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Two socialist mayors were elected in the United States on Tuesday in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. which now means that four of the top 20 largest cities in the country have socialist leaders at the helm.
Los Angeles Councilwoman Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) defeated incumbent mayor Karen Bass and will take office in December as mayor for the roughly 4 million residents of Los Angeles proper.
Also victorious on Tuesday was DSA member Janeese Lewis George who coasted to victory to become mayor-elect of Washington, D.C., a city of roughly 700,000 residents.
The list of socialist mayors in the top 20 most populous U.S. cities stands at 4, as George and Raman join Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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Former Biden White House aide Yemisi Egbewole predicted that the Democratic Socialists of America would struggle to gain national influence ahead of the 2028 presidential election despite recent electoral victories. (2019 Getty Images)
In total, the four cities are home to roughly 14 million people. That figure does not include neighboring suburbs, which could still feel the effects of policies enacted within city limits through crime, real estate values and the broader business climate. Problems in a city can spill over into surrounding communities, while suburban residents who work in the city may also be directly affected.
Counting the population in the metro areas of those four cities, roughly 44 million people could be affected either positively and negatively by the socialist policies enacted by the four mayors.
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Los Angeles councilwoman Nithya Raman drew online mockery after touting a recent ‘win’ in her role representing her constituents. (Getty Images)
“This makes LA the fourth large city that will now have a socialist mayor, joining New York, Washington DC and Seattle,” Heritage Foundation fellow Mike Gonzalez posted on X Thursday. “Chicago’s mayor is a buffoon, but he doesn’t identify as DSA. America used to be an impregnable fortress against Marxism, then Marxists took over universities.”
The socialist victories were not limited to city halls. Voters also elected seven DSA-backed or affiliated candidates to the House: Claire Valdez, Brand Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York, Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania, Melat Kiros of Colorado, Donavan McKinney of Michigan and Angela Gonzales-Torres of California.
Several other candidates associated with socialist policies also entered Congress or were re-elected on Tuesday.
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Family members and supporters of D.C. Ward 4 Council member Janeese Lewis George, a candidate for D.C. mayor, cheer as she addresses them at Prince Hall Masonic Temple, a polling location, in Washington, D.C., on Monday, June 8, 2026. (The Washington Post via Getty Images)
A recent national poll indicated 32% of voters have a favorable view of socialism, with 64% seeing it in an unfavorable way. But the favorable rating matches an all-time high, first reached five years ago, since first began asking the question in 2019. And a September Gallup poll found that 43% of Americans had a positive image of socialism, the highest level since the polling organization began tracking the question in 2010.
The poll found that 51% of voters had a favorable view of capitalism, compared with 32% who viewed socialism favorably. Another 46% had an unfavorable view of capitalism.
