Democratic Socialists of America defeat establishment Democrats in primary after primary this summer, forcing the party to confront whether DSA represents a reinvigorating insurgency or an existential threat. Charlie Homans traces DSA's roots to early 20th-century socialism, explains why the organization fractures over strategy despite electoral success, and examines whether a DSA presidential candidate could normalize socialist ideas or destroy Democratic viability. DSA's internal divisions over electoral politics versus grassroots organizing mirror century-old debates within American socialism, from Eugene Debs to Michael Harrington, that remain unresolved and threaten organizational coherence.