Ashik Siddique

Wikipedia

Ashik Siddique
National Co-Chair of the
Democratic Socialists of America
In office
August 2023  August 2027
Preceded byOffice established
National Political Committee of the
Democratic Socialists of America
In office
August 2021  August 2023
Personal details
Born1988 (age 3738)
PartyDemocratic Socialists of America

Ashik Siddique (/ɑːʃk sɪdik/ ah-SHEEK sih-DEEK, born 1988) is an American democratic socialist political activist. Siddique is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), where he was elected as national co-chair from 2023 to 2027[1] and National Political Committee member from 2021 to 2023.[2] Siddique works as a research analyst at the National Priorities Project of the Institute for Policy Studies.[3][4][5]

Election results

In 2018, Siddique ran for Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) district 4C03 in Washington, D.C.,[6][7] but lost to an incumbent.[8]

Siddique joined DSA in 2017.[5] At DSA's 2021 National Convention, Siddique was elected to the DSA National Political Committee (NPC).[2][9] After DSA's 2023 National Convention, Siddique and Megan Romer were elected as national co-chairs, a newly created position.[10][11] In 2025, Siddique and Romer were re-elected as co-chairs.[12][1][13]

Siddique is a member of DSA's Groundwork caucus,[1][14][13] an ecosocialist caucus that supports the democratic road to socialism.[14][15]

Political activity

In 2018, Siddique coined "doomscrolling".[4][16][2]

In 2019, Siddique argued that the national military budget should be cut substantially in favor of the National Priorities Project's "Poor People's Moral Budget", which would greatly increase social spending.[3][17]

In 2020, Siddique argued that DSA's Green New Deal hopes would falter without building "organized power to do anything about it", such as expanding labor unions.[2] In 2021, Siddique argued that DSA should focus on winning governing power.[18] In 2024, Siddique argued that DSA must identify where DSA's electoral project will succeed and build "five-year and longer-term program[s]" to win.[19]

In December 2023, Siddique joined a five-day hunger strike outside the White House calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, alongside DSA members including Zohran Mamdani, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, and Cynthia Nixon.[20][21] In March 2025, Siddique spoke at a protest for detained pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil outside Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse.[22] In April 2025, Siddique described the detention of pro-Palestinian activists and student protesters as an "alarming step in the direction of authoritarianism" in the United States.[23] In July 2025, Siddique and DSA rejected US representative Andy Ogles' call to denaturalize Mamdani as "xenophobia and Islamophobia".[24]

In August 2024, Siddique spoke at the March on the DNC.[25]

In July 2025, after Zohran Mamdani's win in the Democratic primary for Mayor of New York City, Siddique took the 9am-10am slot on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to speak about DSA and democratic socialism.[26] In November, Siddique argued that DSA's rapid growth and Mamdani's general election win proves the popularity of "democratic socialist ideas"[27] and "the hunger for a real alternative to the status quo",[28] which "the Democratic party has not really presented".[29] Siddique highlighted that Mamdani first entered politics in 2017 to canvass for a pro-Palestine New York City Council candidate.[30] In December 2025, Siddique criticized Mamdani's retention of Jessica Tisch as Police Commissioner.[31]

In October 2025, co-chairs Siddique and Romer visited Stockholm for a meeting with Die Linke of Germany and the Socialist Left Party of Norway. Siddique praised Claudia Sheinbaum's presidency and hoped to field a similarly successful DSA candidate in the 2028 presidential election.[32][33]

Personal life

Siddique grew up in Brooklyn, New York City, in a Bangladeshi Muslim family.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Böhnel, Max (August 16, 2025). "Mass socialist politics vs. the vanguard party". Portside. The day before, delegates had re-elected Megan Romer and Ashik Siddique as co-chairs. [....] Like SMC, Groundwork represents the more reformist wing of the DSA, but with a greater focus on ecosocialism. [....] Siddique, a member of the Groundwork caucus[.]
  2. 1 2 3 4 Featherstone, Liza (November 28, 2021). "The Road to Climate Action Might Run Through Labor Law Reform". Jacobin. Siddique, thirty-three, along with many other DSA activists, is instead seeking to turn the despair of the moment into action that could save the world. [....] "The biggest gap," says Siddique, a national organizer in DSA's Green New Deal Working Group and a newly elected member of the organization's National Political Committee, "is just the lack of organized power to do any of that."
  3. 1 2 Nelson, Chris (July 5, 2019). "Peace and Justice: Poor People's Moral Budget". National Priorities Project.
  4. 1 2 Zimmer, Ben (December 11, 2020). "'Doomscrolling': A Twitter habit is the new, high-tech way to slide into despair". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 9, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Ashik Siddique". Groundwork DSA. November 2023. Archived from the original on November 23, 2024.
  6. Cohen, Matt (October 24, 2018). "The DC Democratic Socialists of America Are Going Hyperlocal for the Upcoming General Election". Washington City Paper.
  7. Schneider, Drew (October 28, 2018). "Interviews with candidates for ANC 4C and 4D". Petworth News.
  8. Schneider, Drew (November 6, 2018). "Petworth ANC election results offers few surprises". Petworth News.
  9. "August Dispatch — Hit the ground running". Democratic Left. Democratic Socialists of America. August 12, 2021.
  10. Siddique, Ashik; Romer, Megan (January 5, 2024). "Winning In Hard Times – Building A Brighter Future In The New Year". Democratic Left. Democratic Socialists of America.
  11. Romer, Megan; Siddique, Ashik (August 6, 2025). "Co-Chairs Megan and Ashik Review Their Terms". Democratic Left. Democratic Socialists of America.
  12. Cheung, Kylie (August 17, 2025). "Democratic Socialists Think They're on a Winning Streak. Can They Build on Zohran Mamdani's Victory?". Rolling Stone. That's why, at this year's National Convention, DSA members voted to create full-time, paid positions for two political leadership positions – National Co-Chairs! Meet Ashik and Megan, your new National Co-Chairs, and hear how DSA committees, chapters, and campaigns had wins in hard times during 2023, and how we'll be organizing for a brighter future in 2024.
  13. 1 2 Chretien, Todd (2025-09-15). "Decision Time at DSA". Jacobin.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. 1 2 Sterne, Peter (January 1, 2026). "Get to know DSA's internal caucuses". City & State New York. NYC-DSA co-Chair Gustavo Gordillo is a Groundwork member, as is national DSA co-Chair Ashik Siddique.
  15. "A Bite-Sized Intro To DSA Factions". The Rose Garden. August 6, 2025. Ideology: Democratic road to socialism with eco-socialist flavor[.]
  16. Phelps, Addison (April 16, 2025). "Why students doomscroll". The Crimson White.
  17. Nelson, Chris (July 5, 2019). "July 5, 2019 Nel Adams, Vanessa Aragon; Women's Health; Ashik Siddique National Priorities Project; Keesha Hills, Haven of Hope on Wheels". KZFR Community Radio. Pacifica Foundation. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019.
  18. Edmund, Emma (February 16, 2020). "Organizers strategize for Green New Deal at YDSA conference". The Daily Northwestern.
  19. Datlof, Sam (November 13, 2024). "Democratic Socialists of America Needs a Unified Strategy". Jacobin.
  20. Jeong, Andrew (November 28, 2023). "Actress Cynthia Nixon joins hunger strike urging cease-fire in Gaza". The Washington Post.
  21. Siddique, Ashik. "Hunger Striking for a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza". National Priorities Project.
  22. "DSA cochair Ashik Siddique speaks at Mahmoud Khalil's court conference rally today, outside, the federal courthouse in NYC". Facebook. Democratic Socialists of America. March 12, 2025.
  23. Ghanem, Noureldein (April 5, 2025). "US protesters rally against Gaza genocide, students' arrests amid crackdown on pro-Palestine voices". TRT Global.
  24. Weigel, David (July 1, 2025). "Republicans test a new red line: Denaturalization". Semafor.
  25. Siddique, Ashik (August 19, 2024). Ashik Siddique at March on the DNC. C-SPAN.
  26. Geerges, Mimi (July 25, 2025). Washington Journal: Ashik Siddique on Democratic Socialists of America's Role in US Politics. C-SPAN.
  27. Yilek, Caitlin; Walsh, Joe (November 4, 2025). "Here's what Mamdani's NYC mayoral win, and the rise of a democratic socialist, could mean for Democrats nationwide". CBS News.
  28. McDonald-Gibson, Charlotte (June 29, 2025). "Mamdani's surprise win in New York spurs battle for soul of the Democrats". The Observer.
  29. McDonald, Maia (August 17, 2025). "Democratic socialists think they're on a winning streak – can they build on Zohran Mamdani's victory?". The Guardian.
  30. Dovere, Edward-Isaac (July 9, 2025). "Some of Mamdani's far-left allies want to primary Hakeem Jeffries and other NYC Democrats". CNN.
  31. Powell, Michael (January 1, 2026). "The Question-Mark Mayoralty / Zohran Mamdani's New York". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 1, 2026.
  32. Bjerg Sturm, Magnus (2025-10-28). "USA:s nästa president kanske blir en socialist". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 2026-02-09. Han sneglar på Mexikos socialistiska president Claudia Sheinbaum. Hon började som borgmästare i Mexiko City och nu leder hon landet.
  33. Ingemarsson, Laura (2025-10-27). "Zohran Mamdanis amerikanska socialister i Sverige". Dagens ETC. Retrieved 2026-02-09.