A Boomer Dad and Gen-Z Son Talk Democratic Socialism

Written By Fran Quigley

This piece originally appeared on Fran Quigley’s Substack We Can Do Better: Ending Poverty in Our Time on September 18, 2026.

Image from Library of Congress

Democratic socialism is having a moment in U.S. politics.

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) membership is at record levels. DSA- aligned candidates like Zohran Mamdani in New York, Katie Wilson in Seattle, Abdul El-Sayed el-say-ed in Michigan, etc. are building on the success of office holders like Bernie Sanders and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. There will likely be a growing number of socialist members of Congress next year.

At the same time, the pushback is fierce. President Trump says democratic socialists pose a bigger threat to the U.S. than world wars or September 11th.


A lot of Baby Boomers share Trump’s suspicions. Yet the Gen-Z generation holds majority-favorable views of socialism.

So, in this episode, our Boomer host and Gen-Z producer answer each other’s questions about how we and our generational peers see this movement of democratic socialism in the U.S., and the prospects for continued democratic socialist success.

You can listen to and/or watch this episode and our past shows at our podcast channels on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Thank you for reading and listening!

Fran Quigley

Fran Quigley directs the Health and Human Rights Clinic at Indiana University McKinney School of Law. Fran’s also launched a newsletter on housing as a human right, https://housingisahumanright.substack.com/ and is a GIMA board member.

Next

A Minister and a Rabbi Walk Into a Podcast . . .