Democratic Texas House candidate Yisak Worku is publicly affirming his affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America while pushing back against allegations that he attempted to conceal that affiliation from voters.
Worku is the Democratic nominee challenging state Rep. David Lowe (R-District 91) in the November 3 general election. The district covers part of Tarrant County.
The dispute follows a Texas Scorecard report that characterized Worku as acknowledging that he would not publicly identify as a democratic socialist while campaigning in a “deep red district.” The report centered on Worku’s response to a candidate questionnaire.
The questionnaire asked whether Worku would publicly identify as a democratic socialist in his campaign, including on his website or campaign literature. He answered: “No deep red district.”
Worku disputed that characterization in comments to The Dallas Express.
“Two things: I support people of all religions, and I denounce your xenophobia and racism,” Worku told DX.
“Second, I don’t hide that I am DSA. Period,” Worku continued.
Worku said the questionnaire asked: “Will you publicly identify as a democratic socialist in your campaign, including having it listed on your website and/or campaign literature?”
“And I won’t be changing or updating my website, my literature, my campaign messaging, or my platform,” Worku told DX.
“Again, in case you didn’t hear: I’m DSA, for those in the back. Have a good night,” he added.
Worku responds to Texas Scorecard
Worku also addressed the Texas Scorecard report publicly on Facebook, arguing that the publication had mischaracterized his response to the questionnaire.
“The Texas Scorecard dropped a piece today about me. Here’s the actual interaction,” Worku wrote.
Worku again said the question asked whether he would publicly identify as a democratic socialist through his campaign website or literature.
“I told them that I didn’t intend to change my messaging, policy, literature, or website,” Worku wrote. “I’m not hiding anything, just staying consistent. I’m DSA, period.”
Worku pointed to his previous public support for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) as evidence that he had not attempted to conceal his political affiliation.
“One of my opponents’ first attacks was my public support of Zohran Mamdani. Not really hiding, huh?” Worku wrote.
“As to my answer in the questionnaire, I believe that in red districts, consistency and integrity matter most to voters, and I wish the journalist had acted with a little more of that today,” he added.
Lowe: Worku admitted membership ‘after he was exposed’
Lowe maintains that Worku’s latest statements confirm the allegation that his opponent previously sought to keep the affiliation out of his public campaign.
“He now admits publicly that he’s a member of the Democratic Socialists Of America only after he was exposed for hiding it,” Lowe wrote on Facebook.
Lowe had previously accused Worku of attempting to conceal his political views.
“My opponent has been actively trying to hide who he really is and what he really stands for,” Lowe wrote, directing his followers to Worku’s candidate questionnaire.
Lowe says Worku acknowledged his membership publicly only after Texas Scorecard published its report. Worku says he was never hiding it and that declining to change his campaign materials does not amount to concealing his political affiliation.
DSA calls for cutting police budgets ‘towards zero’
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, DSA ties national endorsements to support for its political program. Worku also agreed in his questionnaire to adopt DSA’s national program.
DSA’s National Abolition Working Group calls for ultimately abolishing police, prisons and other institutions it describes as “carceral forces of the state.”
Among the demands published by the organization are calls to “defund the police” by opposing expansions of police budgets or enforcement authority while “cutting budgets annually towards zero.”
The organization also calls for ending the “criminalization of working-class survival,” “freedom for all incarcerated people,” demilitarizing police and ending what it calls “colonial policing of our cities and neighborhoods.”
Other demands include “freedom of working-class self-organization and democratic political action” and investing in “community self-governance and care, not cops.”
DSA argues that reducing the “size, power, and authority” of police and prisons would allow communities to develop alternatives to existing law enforcement and criminal justice institutions.
These demands appear on DSA’s separate abolition working-group page and do not, by themselves, establish that Worku personally supports every policy promoted there.
