A number of members of the Democratic Socialists of America have won House primaries this year, reflecting the biggest political surge in American socialism since the early 20th century. But Tuesday night in Florida, Angie Nixon became the first member of the organization to win a primary for the Senate. That’s notable because the Senate is one of the institutions the DSA explicitly wants to abolish.
Nixon, a state representative, won an upset victory against establishment pick Alex Vindman — a liberal hero from President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial. She became a member of the DSA in June, according to MS NOW, the month before the movement released its latest platform. Agenda items include: “Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress” and “abolish the Senate.”
The Senate and the Supreme Court have been the major brakes on President Donald Trump’s agenda, so the DSA platform in practice would have meant two years of even more aggressive GOP governance. Nixon may not agree with abolishing the office she’s running for — she has said she doesn’t agree with all of the DSA’s platform, and the organization never formally endorsed her. But her decision to join at the height of the primary campaign shows the DSA’s political power and justifies scrutiny of its stated ambitions.
The DSA also says that “for the working class to govern,” all elections should be financed by the government. The assumption is that private money buys elections. But Vindman out-fundraised Nixon 16 to 1. She said in her victory speech that “everyday people are more powerful than corporations and billionaires.” That’s true — and it shows why the DSA’s radical approach to campaign speech isn’t necessary. It would more likely be used to control political upstarts.
Incumbent GOP Sen. Ashley Moody is favored to win in November. But Nixon’s nomination is a political gift to Republicans. Eight years ago — in Trump’s first term — Florida’s midterm Senate election was so close it triggered a recount. Now Nixon will have to defend her views in a state that has become a haven for Venezuelan and Cuban exiles who know the real-life consequences of socialism (the DSA released a tribute to Fidel Castro last week).
Trump’s low approval should be an opportunity for Democrats to find their footing going into November. It shouldn’t take much imagination to build a politically potent offense against the president’s unpopular war and stubborn inflation. Instead, the fury of Democratic voters is being channeled by unelectable candidates like Nixon.
The Democratic establishment has tried to accommodate itself to the rise of the DSA by saying it supports a big-tent movement. The DSA doesn’t mind being welcomed into American institutions; after all, you have to control an institution, including the Senate, to abolish it. Eventually, Democrats might find their own party on the menu.
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