The “Squad” is poised to become more than a fringe faction in the new House.
The far-left coalition, which emerged after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 election, is expected to form a significant bloc. Its members are eager to use their growing influence to advance an expansive agenda that includes abolishing ICE, creating Medicare for All, expanding gender-affirming care and establishing government-run supermarkets.
Election experts say the group could grow from its current core of seven members to as many as 16 following a series of primary victories. The number rises to roughly two dozen when including other left-wing progressives who share some of its positions but are not closely aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America.
The Squad’s influence will depend heavily on the size of any Democratic majority.
If Democrats secure only a narrow majority of just more than 218 seats on Tuesday, the expanded “Squad” could wield even greater leverage. Its members would have the power to derail House rules proposed by party leaders and force votes on controversial amendments.
Republicans warn that “lunatics” leading the Democratic Party would pursue “woke wild goose chases,” pulling Democrats into ideological fights at the expense of more mainstream priorities, RNC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told The Post.
“These communist wannabes would hold [likely Speaker] Hakeem Jeffries hostage until he helps them turn America into a socialist hellhole.”
Moderate Democrats are expressing concerns as well.
“They’re going to cause problems. They’re going to try to dominate the narrative,” a former Democratic leadership aide told The Post. The aide predicted that socialists would seek influential committee assignments and other avenues of power within the House.
Critics say the size of the “Squad” is only part of the story.
“If they do take back control of the House on Tuesday, the Democratic leadership you’ve been promised will change too,” former RNC national spokesperson Elizabeth Pipko said. “This is not just about the Squad doubling in size, but the consequences of the Squad possibly doubling in influence.”
A Brookings Institution study released in August identified 282 DSA candidates running nationwide, including 19 who won primaries in national races. Internal DSA figures, based on online data and reviewed by The Post, show the number rising from 90 candidates in 2025 to 338 this year — nearly a fourfold increase — with 1,452 campaigns launched over eight years.
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High-profile victories in November could prompt socialist lawmakers to demand greater recognition and potentially strengthen the case for a presidential bid by Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, who has campaigned across the country for fellow left-wing candidates.
Policies supported by DSA-backed candidates or introduced in legislation include abolishing ICE. Some prospective members of Congress, including New York City’s Darializa Avila Chevalier, have advocated funding free lawyers to help millions of illegal immigrants pursue citizenship. Claire Valdez, a left-wing New York congressional candidate, has promoted nationwide rent control and called for demilitarizing the border.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, who is expected to win a Philadelphia-area House seat as a Democrat, has endorsed a system of national grocery stores, a signature proposal of New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Nineteen of the 22 left-wing lawmakers identified as potential Squad allies support some version of Medicare for All. Critics argue the proposal could eliminate private health insurance used by millions of Americans.
Other priorities include ending military aid to Israel, eliminating cash bail and abolishing life sentences without parole.
Valdez has criticized “cowards” who she says are “betraying the entire working class” by distancing themselves from transgender issues. She has called for a trans bill of rights and for “making sure that Medicare for All includes gender-affirming care and health care for trans folks.”
The DSA also advocates “fully abolishing the police and prison system which protects the rich and jails the poor.”
That agenda stands in sharp contrast to the message of dozens of Democrats headed to Washington after defeating Republicans by focusing on high gas prices and promising to bring inflation under control.
“We’re going to enter a new era of performative politics and just like crazy demands as well,” said Stu Smith, a socialism expert at the Manhattan Institute. He pointed to the DSA’s Workers Deserve More platform, which would “defund the Department of War” and take steps to “fully abolishing the policy and prison system.”
“This whole new batch [of DSA members] that they have are a totally different bunch of people. Their kind of pedigree has been selected to be far more radical compared to someone like AOC,” he said.
A sharp turn left is worrying voters.
An October CNBC poll found that 28% of voters said their biggest concern under a new Democratic Congress would be the passage of DSA policies. Voters identified that more than any other concern, including inflation and rising taxes.
But individual socialist lawmakers in deep blue districts won’t face such constraints — and could carve out a national fundraising platform by standing firm, following the lead of AOC, who hauled in more than $37 million this election cycle.