US midterm results: Six Democratic Socialist candidates win House seats in historic gains

Six candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) won seats in the US House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections, marking a record expansion of the movement's congressional presence as Democrats made gains across the country.Abdul El-Sayed, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez in New York, Melat Kiros, Donavan McKinney and Chris Rabb won seats in the US House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. (AP, Reuters, X/ @MelatKirosCO, @chrisrabb, @DonavanMI13)The Associated Press projected victories for Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York, Melat Kiros in Colorado, Donavan McKinney in Michigan and Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania. The winners will join a growing progressive bloc in Congress when the new House convenes in January 2027.AP also projected that Democrat Abdul El-Sayed had won Michigan's US Senate general election, according to a post published by the election data organization at 1:15 am EST. El-Sayed's projected victory is a separate result from the five DSA-backed House wins.The victories follow a competitive primary season in which DSA-backed candidates challenged established Democratic lawmakers, campaigning on economic populist policies, universal healthcare, affordable childcare and workers' rights.Also Read: Democrats score Senate wins in red states, flip key governor races in midterms blow to TrumpDSA-backed candidates win across statesIn New York, Darializa Avila Chevalier won the 13th Congressional District after defeating longtime Democratic incumbent Adriano Espaillat in the primary. Claire Valdez won the 7th Congressional District, which covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens.Melat Kiros won Colorado's 1st Congressional District after defeating longtime Representative Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary. Donavan McKinney won Michigan's 13th Congressional District after defeating incumbent Shri Thanedar in the primary.Chris Rabb secured Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District, adding another DSA-backed lawmaker to the incoming House.The candidates' primary victories had already highlighted the organization's growing influence within Democratic politics. Their general-election wins now translate that momentum into congressional representation.Progressive agenda gains congressional representationThe incoming lawmakers campaigned on policies including universal healthcare, affordable childcare, stronger protections for workers and opposition to corporate political donations. Several DSA-backed candidates also advocated abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending US military aid to Israel.Also Read: Trump says he will accept election results as Democrats poised to control US CongressThe victories could strengthen progressive voices within the Democratic caucus as the party prepares to take control of the House. The incoming lawmakers have criticized established Democratic leadership during their campaigns and are expected to press for more ambitious progressive policies.The new lawmakers will join existing DSA members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib in Congress. The organization's growing presence could give its members greater influence in debates over legislation and the Democratic Party's direction.The election results mark a significant expansion for DSA, which has sought to build a larger congressional bloc around economic populist policies and a progressive political agenda.