Former DSA Member Warns of Far-Left Influence Ahead of Midterms

A former member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a stark warning about the far-left organization's increasing political influence as the November midterms approach. Jake Altman, who was a member for nearly a decade before leaving in 2022, described the group as having "gone completely off the deep end."

Altman's departure was prompted by the DSA's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which included calls for the U.S. to withdraw from NATO and characterized the alliance as "imperialist expansionism that set the stage for this conflict." He stated that he felt "anger and confirmation that the organization had gone completely off the deep end and there’s nothing to be salvaged."

The DSA's platform advocates for radical policy changes, including the abolition of the Senate, making the president and Supreme Court subservient to Congress, and defunding the Pentagon. Some legal scholars question the constitutionality of abolishing the Senate through the amendment process.

High-ranking DSA members have also called for defunding the police, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and sanctioning Israel. Despite these positions, DSA members have won Democratic primaries in at least six House races, with more candidates aligned with DSA values achieving victories nationwide.

Altman expressed concern that high-propensity Democratic Party primary voters, particularly affluent ones, have become radicalized. "My view is we cannot let these extremists get power because they really are dangerous," he said, adding that even those with good intentions could enact policies with "profound consequences for ordinary Americans."

Altman, originally from Iowa and a former union organizer, joined the DSA in the early 2010s, motivated by economic decline in the Rust Belt. He noted a significant demographic shift within the organization, with the median age of members dropping substantially between 2013 and 2018.

He attributed the surge in energy and membership to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 congressional victory, which he saw as validation of the DSA's goal to influence the Democratic Party. However, he now warns of a perceived "thrill to violence" among some hardcore activists within the group.

Altman called for a "renaissance of democracy" where local control is reclaimed from what he described as increasingly extreme national organizations. He concluded that while many have a responsibility to resist this trend, he does not believe enough people are doing so.

The DSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.