Democratic socialist candidates are seeking upsets in Tuesday’s Florida primaries, running in a conservative-leaning state where socialism remains deeply unpopular, particularly among Latin American communities that fled socialist regimes.

Three underdog candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America are competing in House and Senate primaries on a platform that includes Medicare for All, rent stabilization, and abolishing ICE. Their campaigns have created tensions within the Democratic Party as they argue the party must move left to regain relevance in a state President Trump won by 13 points in 2024.

Oliver Larkin, a DSA-backed candidate challenging Rep. Jared Moskowitz in Florida’s 25th Congressional District, has been among the most visible. Supporters gathered at a recent “Chomp the Oligarchy” rally in Fort Lauderdale that featured U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and drew hundreds despite venue cancellations and backlash. Larkin has called for the DSA to fill what he describes as a leadership vacuum left by the party’s corporate wing.

Establishment Democrats and local leaders remain skeptical. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has dismissed the idea that Broward County Democrats are shifting toward the fringe left. Critics note that Florida’s large population of Cuban, Venezuelan, and other Latin American exiles views socialism as a lived failure rather than an abstract ideal, making the state difficult terrain compared with progressive strongholds elsewhere.

The primaries will test whether the left-wing momentum seen in other states can translate to Florida or remains limited by the state’s political culture and demographic realities.