Newsom “not alarmed” by DSA surge—Where 2028 Democrats stand on movement

California Governor Gavin Newsom, long viewed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said he is “not alarmed” by the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in a new interview published by Politico, as prospective candidates stake out opposing positions on the organization.

Democratic socialists have expanded their power in the primaries during this year’s midterms, including Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York, Melat Kiros in Colorado and Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania. The DSA has garnered new attention in the wake of the victories, and Democrats are divided about how the party should approach them.

Some Democrats view them as a political liability—polls show socialism and democratic socialism are unpopular with voters, and more moderate members of the party fear embracing DSA could alienate moderate and independent voters.

But others have said the party should embrace a “big tent” approach ahead of the midterms and 2028, when Democrats will have to walk a fine line to retain support from progressive and socialist voters, while also winning support from moderates, to defeat President Donald Trump and Republicans.

What Have 2028 Democrats Said About Democratic Socialism?

The first votes of the Democratic primaries will not be cast for more than a year for the 2028 presidential election, but attention has already turned to potential candidates. Some are embracing democratic socialism ahead of potential runs, but others have cast themselves as squarely against the ideology.

Here is a look at where the top potential candidates stand on democratic socialism and the DSA. Newsweek reached out to their political teams for comment via email.

Gavin Newsom

Newsom told Politico in an interview published on Monday that he’s “for a big-tent party” when asked about whether Democrats should distance themselves from democratic socialism.

“It’s where a lot of the energy in the party is. So why would you ever dismiss that?” the governor asked.

Newsom also told reporters in July that whether he joins the race would be determined by “fate.”

“I really believe it’s fate,” he said. “You meet the moment; you represent something where you can uniquely and distinctively make the case that your voice matters in a competitive field where there will be stadiums full of Democrats. Every conceivable stripe of Democrat will be on display.”

Kamala Harris

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has made clear over the years she is not aligned with democratic socialism.

“The people of New Hampshire will tell me what’s required to compete in New Hampshire, but I will tell you I am not a democratic socialist,” she said while campaigning back in 2019, when she first ran for president, reported The New York Times.

Harris suggested she could run again earlier this year.

“I might. I am thinking about it,” she told the Reverend Al Sharpton in April after he asked during the National Action Network’s annual convention if she planned to run for president in 2028. Harris noted that she “served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States.”

“I spent countless hours in my West Wing office footsteps away from the Oval Office,” she said. “I spent countless hours in the Oval Office and the Situation Room. I know what the job is, and I know what it requires.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is the most prominent democratic socialist who has been named as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. She has been a member of the organization and has supported its candidates. As speculation mounts about a potential 2028 run, she recently renewed her membership of the national DSA organization.

She discussed democratic socialism in an August 9 interview on ABC News’ This Week, saying there are “fundamental differences” between socialism and communism.

“The prevailing one is democracy. And I believe that Democratic socialists are fundamentally pro-democracy. And we believe in the ballot box. We believe in respecting the outcomes of elections and governing democratically and ensuring that the ideas that—and policies that are implemented are won through popular vote and popular opinion,” she said.

Ocasio-Cortez addressed presidential speculation in May in a conversation with David Axelrod, who served as an adviser to former President Barack Obama.

“My ambition is to change this country,” she said. “Presidents come and go. Senate, House seats, elected officials come and go. But single-payer healthcare is forever. A living wage is forever, workers’ rights are forever, women’s rights, all of that, and so anyways…to a finer point to your question is that when you aren’t attached, when you haven’t been like fantasizing about being this or that since the time you were 7 years old, it is tremendously liberating.”

In 2016 and 2020, independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders ran in the Democratic primary as a democratic socialist.

Jon Ossoff

Senator Jon Ossoff, who is up for reelection in swing state Georgia this year, has not made public comments about where he stands on the rise of democratic socialism. He has never publicly identified as a democratic socialist.

Ossoff has downplayed speculation that he plans to run, telling MS NOW earlier in the summer, “I have zero interest in running for president in 2028, and frankly zero interest in the 2028 fantasy football right now.”

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg, who served as transportation secretary during the Biden administration, was asked in July about the rise of democratic socialism during an interview on Fox News’ America Reports but largely avoided discussing DSA directly.

“There’s always going to be some people in my party who go too far for me, people I disagree with. If you pick the five or 10 or 15 furthest-left people in our party, they’re going to, by definition, disagree with a lot of others. But there’s so much that we do, in fact, agree on,” he said.

He said in August he is “more inclined than not” to run for president during an appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast. He said fatherhood has changed how he is approaching whether or not to run.

“That’s changed all of my equations,” Buttigieg said. “It’s just something that you really sit with and take seriously, which you should.”

Andy Beshear

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on CBS News’ Face the Nation he believes socialism is a “failed experiment” but that “we need to get results for the American people.” He also warned that many Americans are “seeing a system that doesn’t work for them.”

Beshear has not ruled out a potential run for president. He said during an event hosted by the National Urban League in Nashville, Tennessee, in July that after his last election, he said he would never have to run for anything again.

“Sitting here today, I don’t know that’s true,” he said.

Josh Shapiro

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has staked out a more moderate lane in the party and has been cheered by that wing as a potential centrist candidate.

He told CNN in June that congressional candidate Darializa Avila-Chevalier, who unseated an incumbent in a Democratic primary for a New York City-based House seat, is “not someone who seemingly I would agree with on many things or that we share similar values.”

Still, he told MS NOW the following month that the rise of democratic socialism reflects “real passion” in the electorate as well as a “lot of pain” inflicted by Trump.

He said during the National Action Network’s annual convention he wants to “be a part of that conversation” regarding 2028.

What Is Democratic Socialism?

DSA describes democratic socialism as a system “where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society.”

“We want a democracy that creates space for us all to flourish not just survive and answers the fundamental questions of our lives with the input of all. We want to collectively own the key economic drivers that dominate our lives, such as energy production and transportation. We want the multiracial working class united in solidarity instead of divided by fear,” the DSA website reads.

DSA members typically support progressive policies like single-payer healthcare and the Green New Deal.

The key difference between democratic socialism and other forms of socialism is that democratic socialism maintains that any move toward a more socialist economy must happen through democratic institutions, civil liberties and competitive elections, not through centralized or authoritarian control.

The philosophy supports a socially owned economy but believes it should be achieved through political democracy. It also emphasizes individual rights.

Merriam-Webster defines democratic socialism as a “political movement calling for the establishment of a decentralized socialist economic system within a democratically run political system.” It defines socialism as “any of various egalitarian economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

It’s also different from communism, which is defined as a “totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production.”

How Popular Is Democratic Socialism?

Democratic socialism continues to be viewed negatively by a majority of Americans even as candidates surged in the 2026 Democratic primaries, according to recent polls.

A Marquette Law School poll found that only 21 percent of Americans view DSA favorably, while 48 percent view it unfavorably; 31 percent said they had not heard enough to say either way.

Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 38 percent said they viewed DSA positively, while 21 percent viewed it negatively, according to that poll. Among independents, only 16 percent viewed the group positively, and 46 percent viewed it unfavorably, the poll found.

It surveyed 1,001 adults nationwide from May 20-26 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

A Pew Research Center survey from January found that 37 percent of Americans dislike leaders who identify as Democratic socialists, while 17 percent like leaders who identify as one. For comparison, in 2022, 45 percent said they disliked leaders who were Democratic socialists, while 18 percent said they liked them.

Among Democrats, 32 percent said they liked Democratic socialist political leaders, while 11 percent disliked them. Among Republicans, unfavorable views stood at 69 percent.

Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Anna Commander and Anthony Murray.