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Socialist Candidate Kshama Sawant Heading Towards Historic Seattle Victory

It has been several decades since a socialist candidate has won a citywide office race in the United States but that could all change soon as polls are showing Seattle City Council candidate Kshama Sawant with a 402 vote lead on Wednesday evening and no signs of the margin shrinkin

It has been several decades since a socialist candidate has won a citywide office race in the United States but that could all change soon as polls are showing Seattle City Council candidate Kshama Sawant with a 402 vote lead on Wednesday evening and no signs of the margin shrinking.

Sawant's victory over 16-year incumbent Richard Conlin would also make her the first openly socialist candidate to be elected to a city office in Seattle's history.

"This is new territory. There really isn't any precedent," said Stuart Elway, a longtime political pollster. "You think Seattle has a pretty liberal electorate, but you haven't seen someone who calls themselves a socialist win."

With roughly 20,000 votes left to count in the state's mail-in voting system, the Associated Press is reporting that it could be days or even weeks before the Nov. 4 election results can be officially declared.

However, things were looking good for Sawant Wednesday, a candidate who ran on a "Occupy Wall Street" inspired platform including proposals to tax the rich and raise Seattle's minimum wage to $15.

As APreports:

Sawant, 41, drew attention as part of local Occupy Wall Street protests that included taking over a downtown park and a junior college campus in late 2011. She then ran for legislative office in 2012, challenging the powerful speaker of the state House, a Democrat. She was easily defeated.

This year, she ran against Conlin, pushing a platform that appeared to resonate with the city. She backed efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15; called for rent control in the city where rental prices keep climbing; and supports a tax on millionaires to help fund a public transit system and other services.

"I think we have shown the strongest skeptics that the Socialist label is not a bad one for a grassroots campaign to succeed," said Sawant.

Sawant's current lead "is stunning considering that election-night returns gave Sawant 46.1 percent and only a faint glimmer of hope," reports the Seattle Times.

"The most important feeling here is not only confirming the trend toward our campaign," said Sawant, noting that the mail-in ballots now coming in are coming predominantly from poorer and younger voters, "but in reality, this is confirming our analysis that there is a deep hunger among people not just in Seattle but everywhere in the United States for a deep political change."

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minimum wageoccupy wall street

It has been several decades since a socialist candidate has won a citywide office race in the United States but that could all change soon as polls are showing Seattle City Council candidate Kshama Sawant with a 402 vote lead on Wednesday evening and no signs of the margin shrinking.

Sawant's victory over 16-year incumbent Richard Conlin would also make her the first openly socialist candidate to be elected to a city office in Seattle's history.

"This is new territory. There really isn't any precedent," said Stuart Elway, a longtime political pollster. "You think Seattle has a pretty liberal electorate, but you haven't seen someone who calls themselves a socialist win."

With roughly 20,000 votes left to count in the state's mail-in voting system, the Associated Press is reporting that it could be days or even weeks before the Nov. 4 election results can be officially declared.

However, things were looking good for Sawant Wednesday, a candidate who ran on a "Occupy Wall Street" inspired platform including proposals to tax the rich and raise Seattle's minimum wage to $15.

As APreports:

Sawant, 41, drew attention as part of local Occupy Wall Street protests that included taking over a downtown park and a junior college campus in late 2011. She then ran for legislative office in 2012, challenging the powerful speaker of the state House, a Democrat. She was easily defeated.

This year, she ran against Conlin, pushing a platform that appeared to resonate with the city. She backed efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15; called for rent control in the city where rental prices keep climbing; and supports a tax on millionaires to help fund a public transit system and other services.

"I think we have shown the strongest skeptics that the Socialist label is not a bad one for a grassroots campaign to succeed," said Sawant.

Sawant's current lead "is stunning considering that election-night returns gave Sawant 46.1 percent and only a faint glimmer of hope," reports the Seattle Times.

"The most important feeling here is not only confirming the trend toward our campaign," said Sawant, noting that the mail-in ballots now coming in are coming predominantly from poorer and younger voters, "but in reality, this is confirming our analysis that there is a deep hunger among people not just in Seattle but everywhere in the United States for a deep political change."

_____________________

It has been several decades since a socialist candidate has won a citywide office race in the United States but that could all change soon as polls are showing Seattle City Council candidate Kshama Sawant with a 402 vote lead on Wednesday evening and no signs of the margin shrinking.

Sawant's victory over 16-year incumbent Richard Conlin would also make her the first openly socialist candidate to be elected to a city office in Seattle's history.

"This is new territory. There really isn't any precedent," said Stuart Elway, a longtime political pollster. "You think Seattle has a pretty liberal electorate, but you haven't seen someone who calls themselves a socialist win."

With roughly 20,000 votes left to count in the state's mail-in voting system, the Associated Press is reporting that it could be days or even weeks before the Nov. 4 election results can be officially declared.

However, things were looking good for Sawant Wednesday, a candidate who ran on a "Occupy Wall Street" inspired platform including proposals to tax the rich and raise Seattle's minimum wage to $15.

As APreports:

Sawant, 41, drew attention as part of local Occupy Wall Street protests that included taking over a downtown park and a junior college campus in late 2011. She then ran for legislative office in 2012, challenging the powerful speaker of the state House, a Democrat. She was easily defeated.

This year, she ran against Conlin, pushing a platform that appeared to resonate with the city. She backed efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15; called for rent control in the city where rental prices keep climbing; and supports a tax on millionaires to help fund a public transit system and other services.

"I think we have shown the strongest skeptics that the Socialist label is not a bad one for a grassroots campaign to succeed," said Sawant.

Sawant's current lead "is stunning considering that election-night returns gave Sawant 46.1 percent and only a faint glimmer of hope," reports the Seattle Times.

"The most important feeling here is not only confirming the trend toward our campaign," said Sawant, noting that the mail-in ballots now coming in are coming predominantly from poorer and younger voters, "but in reality, this is confirming our analysis that there is a deep hunger among people not just in Seattle but everywhere in the United States for a deep political change."

_____________________

minimum wageoccupy wall street
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