leaders responsible for the genocide in Gaza.” [22]
Voting Rights for Non-Citizens & Incarcerated Felons
“Extend full voting rights to all permanent U.S. residents and restore the right to vote for incarcerated people and people with criminal convictions.” [22]
Cancel All Student Debt, Free College for All
“Provide free, quality public education from pre-K to college and cancel all student debt.” [22]
Aggressive Wealth Taxes to Fund the Program
“Enact aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals and corporations to spend on public goods and infrastructure.” [22]
Universal Rent Control
“Housing is a human right. Build new, publicly-owned social housing, strictly regulate investment properties, establish universal rent control, and guarantee right to counsel for all tenants.” [22][24]
DSA has separately published a piece, “Less Rent, More Control,” explicitly pointing to European rent-control systems as the model to follow.
Federal Jobs Guarantee for Everyone
“Workers must lead our democratic transition to a green future. Pass a federal jobs guarantee.” [22]
Reparations for Slavery & Colonialism
“End the legacies of slavery and colonialism. Reinforce anti-discrimination laws. Honor all treaties and tribal sovereignty. Enact reparations and massively invest in good jobs, quality housing and infrastructure in neglected minority communities.” [22]
Free Healthcare Including Gender-Affirming Care, For Everyone
“Guarantee universal healthcare at no cost to individuals, including complete access to reproductive and gender-affirming care. Expand healthcare access and quality by investing in new public hospitals and clinics.” [22]
D.C. Statehood & "Self-Determination" for U.S. Territories
“Establish statehood for Washington D.C. and recognize the right to self-determination for all U.S. territories and colonies.” [22]
End Qualified Immunity for Police
“End qualified immunity and empower civilian oversight bodies with real authority over the police.” [22]
“We are workers fighting to transform society: to win the battle for democracy... not just this or that cop, judge, or president, but the entire anti-democratic structure of our society.”
— DSA, “Workers Deserve More,” Our Perspective [22]A NOTE ON WHAT WE DIDN’T INCLUDE
We looked into a common claim that DSA advocates restricting free speech the way some European hate-speech laws do (where a social media post can trigger a police visit). We could not find any statement from the Democratic Socialists of America supporting that. The confusion likely traces to the fact that the European Union’s content-moderation law is also called the “Digital Services Act” — an unrelated law that happens to share the same three-letter abbreviation. We’d rather leave a claim out than publish something we can’t back up.
Meet DSA’s Communist Caucus
DSA is a “big tent” that includes members across a real range of views — that part is true. But the tent includes organized, officially-operating internal caucuses whose own public statements go well past “democratic socialism” into explicit revolutionary communism. One of the most visible is called Red Star.
RED STAR CAUCUS — A MARXIST-LENINIST CAUCUS OPERATING INSIDE DSA
“Red Star is a Marxist-Leninist caucus in DSA. Our primary goal, the goal which informs all of our organizing work, is to abolish capitalism and, ultimately, to achieve communism. We do not believe that capitalism can be reformed into socialism – it must be overthrown and replaced.” [44]
Red Star doesn’t hide its goal of using DSA as a vehicle: it explicitly says DSA’s “resources, broad membership, organizing ethic, and robust democratic processes make it… the best incubator” for building what it calls a revolutionary “vanguard party.” [45] This isn’t a random outside group borrowing DSA’s name — it organizes and endorses candidates from inside DSA’s own structure.
By its own description, Red Star holds itself out as Marxist-Leninist — the specific ideological tradition behind the Soviet Union, Maoist China, and Cuba — and says outright that gradual reform “alone cannot bring the revolutionary overhaul we seek.” [44]
We’re not claiming every DSA member agrees with Red Star, or that DSA-endorsed candidates on your ballot are Red Star members. The point is narrower and still important: DSA’s own internal ecosystem includes organized currents that are openly revolutionary-communist, not merely European-style social democrats — which is exactly the softer image critics of this site often insist DSA has.
The Historical Record
DSA calls itself “democratic” socialism, distinct from 20th-century authoritarian regimes. Fair — the label is different. But the underlying economics — state control of production, price controls, hostility to private profit — have been run as real-world experiments. Here is what happened.
Venezuela
4th richest nation on Earth (1950s) → 76% extreme poverty
Under Hugo Chávez’s “Bolivarian Revolution” and Nicolás Maduro, the government nationalized industry, imposed strict price and currency controls, and funded expansive social programs off oil revenue. When oil prices fell, the model collapsed: inflation hit roughly 700% by 2016 and spiraled into hyperinflation after, [7] nearly 76% of the population now lives in extreme poverty, and an estimated 8 million people have fled the country. [9] [8]
Cuba
Once on par with Southern Europe → chronic shortages, ~40-45% poverty
A synthetic-control economic study estimates Cuba is roughly 55% poorer today than a version of itself without decades of socialist central planning — attributing only about 10% of that gap to the U.S. embargo Havana points to. [11] Researchers estimate 40–45% of Cubans currently live in poverty amid inflation and wage decline, [12] and the state still directly employs about 65% of the labor force. [10]
Every regime above began with promises of fairness, dignity, and an end to exploitation. The economics of central control over price, profit, and property produced the same failure mode each time, regardless of the intentions of the people who started it.
DSA In Your State
DSA publishes its own election results in real time. [26] Below is a snapshot of DSA-endorsed candidates from the 2026 cycle, organized by state — pulled directly from that tracker. This is not a complete historical list (DSA reports over 250 current officeholders when you count prior cycles [28]), just this cycle’s results, so you know what to look for on your own ballot.
Snapshot compiled from DSA’s live results page — check the source link for the current, up-to-the-minute count. [27]
Florida's highest-profile 2026 race — a DSA member winning a statewide U.S. Senate primary — does not appear on DSA's own national tracker, likely because it wasn't run as a formal NEC-endorsed campaign. Sourced instead to independent news coverage; see footnotes.
U.S. Senate (general election vs. incumbent Ashley Moody, Nov. 2026) · Federal
Won the Democratic primary by 12 points over establishment-backed Alex Vindman; received Bernie Sanders' endorsement. A DSA member, though she has publicly downplayed the "socialist" label. Not listed on DSA's national tracker. [29][30][31][32]
St. Petersburg City Council, District 8 (Pinellas County) · Local
U.S. Congress, FL-25 (Broward County) — Miami DSA & Orlando DSA endorsed · Federal
Lost primary, ~36.5%.
U.S. Congress, FL-04 (Jacksonville) · Federal
Lost primary, ~12.2%.
Orange County Commissioner, District 7 (Orlando) · Local
Lost primary, ~12.6%.
FL House, District 41 — Orlando DSA endorsed · State
FL House, District 47 — Orlando DSA endorsed · State
New York
NY- Alexandria Ocasio-CortezU.S. Congress, NY-14 · Federal
- Claire ValdezU.S. Congress, NY-7 · Federal
- Darializa Avila ChevalierU.S. Congress, NY-13 · Federal
- Jabari BrisportState Senate, District 25 · State
- Aber KawasState Senate, District 12 · State
- Emily GallagherState Assembly, District 50 · State
- Eon HuntleyState Assembly, District 56 · State
- Christian Celeste TateState Assembly, District 54 · State
- David OrkinState Assembly, District 38 · State
- Samantha KattanState Assembly, District 37 · State
- Diana MorenoState Assembly, District 36 · State
- Phara ForrestState Assembly, District 57 · State
- Illapa SairitupacState Assembly, District 65 · State
- Maurice BrownState Assembly, District 129 (Syracuse) · State
- Adam BojakState Assembly, District 149 (Buffalo) · State
- Jo BennettOnondaga County Legislature, District 15 · Local
Michigan
MI- Rashida TlaibU.S. Congress, MI-12 · Federal
- Donavan McKinneyU.S. Congress, MI-13 · Federal
- Chris Gilmer-HillState House, District 8 · State
- Dylan WegelaState House, District 26 · State
- Yousef RabhiAnn Arbor Mayor · Local
- Desiraé SimmonsYpsilanti City Council, Ward 3 · Local
Maryland
MD- Gabriel AceveroHouse of Delegates, District 39 · State
- Shayla Adams-StaffordPrince George's County Council, District 5 · Local
- Christian BenfordFrederick County Council, District 3 · Local
- McKayla WilkesCharles County Commissioner, District 3 · Local
- Ashley EspositoBaltimore City School Board · Local
Minnesota
MN- Omar FatehState Senate, District 62A (Twin Cities) · State
- Jen McEwenState Senate, District 8 (Twin Ports) · State
- Athena HollinsState House, District 66B · State
- Samantha Sencer-MuraState House, District 63A · State
- Liish KozlowskiState House, District 8B · State
- Christin CrabtreeMinneapolis School Board, At-Large · Local
- Kris EilersSt. Louis County Commission, District 1 · Local
- Mai Chong XiongRamsey County Commissioner, District 6 · Local
Vermont
VT- Alexander BobellaState Senate, Franklin · State
- Tanya VyhovskyState Senate, Chittenden Central · State
- Adam FranzState House, Chittenden District 14 · State
- Jeffrey PetersonState House, Chittenden District 16 · State
- Matt GileState House, Chittenden District 21 · State
- Marek BroderickBurlington City Council, Ward 8 · Local
Washington
WA- Shaun ScottState House, District 43, Position 2 (Seattle) · State
- Jaelynn ScottState House, District 37 (Seattle) · State
- Emily ClouseThurston County Commissioner, Position 2 · Local
Connecticut
CT- Maryam KhanState Senate, District 2 (Hartford/Windsor) · State
- Nick GauthierState House, District 38 (Waterford/Montville) · State
Georgia
GA- Mathewos SamsonState House, District 58 (Atlanta) · State
- Gabriel SanchezState House, District 42 (Atlanta) · State
Pennsylvania
PA- Chris RabbU.S. Congress, PA-3 · Federal
- Mark PinsleyState Senate, District 16 (Lehigh Valley) · State
- Ce-Ce GerlachState House, District 22 (Lehigh Valley) · State
California
CA- Eunisses HernandezLos Angeles City Council, District 1 · Local
- Hugo Soto-MartínezLos Angeles City Council, District 13 · Local
- Dr. Rocio RivasLA Unified School Board, District 2 · Local
Colorado
CO- Melat KirosU.S. Congress, CO-1 (Denver) · Federal
Washington, D.C.
DC- Janeese Lewis GeorgeMayor of D.C. · Local
- Aparna RajD.C. Council, Ward 1 · Local
Missouri
MO- Jimmy LappeState House, District 81 (St. Louis) · State
Kansas
KS- Isaiah HarrisState House, District 3 · State
Oregon
OR- Tammy CarpenterState House, District 27 (Portland) · State
Arizona
AZ- Bobby NicholsTempe City Council, At-Large · Local
North Carolina
NC- Natalie Bent KitaifDurham Board of Education, District 1 · Local
Winning a DSA endorsement doesn’t mean every listed official personally agrees with all 16 planks above — but DSA chose to endorse and fund these campaigns because their platforms aligned with DSA’s. If one of these names is on your ballot, that’s worth knowing before you vote.
Anticipated Pushback
If you’re going to publish sourced claims, you should also publish the strongest objections to them. Here are the ones we expect — answered directly.
Isn't the Democratic Socialists of America a separate organization from the Democratic Party? Why does this site treat them together?
Correct, and worth being precise about: DSA is a separate, independent organization with no formal affiliation to the Florida Democratic Party or the Democratic National Committee. This site does not claim otherwise. What it documents is that DSA-endorsed candidates are running and winning as Democrats — on Democratic primary ballots, under the Democratic Party banner, including for U.S. Senate in Florida in 2026. Voters choosing a Democratic nominee deserve to know when a candidate’s platform is shaped by an outside organization with the specific positions cataloged on this site — regardless of that organization’s formal org chart.
Was the publisher actually a 'Democratic Party official,' or just a low-level volunteer?
Florida law recognizes County Democratic Executive Committees as the party’s own official governing body in each county (Fla. Stat. Ch. 103). The publisher was elected — not appointed, not self-declared — to serve as Vice Chair of the Volusia County DEC. That is an officer position within the party’s own organizational structure by definition. Anyone arguing that title doesn’t “count” isn’t making a factual argument — they’re making a rhetorical one.
Does this mean the whole Democratic Party endorses DSA's platform?
No, and this site never claims that. Plenty of Democrats — including the publisher, for most of their life — reject DSA’s platform entirely. The point of this site isn’t “the Democratic Party is DSA.” It’s “here is what DSA actually says, sourced to their own words, so you can judge for yourself whether a DSA-endorsed candidate on your ballot reflects your values.”
You use police, fire, schools, and Social Security — isn't opposing socialism hypocritical?
This one comes up constantly, and it deserves a full, sourced answer rather than a one-liner — so we gave it its own page. Read the full breakdown on public goods, Social Security, the Nordic countries, and why France and Germany aren’t socialist either →
What You Can Actually Do
Check Your Registration
Confirm you're registered and know your precinct before every election, local and national.
Know Who's Endorsed
Check the state-by-state list above, or look up your own local candidates directly on DSA's site.
Read Primary Sources
Don't take this site's word for it either — read DSA's platform and the case studies below yourself.
Spread the Word
Share this page and tag it #NeverDSA so more people see what's actually in the platform.
Freedom is not the default setting.
Someone has to defend it.
Get In Touch
Spotted a source that needs updating? Have a local DSA-related tip? Just want to say something? Send us a message.
FOOTNOTES & SOURCES
- [1]DSA, "About Us" (official platform statement)
- [2]DSA, "DSA Endorses the Medicare for All Act of 2017"
- [3]DSA, "On the Struggle for Universal Health Care"
- [4]DSA National Convention, BDS Resolution (2017)
- [5]Anti-Defamation League, "Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)" backgrounder
- [6]The Nation, "The DSA Is at a Crossroads Over Palestine"
- [7]American Institute for Economic Research, "Venezuela: Socialism, Hyperinflation, and Economic Collapse"
- [8]Wikipedia, "Crisis in Venezuela"
- [9]The Policy Circle, "Socialism: A Case Study on Venezuela"
- [10]Wikipedia, "Economy of Cuba"
- [11]The Daily Economy (AIER), "Socialism, Not the Embargo, Explains Nearly All of Cuba's Poverty"
- [12]Columbia Law, Cuba Capacity Building Project, "An Approach to Poverty in Cuba"
- [13]DSA, "AbolishICE Resources" (official organizing page)
- [14]DSA, "Delaney Hall Statement of the DSA Abolish ICE Commission"
- [15]DSA, "Abolition Working Group" — official page (defund the police)
- [16]DSA, "Defund the Police? Turning a Slogan into Policy"
- [17]PBS NewsHour, "Republicans decry a new Democratic Socialists of America platform..."
- [18]DSA, "DSA Constitution & Bylaws" (official)
- [19]DSA, "There Is No Second Amendment Right To A Gun" (dsausa.org blog)
- [20]DSA, "The Second Amendment is a Threat to us All" (dsausa.org blog)
- [21]Denver Gazette, "DSA co-chair reaffirms calls to abolish the Senate, ICE, and borders in interview"
- [22]DSA, "Workers Deserve More" — official national program (program.dsausa.org)
- [23]Michael Brodkorb, "The 10 Most Extreme Ideas in the DSA Platform"
- [24]DSA, "Less Rent, More Control" (dsausa.org blog)
- [25]Gallup, "New High of 45% in U.S. Identify as Political Independents" (2025)
- [26]DSA National Electoral Commission, "DSA Elections 2026 — Results" (live tracker)
- [27]DSA National Electoral Commission, "Our Campaigns" (current national endorsements)
- [28]Wikipedia, "List of Democratic Socialists of America public officeholders"
- [29]The New York Times, "How a Progressive Democrat in Florida Gave Her Party..." (Angie Nixon)
- [30]Axios, "Florida's Angie Nixon isn't the socialist you've heard about"
- [31]The American Prospect, "That Stunning Florida Senate Win"
- [32]The Hill, "Democratic socialist notches surprise win in Florida Senate primary"
- [33]Orlando DSA endorsement announcement (Robin Denise Harris, FL-41; Anthony Nieves, FL-47)
- [37]The Copenhagen Post, "No socialists under the mattress, says Danish PM" (Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Harvard 2015)
- [38]The Heritage Foundation, Index of Economic Freedom — Denmark country profile
- [39]The Heritage Foundation, "2026 Index of Economic Freedom" (highlights)
- [42]The New York Times, "Mitterrand and Chirac Fence Over State-Owned Industries" (1986)
- [43]Wikipedia, "François Mitterrand"
- [44]Red Star Caucus (DSA), "Points of Unity" (official caucus statement)
- [45]Red Star Caucus (DSA), "How Red Star Works"