Noah Smith
· Noahpinion
· June 26, 2026 at 02:19
· ⏱ 8 min read
| Read on Substack ↗
Summary
Noah Smith argues that the Democratic Party is developing its own extremist populist wing (exemplified by DSA-backed candidates like Darializa Avila Chevalier) as a backlash to Trump's far-right populism, creating a mutually reinforcing cycle of radicalization. The piece is purely political commentary with no direct market or investment implications.
•Darializa Avila Chevalier, founder of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), won the Democratic primary in NY-13 and is almost certain to win the general election.
•Avila Chevalier has made extreme statements: supporting abolition of police and prisons, calling for government seizure of landlord properties, and endorsing communist and anarchist ideas.
•She is compared to Marjorie Taylor Greene on the right; the author notes the asymmetry between extremes but says this candidate tests that view.
•Three congressional primary candidates backed by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani all won in New York, with two unseating incumbents.
•DSA membership has surged to new heights after a collapse in 2024, and DSA-backed candidates have won mayoral primaries in D.C., Seattle, Los Angeles, and other cities.
•The author attributes the rise of left-wing extremism to backlash against Trump's extremism, creating a cycle where each side fuels the other.