Local opinion: Economic frustration is fueling Democrats' shift left

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and affiliated left-wing candidates have achieved major wins during the 2026 election cycle, building on momentum from high-profile figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Florida state Representative Angie Nixon surprisingly won the Democratic U.S. Senate primary — demonstrating an expanding footprint for candidates tied to the movement with over 120,000 members. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. He calls himself a capitalist; he isn't a member of DSA, wasn’t formally endorsed by DSA, yet his win signaled the left’s growing reach.

While the insurgent left has scored surprising victories, results remain mixed in certain swing-state battlegrounds. Francesca Hong’s close second in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin proved that Wisconsinites are concerned about the electability of far-left candidates.

Some Democrats have met the nomination of DSA-endorsed candidates with panic. Democratic control of the House and Senate is in sight because of the bad economy and President Trump’s low approval ratings, but many party centrists fear nominating candidates whose backgrounds are out of step with mainstream voters could cost Democrats control of the House and especially the Senate. Others take a more optimistic view. They expect these candidates to moderate their views in a general election and bring new young voters with them.

Evidence suggests that support for DSA and DSA-adjacent candidates runs well among younger, more educated urban voters but poorly among older voters without college degrees who live outside big cities. They do somewhat better among women than men. They enjoy more support among white and upper-income Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents than among blacks, Hispanics and lower-income voters.

While some elements of the DSA agenda-such as Medicare for all and higher taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals enjoy majority support, most don't. The organization's platform advocates government ownership of much of the economy, including food, education, energy, medicine and transportation. Americans wouldn't have landlords or mortgages because comfortable housing is a “human right."

Frustration with the economy is fueling the rise of the DSA. President Trump describes the U.S. economy as booming and doing "unbelievably" well, pointing to record stock market highs. This contrasts with public polling showing widespread frustration over the high cost of living, everyday groceries, fuel and fertilizer. Americans are angry and scared about trends they feel powerless to halt: lagging wages, increasingly unaffordable healthcare, and the vanishing dream of home ownership. Adding fuel to the fire, President Trump hasn’t kept the promises he made during the 2024 campaign. Prices are rising faster than during Joe Biden's final year in office.

Despite tariffs intended to reverse offshoring, there are fewer U.S. manufacturing jobs than when Trump began his second term. The seemingly endless war against Iran has raised the price of gasoline, fertilizer and the diesel fuel used to transport most of the goods that Americans use. Trump has surrounded himself with billionaires, enriched himself personally, pardoned felons including friends and Jan. 6 rioters. His praise of Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and Arab sheiks concerns most Americans. Against this backdrop, it's hardly surprising that 63% of Americans-including 53% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents-believe that the Republican Party hasn't focused enough on the cost of living.

Democratic leaders should take no comfort from these developments. The 2024 election was more than a defeat for Kamala Harris; it was the end of an era. Democratic voters want a new generation of leaders with new ideas to take charge, and they are in no mood to accept timid incrementalism. Support for capitalism is at a low ebb among independents as well as Democrats.

As Republicans learned in 2016, a charismatic anti-status-quo candidate can win the nomination without majority support if multiple candidates representing business as usual split the vote. If the Democratic Party's center-left wing fails to offer an agenda voters can believe in, the door will be open for a radical faction to take charge during the presidential nomination contest, regardless of the consequences for the general election.