# Democratic Left (DSA newspaper)
Democratic Left is the official magazine of the [Democratic Socialists of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/democratic-socialists-of-america) (DSA), which describes it as an agitational publication aimed at current and future members of the wider U.S. left.[1](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/) Founded in 1973 as the newsletter of the [Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee](https://www.edgepedia.org/democratic-socialist-organizing-committee) (DSOC), it became DSA's publication when DSOC merged with the New American Movement in 1982, and it is still published today.[2](https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=demleft) Its print edition shrank from a long-standing 16 pages to just four pages by the time of the 2023 convention, though the publication still produces print-format special issues.[3](https://socialistcall.com/2023/07/06/dsa-publications-reform-convention-2023/) • [4](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/convention-issue-fixed-8-31-1.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Democratic Socialists of America (owned by Democratic Socialists of America, Inc.)[5](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DL_Winter20.pdf) |
| Origin | Began 1973 as DSOC's "Newsletter of the Democratic Left," edited by Michael Harrington; became DSA's organ after the 1982 merger[2](https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=demleft) |
| Self-description | An "agitational publication" for current and future members of the wider U.S. left[1](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/) |
| Article length | Roughly 800–1,800 words per its About page (a second passage cites 1,200–2,000)[1](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/) |
| Circulation (2020) | Average net press run of 58,233 copies per issue; 93.95% paid[5](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DL_Winter20.pdf) |
| Editorial control | National Editorial Board appointed by the National Political Committee every two years under a 2023 convention resolution[1](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/) |
| Current editorship (2025–2027) | Editor-in-Chief Faye Wang, Managing Editor Alex Chan[4](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/convention-issue-fixed-8-31-1.pdf) |
| Archives | Internet Archive from March 1973; DSA website from Spring/Summer 2000 onward[2](https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=demleft) |
## History and lineage
The publication began as the "Newsletter of the Democratic Left," the official organ of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, edited by [Michael Harrington](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-harrington) in its early years. When DSOC merged with the New American Movement to form DSA in 1982, the paper became the new organization's official magazine.[2](https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=demleft) The March 1982 issue itself announced the transition: "With this issue, DEMOCRATIC LEFT becomes the publication of the organization formed by the unification" of DSOC and the New American Movement, whose founding convention met on March 20–21, 1982.[6](https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/democratic-left/1982-V010-03-dem-left.pdf)
Publication frequency tightened over the decades. In 1982 the paper appeared ten times a year (monthly except July and August).[6](https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/democratic-left/1982-V010-03-dem-left.pdf) By at least 2008, and through the 2020s, it settled into a quarterly schedule.[7](https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/democratic-left/2008-V036-03.pdf) • [5](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DL_Winter20.pdf)
## Editorial structure and process
Democratic Left is run by the Democratic Left subcommittee of the National Editorial Board. The [National Political Committee](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-political-committee) (NPC), DSA's elected leadership body, appoints the Editorial Board every two years in accordance with a 2023 National Convention Resolution.[1](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/) The current board, serving through 2027, consists of writers and editors drawn from chapters around the country.[8](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/2026/04/07/presenting-our-politics/)
The board is a volunteer body that meets weekly to discuss articles and pitches, and all DSA members are welcome to work on publications under its direction.[1](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/) The 2008 Statement of Ownership listed Frank Llewellyn as both editor and managing editor at DSA's 75 Maiden Lane offices,[7](https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/democratic-left/2008-V036-03.pdf) and the 2020 statement listed Maria Svart as editor.[5](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DL_Winter20.pdf) The 2025 convention issue lists volunteer editors Faye Wang as Editor-in-Chief and Alex Chan as Managing Editor.[4](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/convention-issue-fixed-8-31-1.pdf)
Rank-and-file input is built into the workflow. The board solicits member pitches of roughly 800–1,800 words, especially from members engaged in active campaigns, and recruits volunteer chapter correspondents.[8](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/2026/04/07/presenting-our-politics/) • [4](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/convention-issue-fixed-8-31-1.pdf) The convention issue states a preference for articles "rooted in experiences organizing with DSA" that move beyond punditry to catalog lessons from real DSA campaigns.[4](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/convention-issue-fixed-8-31-1.pdf)
## Content and editorial role
Democratic Left publishes news commentary and analysis, chapter and campaign report-backs, focused political discussion, and cultural criticism.[1](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/) Its chapters feature includes "Chapter and Verse," a monthly set of capsule news items submitted by chapters.[8](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/2026/04/07/presenting-our-politics/) Convention coverage is a recurring format: the Vol. 51, Iss. 2 convention issue covered a four-day DSA convention attended by more than 1,000 delegates deciding the organization's direction.[4](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/convention-issue-fixed-8-31-1.pdf)
The paper's audience distinguishes it from general left media. As movement-press commentary has put it, outlets such as Jacobin, Dissent, and In These Times serve a broader audience and rarely handle "nitty-gritty organizational details," whereas Democratic Left is aimed at updating and engaging DSA members, including inactive "paper members" who belong but do not participate actively.[3](https://socialistcall.com/2023/07/06/dsa-publications-reform-convention-2023/) The Winter 2020 issue illustrates that internal role, reporting a recruitment drive of 12,923 new members, total membership above 85,000, and 29 victories out of 40 nationally endorsed campaigns.[5](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DL_Winter20.pdf)
## How it compares with other DSA and socialist media
DSA's publication ecosystem separates functions. Democratic Left is the short-form, membership-facing agitational publication; Socialist Forum, founded in 2018, is an online journal running longer articles on theory and strategy, and it shares the same National Editorial Board through a separate subcommittee.[3](https://socialistcall.com/2023/07/06/dsa-publications-reform-convention-2023/) • [8](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/2026/04/07/presenting-our-politics/) Independent left magazines such as Jacobin, Dissent, and In These Times reach broader audiences and generally avoid internal DSA debates and nitty-gritty organizational details, areas that fall to Democratic Left as the organization's own membership-facing publication.[3](https://socialistcall.com/2023/07/06/dsa-publications-reform-convention-2023/) Comparisons with the DSA blog, social media, and individual chapter newsletters fall outside the available sourcing.
## By the numbers
Democratic Left's circulation tracked DSA's dramatic membership growth. In 2008, when DSA was a small organization, the average net press run was 7,000 copies per issue (7,500 nearest the filing date), with paid and requested circulation of 5,710 to 5,932 copies and a $10 annual subscription.[7](https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/democratic-left/2008-V036-03.pdf) By fall 2020, after membership grew from fewer than 10,000 in November 2016 to over 90,000 by the 2020 general election,[9](https://rosalux.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/the-long-reroute-historical-comparison_FINAL.pdf) the average net press run had reached 58,233 copies (72,500 for the issue nearest the filing date), with total distribution of 58,159 and 93.95% paid circulation; the annual subscription price had risen to $25.[5](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DL_Winter20.pdf) That is roughly an eightfold increase in press run over twelve years, far outpacing the price increase.
## Recent developments
Three shifts define the post-2023 period. Format: the print edition shrank from a long-standing 16 pages (occasionally 20 in the 2000s) to just four pages, two sheets front and back, by the time of the 2023 convention.[3](https://socialistcall.com/2023/07/06/dsa-publications-reform-convention-2023/) The 2025 convention issue shows Democratic Left still produces print-format special issues,[4](https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/convention-issue-fixed-8-31-1.pdf) and in 2026 the editorial board voted to establish a third subcommittee to explore print production for DSA publications.[8](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/2026/04/07/presenting-our-politics/) [Governance](https://www.edgepedia.org/governance): the 2023 convention resolution formalized biennial NPC appointment of the Editorial Board, which a reform resolution described as a board of nine editors chosen after each convention.[1](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/) • [3](https://socialistcall.com/2023/07/06/dsa-publications-reform-convention-2023/) Goals: the 2025–2027 board has stated it aims to publish more frequently, raise online readership to 20,000 views a month, and improve coverage of DSA's organizing priorities.[8](https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/2026/04/07/presenting-our-politics/)
## References
Note: the primary source base for this entry is the publication's own self-description, archived issues, and USPS circulation statements, supplemented by movement-press commentary.
1. About - Democratic Left. https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/about/
2. Democratic Left archives — The Online Books Page, University of Pennsylvania. https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=demleft
3. The Socialist Press Needs Debate - The Call. https://socialistcall.com/2023/07/06/dsa-publications-reform-convention-2023/
4. Democratic Left Vol. 51 / Iss. 2 Convention issue (PDF). https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/convention-issue-fixed-8-31-1.pdf
5. Democratic Left, Winter 2020 (with USPS Statement of Ownership). https://dlarchive.dsausa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/DL_Winter20.pdf
6. Democratic Left, March 1982 (founding-convention issue, scanned PDF). https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/democratic-left/1982-V010-03-dem-left.pdf
7. Democratic Left, Winter 2008 (with USPS Statement of Ownership). https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/democratic-left/2008-V036-03.pdf
8. Presenting Our Politics - Democratic Left. https://democraticleft.dsausa.org/2026/04/07/presenting-our-politics/
9. The Long Reroute: A Historical Comparison of the Debsian Socialist Party of America and the New Democratic Socialists of America. https://rosalux.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/the-long-reroute-historical-comparison_FINAL.pdf
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Political systems and ideas › Political parties and party families › Democratic-socialist organizations and movements › Democratic Socialists of America › DSA publications and media*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license