A field guide to socialist elected officials

In light of Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani’s surprising victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, there’s been increased interest in the Democratic Socialists of America – the socialist group to which Mamdani belongs (and I used to belong) – and their growing presence in New York politics.

But it can be difficult to figure out exactly who counts as a DSA-aligned elected official, since there are differences among the Socialists in Office committee, DSA endorsements, DSA membership and DSA allyship.

DSA membership is open to anyone willing to pay the monthly dues. But just being a member of the DSA isn’t enough to gain the organization’s coveted support. For that, you need a formal endorsement.

The endorsement process of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is convoluted by design. A candidate must fill out an application where they detail their political ideology and reasons for running, and then appear at a candidate forum. The Electoral Working Group, the NYC-DSA’s central hub for electoral work, votes on whether to recommend the candidate be endorsed. Then the individual members of the local DSA branch – such as Lower Manhattan DSA or Central Brooklyn DSA – vote on whether to endorse. If at least 60% of branch members support the vote, then the Citywide Leadership Committee must vote to ratify the endorsement. At that point, a candidate is officially endorsed by the NYC-DSA.

If a candidate endorsed by the DSA is elected to the state Legislature or the New York City Council, they’re expected to join the state Socialists in Office committee or the city Socialists in Office committee, respectively. These committees – which consist of DSA-endorsed elected officials, their staffers and DSA organizers – meet regularly during the legislative session to discuss legislative strategy.

Becoming a Socialist in Office means giving up a degree of autonomy; the DSA expects its elected officials to remain accountable to the organization and occasionally to vote as a bloc. It is technically possible, though rare, for an elected official to join the Socialists in Office committee despite not previously being endorsed by the DSA. This has only happened once, in 2020, when Assembly Member Emily Gallagher became a Socialist in Office despite not being endorsed by the DSA.

Currently, nine elected officials belong to the state Socialists in Office committee and two belong to the city Socialists in Office committee. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is endorsed by NYC-DSA, is also often considered a Socialist in Office, though the DSA has not yet set up a federal Socialists in Office committee.

There are also two current elected officials who are members of the DSA and work closely with the organization, despite never having been endorsed by the DSA. Both Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas (who has filed to run for the state Senate) and New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif originally applied for DSA endorsements when they ran for office but were turned down. In González-Rojas’ case, the DSA opted not to endorse anyone in the race, while in Hanif’s case, the DSA actually endorsed one of her primary opponents. Since winning office, they have acted as close allies to the Socialists in Office.

Other elected officials also frequently support DSA priorities despite having no official ties to the organization. For instance, City Council Member Chi Ossé has often been misidentified in the press as a DSA member, though he has told City & State that he does not belong to the group. Here’s a handy list to the DSA’s elected officials and friends.

State Socialists in Office: State Sens. Julia Salazar (first elected in 2018), Jabari Brisport (2020) and Kristen Gonzalez (2022), Assembly Members Zohran Mamdani (2020), Phara Souffrant Forrest (2020), Emily Gallagher (2020), Marcela Mitaynes (2020), Sarahana Shrestha (2022) and Claire Valdez (2024)

City Socialists in Office: New York City Council Members Alexa Avilés (2021) and Tiffany Cabán (2021)

DSA members, but not endorsed by the DSA: Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas (2020) and New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif (2021)

DSA allies: State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (2011), Assembly Members Harvey Epstein (2018) and Khaleel Anderson (2020), New York City Council Members Sandy Nurse (2021) and Chi Ossé (2021)

Other DSA-endorsed elected officials: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (2018), Tompkins County Legislator Veronica Pillar (2021), Onondaga County Legislator Maurice Brown (2023), Rochester City Council Members Mary Lupien (2019), Stanley Martin (2021) and Kim Smith (2021), Ithaca Common Council Members Phoebe Brown (2021) and Kayla Matos (2023), Newburgh City Council Member Giselle Martinez (2021), Kingston City Council Member Michael Tierney (2023)