To Build Power for Socialism, DSA Should Endorse AOC on Day One
By Amelia D. of Socialist Majority Caucus and Phil B. of Groundwork
It has been almost ten years since Bernie Sanders launched his first presidential campaign and declared to a national audience that he was a democratic socialist. In the decade since, DSA has grown more than twenty-fold from around 6,000 members to become the largest socialist organization in US history at 120,000 members. We have chartered over 200 local chapters and over 250 endorsed DSA members are currently serving in elected office. Now, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), who is one of the most prominent and popular DSA members nationwide, is on the precipice of running for – and potentially winning – the presidency of the United States. This opportunity is years in the making, and we must rise to meet the moment.
The Fight Oligarchy tour led by Bernie and AOC, as well as our recent electoral wins in NYC and Denver, have shown that there is energy all across the country to support a bold, democratic socialist presidential campaign. DSA should be ready to position ourselves as the political home for the millions of people that will be inspired by AOC’s message and position our organization as the vital core of AOC’s campaign. We should be ready both because it will help our organization grow and because it will help AOC win. If we drag our feet, if we let the decision languish until the dog days of summer 2027 during the biannual DSA Convention in August, we will have forced ourselves into the backseat and miss the opportunity to strike when the iron is hot. We must lead, or else we let liberals and fascists set the tone of the presidential race and allow the decentering of working-class politics.
DSA has run many successful electoral campaigns, the most effective of which have consistently followed three unifying principles: (1) we decide who to endorse democratically with a process that enfranchises the membership as a whole, (2) we build infrastructure to grow our organization, and (3) we get involved early to ensure we maximize our effectiveness and establish ourselves as the most impactful organizational partner on the ground.
There is a clear path to following this model at the national level for a presidential endorsement. Here is what this would look like in practice:
The National Political Committee (NPC) must send out an urgent endorsement poll to the whole membership as soon as AOC announces, just as was done for Bernie 2020 when members voted to endorse by a 75-25% margin. From coast to coast, members have the chance to vote on endorsements electronically. The same must be true for this crucial national question, especially as the 2nd largest “chapter” of our members do not belong to a chapter and thus cannot participate in chapter-based discussions and debate. We should not fall into the classic non-profit and business union trap of considering “listening” to be a genuine substitute for democratic enfranchisement.
If a clear majority of DSA members vote in favor of endorsement, the NPC must endorse nationally and support chapters who are excited to participate in this work. Electoral campaigns have complex legal dimensions that can hinder engagement from newer and smaller chapters. The NPC must act in a way that allows both new and well-established chapters to participate in this movement. By doing so, we will build DSA as a Party and popularize our program amongst those inspired by the campaign.
If AOC is endorsed by DSA, it must be announced as soon as possible and a nationwide DSA for AOC 2028 campaign must be organized. This will allow DSA to establish ourselves as senior partners and harness the enthusiasm that will be generated from her run. The purpose of DSA has never been to tail liberals. Now is no time to start. Even if we cannot be ready on Day One, we should prepare ourselves for a May Day launch at the latest. DSA getting involved any later than this risks our organization becoming out of touch with the center of working-class politics.
Organizing early and effectively – especially if we’re able to set the tone ahead of other progressive organizations – can transform an election’s center of gravity. The sooner we start, the greater our ability will be to shape the conversations we have with working people. An early intervention allows us to position ourselves as leaders among her base, which allows us to popularize a set of democratically decided priorities or demands for the would-be president. The establishment Democratic Party apparatus likes to make contests into horse races determined by high-dollar donors and focus groups. By having a 50-state organizing juggernaut built early, we can completely disrupt the Democratic establishment’s preferred process, just as we did for Zohran in NYC, Chris Rabb in Philadelphia, and countless other races. By endorsing AOC 2028 early, we can continue the essential party-building work of DSA and foster socialist political independence in the United States. Refusing to assume this historic duty will only leave other non-socialist, less principled individuals and organizations to fill the void.
May Day 2027 could be a monumental pivot point, but only if we are willing to rise to the challenge. We do not get to make history in the conditions of our choosing. Instead, we must recognize the importance of seizing an opportunity, embracing the democratic wisdom of the totality of our membership, and committing ourselves to building the requisite power for socialism to be achieved in the United States. A decade after Bernie’s first campaign, DSA grew twenty-fold from 6,000 to 120,000. If we can replicate that same momentum in the next decade to come, we could grow to 200k, 500k, or more.
The choice is ours. We can either spend the first half of 2027 building power for the socialist movement after enfranchising our membership or spend it in internal, non-binding listening sessions that mask the erosion of democratic transparency within our organization. The choice between external, mass action and navel-gazing is rarely so clear. A democratic socialist world is possible. We know what needs to be done. All that remains is to do it. It’s time for the NPC to recognize the stakes and do what is right this Sunday.
Phil B. is the current campaigns coordinator and former co-chair of Detroit DSA and a Groundwork caucus member.
Amelia D. is a member of Greater Lansing DSA and a Socialist Majority Caucus member.
