Multiple Democrats seen as possible presidential candidates in 2028 have signaled openness to an endorsement from the country’s leading socialist organization, marking the left wing’s growing influence over the Democratic Party.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on Sunday that while he “certainly isn’t seeking” an endorsement from the Democratic Socialists of America, he also wouldn’t reject the DSA’s backing. He’s one of many likely 2028 contenders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who have been careful not to alienate themselves from socialists, after multiple DSA victories in primaries across the country startled the establishment.
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“I think that those in the Democratic Party who are afraid of a healthy debate are missing the point,” Van Hollen said during an NBC News interview. “Because voters, including Democratic voters, they don’t want to simply return to the pre-Trump status quo. They want Democrats who are going to stand for something. And I can strongly disagree with one set of Democrats, but I think that debate is healthy.”
The Maryland Democrat conceded that some DSA positions go too far for him. But when pressed on whether socialists have a place in the Democratic Party, he said: “Yes, they do, as part of the debate.”
Gavin Newsom
Newsom is another almost-certain 2028 contender who has sought to appeal to socialists. The California governor, along with Ocasio-Cortez, is one of a handful of possible candidates who have said they would go, or already have been, on Hasan Piker’s podcast. Piker is one of the most prominent voices of the socialist movement. Association with him is controversial, due to concerns that he holds antisemitic views, among other issues.
During remarks on July 9 at an elementary school in Davis, Newsom said he would gladly campaign for socialists and progressives, including Randy Villegas, to help Democrats retake power in Congress. During a previous appearance with Jack Cocchiarella on a livestream on his YouTube channel in early July, Newsom argued that including socialists is part of the idea of having a “big tent party,” an essential to taking back majorities in the House and Senate this fall.
“Look, I’m for addition, not subtraction,” the California governor said. “The Democratic Party needs to be in the addition business if we’re going to get back into the majority. Yeah, we need to get our base out there. We got to turn out. … I’m not offended by this notion of a big tent.”
“And I know the purity tests are going to get tougher and tougher in the next few years. But I am enthusiastic about the success and the energy and the vibrancy that’s happening at the grassroots in this country. I think it’s a healthy damn thing,” he added.
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Ocasio-Cortez, who fueled the rise of socialism in New York and consequently nationwide, with her support for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has similarly continued to align herself with elements of the movement, including by endorsing DSA members David Orkin, Christian Celeste Tate, and Eon Huntley in May. The New York Democrat has declined to distance herself from other socialist candidates who have stoked controversy, including DSA members State Assemblywomen Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier.
“These are two young, talented, intelligent women that got elected against all odds — against millions of dollars. Perhaps there is something we can learn from them,” Ocasio-Cortez said of the pair during an MS Now interview in June. “If you are already panicking and sending little messages in your group chats about how these people need to be reined in and tamped down and shown their place, you are creating the antagonistic dynamic that we do not need,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
While some in the caucus wish she were further left on certain issues, Ocasio-Cortez is still viewed as the most obvious beneficiary of the DSA’s endorsement should she run in 2028. Piker named Ocasio-Cortez this year as his favorite to win the 2028 nomination. In interviews with Time magazine earlier this month, DSA leaders suggested the endorsement would be “inevitable” if she mounts a bid, with Jeremy Cohan, a longtime New York DSA organizer, touting the congresswoman as the sole figure with the ability to merge Obama-style organizing with Bernie Sanders-style politics.
“This feels like seeds that were planted years ago are now bearing fruit,” Ashik Siddique, DSA’s 38-year-old national co-chairman, said.
Kamala Harris
Although the DSA has not held a favorable view of former Vice President Kamala Harris in the past, she appears to be courting socialist support this year ahead of a second possible presidential bid. In Michigan, she endorsed Senate Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed, a left-wing progressive backed by the DSA.
After Valdez, Avila Chevalier, and other socialists swept primary night in New York in June, Harris called Mamdani to offer words of praise for the movement he’s cheerleading.
“You are bringing people in, and you are showing that there are voices that want to be heard,” she said, according to Axios.
“We’ve been in touch over the last few months, and I really do appreciate her outreach,” Mamdani later confirmed.
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Aside from the top tier of likely Democratic contenders, several more possible mainstream candidates are holding off on embracing socialists while still offering olive branches to the movement. Those include Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), who endorsed el Sayed and has been described by Piker as his “dark-horse pick” for 2028.
“I don’t spend much time thinking about factional, Democratic politics,” Ossoff told CNN in June, adding that the divide “exists more in those places and for those people and groups for whom the Democratic primary is the horizon of politics.”
