List of socialist members of the United States Congress

The following is a list of members of the United States Congress who have declared themselves to be socialists or have been a member of a socialist organization in the United States.

Table

As of September 15, 2024^[update]:

Member	Photo	Chamber	Term start	Term end	State	Party		Ref
Greg Casar		House	January 3, 2023	Incumbent	Texas		Democratic Party (DSA member, former Austin DSA endorsee)	[1][2]
Summer Lee		House	January 3, 2023	Incumbent	Pennsylvania		Democratic Party (former DSA member and former DSA endorsee)	[3]
Cori Bush		House	January 3, 2021	January 3, 2025	Missouri		Democratic Party (DSA member and endorsee)	[4][5]
Jamaal Bowman		House	January 3, 2021	January 3, 2025	New York		Democratic Party (DSA member and NYC-DSA endorsee)	[6][7][8]
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez		House	January 3, 2019	Incumbent	New York		Democratic Party, Working Families Party (DSA member and former endorsee; NYC-DSA endorsee)	[9][10][11]
Rashida Tlaib		House	January 3, 2019	Incumbent	Michigan		Democratic Party (DSA member and endorsee)	[9][12]
Bernie Sanders		Senate	January 3, 2007	Incumbent	Vermont		Independent (Endorsed in Democratic Party primaries, caucuses with Democrats)	[13][14][15]
Danny Davis		House	January 3, 1997	Incumbent	Illinois		Democratic Party (former New Party member and DSA member)	[a]
Bernie Sanders		House	January 3, 1991	January 3, 2007	Vermont		Independent (won most Democratic Party votes)	[13][14][15]
Major Owens		House	January 3, 1983	January 3, 2007	New York		Democratic Party (DSA member)	[12][20]
David Bonior		House	January 3, 1977	January 3, 2003	Michigan		Democratic Party (DSA member)	[21][22]
Ron Dellums		House	January 3, 1971	February 6, 1998	California		Democratic Party (DSA member)	[12][23]
John Conyers		House	January 3, 1965	December 5, 2017	Michigan		Democratic Party (DSA member)	[24]
William H. Meyer		House	January 3, 1959	January 3, 1961	Vermont		Democratic Party (Future Liberty Union Party founder)	[25]
George M. Rhodes		House	January 3, 1949	January 3, 1969	Pennsylvania		Democratic Party (former Socialist Party of America member)	[26]
Andrew Biemiller		House	January 3, 1949	January 3, 1951	Wisconsin		Democratic Party (former Socialist Party of America member)	[27]
Leo Isacson		House	February 17, 1948	January 3, 1949	New York		American Labor Party	[28]
Andrew Biemiller		House	January 3, 1945	January 3, 1947	Wisconsin		Democratic Party (former Socialist Party of America member)	[27]
Hugh De Lacy		House	January 3, 1945	January 3, 1947	Washington		Democratic Party (Communist Party USA member)	[29]
Bolívar Pagán		House	December 26, 1939	January 3, 1945	Puerto Rico		Republican Union (Socialist Party member)
Vito Marcantonio		House	January 3, 1939	January 3, 1951	New York		American Labor Party	[28][30]
Henry Teigan		House	January 3, 1937	January 3, 1939	Pennsylvania		Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party (former Socialist Party of America member)	[31]
John Bernard		House	January 3, 1937	January 3, 1939	Minnesota		Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party (Future Communist Party USA member)	[32][33]
Jerry J. O'Connell		House	January 3, 1937	January 3, 1939	Montana		Democratic Party	[34]
Jerry Voorhis		House	January 3, 1937	January 3, 1947	California		Democratic Party (former Socialist Party of America member)	[35]
Vito Marcantonio		House	January 3, 1935	January 3, 1937	New York		Republican Party	[28][30]
Santiago Iglesias		House	March 4, 1933	December 5, 1939	Puerto Rico		Socialist Party
Homer Bone		Senate	January 3, 1933	November 13, 1944	Washington		Democratic Party (former Socialist Party of America member)	[36]
Fiorello LaGuardia		House	March 4, 1927	March 3, 1933	New York		Republican Party (former Socialist Party of America candidate and self-identified socialist)	[37]
Fiorello LaGuardia		House	March 4, 1925	March 4, 1927	New York		Socialist Party of America and Progressive Party	[37]
Fiorello LaGuardia		House	March 4, 1923	March 4, 1925	New York		Republican Party (future Socialist Party of America candidate and self-identified socialist)	[37]
Victor Berger		House	March 4, 1923	March 3, 1929	Wisconsin		Socialist Party of America	[12]
Meyer London		House	March 4, 1921	March 3, 1923	New York		Socialist Party of America	[12]
Victor Berger		House	March 4, 1919	November 10, 1919	Wisconsin		Socialist Party of America	[12]
Fiorello LaGuardia		House	March 4, 1917	December 31, 1919	New York		Republican Party (future Socialist Party of America candidate and self-identified socialist)	[37]
George Lunn		House	March 4, 1917	March 4, 1919	New York		Democratic Party (former Socialist Party of America member)	[38]
Meyer London		House	March 4, 1915	March 3, 1919	New York		Socialist Party of America	[12]
Harry Lane		Senate	March 4, 1913	May 23, 1917	Oregon		Democratic Party	[39]
Victor Berger		House	March 4, 1911	March 3, 1913	Wisconsin		Socialist Party of America	[12]
Freeman Knowles		House	March 4, 1897	March 3, 1899	South Dakota		People's Party (United States) (Future Socialist Party of America Member)	[40]
Haldor Boen		House	March 4, 1893	March 3, 1895	Minnesota		People's Party (United States) (Future Socialist Party of America Member)	[41]
Kittel Halvorson		House	March 3, 1891	March 4, 1893	Minnesota		People's Party (United States) (Future Socialist Party of America Member)	[42]
Lewis Featherstone		House	March 5, 1890	March 3, 1891	Arkansas		Union Labor Party
Henry Smith		House	March 4, 1887	March 3, 1889	Wisconsin		Union Labor Party	[43]
Horace Greeley		House	December 4, 1848	March 3, 1849	New York		Whig Party (United States)	[44]
Robert Dale Owen		House	March 4, 1843	March 3, 1847	Indiana		Democratic Party	[45]

See also

• Other lists:
  • List of elected socialist mayors in the United States
  • List of Democratic Socialists of America public officeholders
  • List of Green politicians who have held office in the United States
  • List of Communist Party USA members who have held office in the United States
• History of the socialist movement in the United States
• The Squad (United States Congress)
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Millennial socialism

Endnotes

1. Although Davis was endorsed by the New Party^[16] and Chicago DSA^[17] in 1996, Davis has since moved rightward. Chicago DSA endorsed candidates primarying him from the left in 2020^[18] and 2022.^[19]

References

1. Sanders, Austin (February 11, 2022). "Greg Casar, DSA, and Palestine: Will It Matter?". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
2. Ahlman, Austin; Grim, Ryan (March 1, 2022). "In Texas Primary, Democratic Socialist Greg Casar Prevails With Wide Margin". The Intercept. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022.
3. "Democratic Socialist Summer Lee's Victory in Penn. Gives Progressives a Boost in House". Democracy Now!. November 9, 2022. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022.
4. Day, Meagan (August 7, 2020). "Cori Bush on How She Took On the Political Establishment and Won". Jacobin. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020.
5. Taylor, Astra (June 17, 2020). "A New Group of Leftist Primary Challengers Campaign Through Protests and the Coronavirus". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020.
6. "What Jamaal Bowman's Loss Means for the Left". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
7. "Bowman Makes Amends With Democratic Socialists After Rift Over Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
8. "Endorsed Candidates - NYC Democratic Socialists of America". socialists.nyc. February 1, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
9. Isserman, Maurice (January 11, 2021). "Congress Now Has More Socialists Than Ever Before in U.S. History". In These Times. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. While Dellums and Owens were supportive of DSA, knowledge of their membership in an organization that at the time counted only a few thousand members was mostly left-wing insider baseball. Relatively few of their constituents had likely ever heard of DSA. Not so for the socialists in Congress today, in part because the organization itself has grown a dozen-fold in recent years, recently surpassing 80,000 members. The new socialists' organizational credentials are regularly cited by friends and foes alike ("Democratic socialists salivate over current, future New York state gains," Fox News reported with its usual taste and balance after last November's election.)
10. "Ocasio-Cortez Loses the Democratic Socialists' Endorsement Over Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
11. "New York's 14th Congressional District election, 2022". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
12. Isserman, Maurice (November 8, 2018). "Socialists in the House: A 100-Year History from Victor Berger to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez". Archived from the original on September 7, 2020.
13. Inskeep, Steve (November 6, 2015). "Bernie Sanders On Being Jewish And A Democratic Socialist". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023.
14. "Bernie Sanders confirms presidential run and damns America's inequities". The Guardian. Associated Press. April 30, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. The self-described 'democratic socialist' enters the race as a robust liberal alternative ...
15. Matthews, Dylan (November 20, 2015). "A leading socialist explains what Bernie Sanders's socialism gets right — and wrong". Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015.
16. "March Update". New Party. Archived from the original on February 2, 1999. The Illinois New Party is working intensively on Willie Delgado's state representative campaign. Delgado is part of an emerging Latino network in Chicago. We're also backing Danny Davis in a Congressional race, Barack Obama for state representative, and judicial candidate Patricia Martin. In addition to the electoral work, the NP in Chicago is supporting a local living wage campaign and an effort to prevent the placement of a waste site on the West Side.
17. "Chicago DSA endorsements in the March 19th primary election". New Ground. No. 45 (Mar–Apr 1996). Chicago chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. And Danny Davis is certainly not foreign to Chicago DSA. From the very beginning, he has always been willing to help: appearing as a speaker with Michael Harrington, serving as a Master of Ceremonies without peer at the annual Debs – Thomas – Harrington Dinner.
18. Muwakkil, Salim (July 16, 2019). "In 2008, Democratic Socialists Endorsed Him. Now, a DSA Member Is Primarying Him". In These Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020.
19. Aikerson, Skyler (June 22, 2022). ""It's Time for Generational Change": Why Progressive Challenger Kina Collins Is Taking on a 25-Year Incumbent". In These Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022.
20. Borenstein, Marsha (November 18, 2013). "Major R. Owens, the People's Congressman (1936–2013)". Democratic Left. Democratic Socialists of America. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. I was DSA's liaison to Owens' congressional office in Brooklyn. I wrote and called his office when we wanted him to speak at one of our events. He never turned us down. Having once paid dues he believed himself to be a lifetime member of DSA and never let me forget my affiliation with the organization, interrupting me from time to time when I said something that surprised him, with "Is that the official position of DSA?"
21. "DSA PAC 1996 Endorsements" (PDF). Democratic Left. No. Raising the Rose Lantern: The Socialist International Comes to the United States (July/August 1996). Democratic Socialists of America. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 29, 2019.
22. Green, David (March 2015). "DSA Hosts Book Signing Event for Bonior Memoir". Metro Detroit chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 29, 2018. Rep. Bonior and his wife Judy are longtime DSA members. They received the Douglass-Debs Award from Detroit DSA in 2003. Rep. Bonior was a co-host for DSA-PAC's successful fundraiser for Bernie Sanders in 2006. It was a pleasure for Detroit DSA to welcome David Bonior home for this event.
23. Judis, John (November 1976). "Our Democracy Is More Symbolic Than Real: An Interview With Ron Dellums". Jacobin. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022.
24. Margolis, Jon (March 14, 1983). "Bernie of Burlington". The New Republic. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015.
25. "L.U.P. History," The Official Website Of The Liberty Union Party – Vermont
26. RHODES, George Milton
27. Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1937 Madison: Democrat Printing Company, State Printer, 1937; pp. vii-viii, 53, 360, 432, 542, 543, 544, 551-552
28. Greenberg, David (January 3, 2019). "Socialists Are No Strangers to Congress". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019.
29. Harvey Klehr, The Heyday of American Communism: The Depression Decade. New York: Basic Books, 1984; pg. 256.
30. Serby, Benjamin (December 20, 2018). "New York's Last Socialist Congressperson". Jacobin. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022.
31. TEIGAN, Henry George
32. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/B000411
33. Haynes, John Earl (1984). Dubious Alliance: The Making of Minnesota's DFL Party. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9780816613243.
34. Pedersen, Vernon (April 8, 2010). "Terminal Hearing: The House Committee on Un‑American Activities and the Death of Jerry J. O'Connell". C-SPAN. Retrieved December 10, 2010.

    • "Karl Mundt Archives: Justice 1950-1972". Karl E. Mundt Historical & Educational Foundation and Archives. 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
    • Unz, Ron. "Jerry J. O'Connell Archives". The Unz Review: An Alternative Media Selection. Los Angeles, CA: Ron Unz. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
35. Gellman, Irwin (1999). The Contender. The Free Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-1-4165-7255-8.
36. "Bone, Homer Truett (1883-1970)".
37. Zinn, Howard (1969). LaGuardia in Congress. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-7617-4.
38. Allen Eddy, "Biographical Notes," New York State Journal, Dec. 8, 1948. Reprinted in George R. Lunn: A Memorial. Rancho Santa Fe, CA: n.p., 1949; unpaginated [pp. 10–13]
39. Johnston, Robert. The Radical Middle Class: Populist Democracy and the Question of Capitalism in Progressive Era Portland, Oregon. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003.
40. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Freeman Knowles".
41. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Haldor Erickson Boen".
42. "Our Campaigns - ND At-Large Race - Nov 06, 1906".
43. Bashford, Robert McKee (1878). "The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin: comprising the constitutions of the United States and of the state of Wisconsin, Jefferson's manual, forms and laws for the regulation of business; also, lists and tables for reference, etc. Seventeenth Annual Edition 1878".
44. Tuchinsky, Adam (2009). Horace Greeley's New-York Tribune: Civil War–Era Socialism and the Crisis of Free Labor. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-4667-2. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctt7zfzw.
45. Estabrook, Arthur (August 29, 2017). "The Family History of Robert Owen". Indiana Magazine of History.