Democratic Socialists of America leaders used their first national meeting since Election Day to celebrate what they called their “biggest election ever” while bypassing concerns about the cost of living. Their attention instead turned [1] toward plans to “break the US-Israel relationship,” impose an arms embargo campaign, and disrupt cooperation with ICE.
The Thursday night mass call, titled “The socialist surge: DSA, the midterms and beyond,” featured six winning candidates and national DSA officials. Three newly elected members of Congress associated with the group also joined the ideological victory lap.
National DSA Co-Chair Ashiq Saddique appeared in a black and orange “Democratic Socialists” soccer jersey bearing the words “Solidarity Forever” on its collar. “We’ve quadrupled our presence in Congress,” he exclaimed.
“Millions of people voted for socialists,” Saddique added as the organization’s leaders touted their gains. The discussion quickly moved away from the affordability issues that helped Democrats during Tuesday’s “blue tsunami.”
Instead, DSA figures plunged into the Israel and Palestine debate and laid out plans for a human arms embargo. That came despite President Trump saying this week that the United States will end $4 billion in annual aid to Israel.
“We are going to implement an arms embargo from below, a people’s arms embargo,” declared Francesca Maviglia, a member of the DSA National Political Committee. Several chapters have begun working on a National Arms Embargo Campaign.
Maviglia said the campaign is targeting Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms manufacturer with a subsidiary in Texas, as well as United Airlines. “Instead of pleading with policymakers, we’re going to disrupt the production and shipping of weapons ourselves,” she threatened.
Kareem Elrefai, another DSA National Political Committee member, discussed a recent organization delegation to Jordan. He said the Israeli Defense Forces stopped the delegation from crossing the Palestinian border.
“It’s only strengthened my resolve to fight against Israel,” Elrefai said. Participants in the call’s chat cheered his declaration and wrote “f–k the IDF.”
Elrefai then introduced Rep. Claire Valdez, a New York Democrat who won a seat representing the state’s 7th District in Brooklyn and Queens. He promised that she would bring the organization’s fight into Congress.
“Claire is a DSA member to her core, and that’s somebody who’s going to ensure Palestine is not forgotten and that we’re fighting to break the US-Israel relationship, from the federal level on down,” Elrefai said.
Valdez appeared on the call alongside Chris Raab of Pennsylvania and Angela Gonzalez-Torres of California. The three were the newly elected DSA members of the House of Representatives participating in the event.
“Socialists are leading the way, and we will have huge fights in Congress in the new year to come,” Valdez vowed. The group’s priorities, as presented during the call, remained firmly fixed on ideological battles.
Texas DSA leaders also promoted an effort to turn Houston into a sanctuary city. Houston DSA Co-Chair Jasmine Khadem Gonzalez said chapters in Texas had fought against flock cameras.
“We can not only eliminate the local police collaboration with ICE, but we can make Houston a sanctuary city,” Gonzalez said. She also celebrated videos showing cameras being removed.
“Today I saw videos of the cameras being deactivated and taken down, a beautiful sight to see.”
Clarisse Manuel, a leader of the DSA’s Austin chapter, declared, “Texans don’t want to see our neighbors kidnapped.” She added, “This is the time to fight harder than ever…sky is the limit.”
The DSA won 74% of its called races during the midterms. Its victories included eight House winners, 62 state lawmakers, 22 municipal lawmakers, and 34 ballot measures.
The municipal results included three DSA mayors in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Raab celebrated the overall results while wearing a broach featuring Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress.
“We’re indomitable,” Raab bragged.
“I wasn’t supposed to have won. I wasn’t the frontrunner. But people showed up for me. And at the end of the day, that’s what this is about.”