The Democratic Socialists of America’s National Political Committee narrowly rejected a proposal on Sunday that would have allowed the organization’s full membership to vote directly on a potential 2028 presidential endorsement, effectively delaying the issue until the DSA’s 2027 national convention.
The measure failed, 14-13, according to a vote summary compiled by Canary Mission. While this means that DSA will not hold a nationwide membership poll on a presidential endorsement, local chapters may still conduct their own membership surveys.
The closely divided vote hinged on the Bread and Roses caucus, which describes itself as a Marxist faction within the organization.
Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, wrote that the committee “just voted to overturn our convention and took away rank-and-file members’ right to vote in an all-member poll on presidential endorsement.”
Amy Wilhelm, an NPC member, disputed that characterization, noting that the resolution allows chapters “to carry out the poll per their standard method.”
“NYC members deserve co-chairs that don’t lie,” Wilhelm wrote in response to Gordillo.
Before the vote, more than 1,100 DSA members, including Gordillo, signed a petition urging the committee to authorize a nationwide endorsement vote, arguing that the organization’s roughly 120,000 members should decide whether to back a presidential candidate. Supporters cited the DSA’s 2020 membership-wide endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as precedent.
“The NPC should not make the decision alone, nor can we afford to wait until convention in August 2027, if we want to build a big enough campaign to engage our 120,000 members,” the letter states. “If we don’t endorse early and democratically, we will be relegated to the sidelines.”
The vote was widely viewed as a setback for the faction seeking an early endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who supporters believe would have prevailed in a membership-wide vote, according to Canary Mission. Ocasio-Cortez has not announced whether she intends to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
The dispute comes as several DSA-backed candidates are running in Democratic primaries across the country, including some looking to unseat incumbent Democrats.
