Opinion | Do the Democratic Socialists of America really believe in democracy?

Zohran Mamdani’s surge has brought the group new prominence. Let’s take a look under the hood.

Joshua Muravchik, a former chairman of the Young People’s Socialist League, is author of “Heaven on Earth: The Rise, Fall, and Afterlife of Socialism.” Ronald Radosh, a former member of Democratic Socialists of America’s board, is author of “Commies: A Journey Through the Old Left, the New Left and the Leftover Left."

The possible election of Zohran Mamdani as New York mayor has big implications not only for the city but also for the Democratic Party. Like many of his top staffers and a legion of his volunteers, Mamdani belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America. The group already boasts some 250 elected officials, including two members of Congress, dozens of state legislators and several mayors. But Mamdani’s victory in the New York Democratic mayoral primary was a giant step forward — “a coming-of-age moment for the Democratic Socialists of America,” as the New York Times put it. If, as expected, Mamdani wins in November, he is sure to inspire emulators and make the DSA an even larger force in the party.

What, then, does the DSA stand for? In theory, democratic socialists would transform the economy from private enterprise to public ownership, but — unlike communists — only through persuasion and legislation, not violence and coercion. We each once adhered to this creed.