WASHINGTON — A founding member of the Democratic Socialists of America, James Schaffner, formerly led a travel agency with direct links to the Communist Party USA, according to New York University records. The revelation surfaces as the DSA grows in influence on the American left.
Schaffner organized travel to the Soviet Union and other socialist countries through the agency. He also served on the Communist Party USA's National Committee until 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed.
Schaffner was among the DSA's founders when the organization was established in 1982.
The DSA has grown to become the largest socialist political organization in U.S. history. It reported more than 120,000 members as of July 2026, positioning itself as a force on the left wing of the political spectrum.
Another key founder, Michael Harrington, helped launch the DSA in 1982 with a stated goal of building a socialist movement capable of shifting the Democratic Party toward more expansive domestic and foreign policies.
Harrington rejected the brutality of Soviet and Chinese communism and insisted that democratic socialism demanded firm, public opposition to the Soviet Union — a position he maintained throughout his career.
That stance put him at odds with younger activists, including Tom Hayden, at the 1962 Port Huron conference. Harrington, then 34, pushed for a clear anti-Communist position, while Hayden and others adopted an anti-anti-Communist view.
Today's DSA includes factions that explicitly identify as communist, a departure from Harrington's insistence on distinguishing democratic socialism from Soviet models.
Schaffner's ties to a Soviet-linked party give critics ammunition to challenge the DSA's alliances within the Democratic Party and put pressure on Democratic candidates who have received DSA endorsements or share policy goals with the group.
