Democratic socialists are gaining traction across the country. But they are struggling in Virginia congressional races.
Democratic Socialists of America chapters in Virginia are supporting several candidates for Congress in the primary elections. They have candidates running against Shannon Taylor in the 1st Congressional District, Elaine Luria in the 2nd and Jennifer McClellan in the 4th. DSA candidates are winning primaries in other parts of the country, but they’re not making much traction here in Virginia, says Jennifer Victor at George Mason University.
"The fact that those Democratic Socialist candidates are not more successful I think says more about the popularity and name recognition of their competitors than it maybe does about those candidates," Victor says.
Although Democratic Socialists don’t seem to be making much traction in Virginia’s congressional races, Wes Bellamy at Virginia State University says they are making headway in local elections.
"We've seen DSA candidates in Charlottesville gain a great deal of traction," Bellamy says. "And in Richmond, you've seen some of those individuals gain some traction on some of the local seats. And I think that they will become more popular, specifically with the continued progression from the mayor up in New York."
Primary elections for federal and local races are next week on Tuesday, August 4th.
