SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Andre Vasquez is among the candidates backed by the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America that won in aldermanic races in Tuesday's runoff election. (Photo: Andre Vasquez for the 40th Ward campaign)
Socialist Surge: DSA-Backed Candidates Nab Wins in Chicago Election
"Political observers and organizers should take these victories as a lesson"
Apr 03, 2019
The election of Chicago's first black female and openly gay mayor--Lori Lightfoot--grabbed national headlines, but it was not the only noteworthy outcome of the city's runoff election Tuesday.
Voters chose three--possibly four --democratic socialists to be part of the Chicago City Council, potentially raising the number of ideologically aligned left-wingers on the council to six.
Their victories, coupled with those of two other democratic socialists in the first round earlier this year, mark "the largest socialist electoral victory in modern American history," wrote author and Jacobin managing editor Micah Uetricht.
Community organizer Jeanette Taylor nabbed nearly 60 percent of the vote to win the seat in the 20th Ward. Another community organizer, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, secured 54 percent of the vote to take the 25th Ward's aldermanic seat. In the 40th Ward, progressive Andre Vasquez defeated a nine-term incumbent and Mayor Rahm Emanuel's floor leader, securing roughly 54 percent of the vote.
The city council could have another candidate with the backing of the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, activist Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, but the 33rd Ward race is still too close to call.
Those victories follow wins in the first round of elections in February by two other democratic socialists: Carlos Ramirez-Rosa in the 35th Ward and Daniel La Spata in the first.
The aldermen will serve four-year terms on the 50-seat council, which will now have at least 10 percent of its members Chicago Democratic Socialists of America.
"As democratic socialists, we're ready to build a Chicago for all of us, not just a wealthy few," said Lucie Macias, one of two Chicago DSA co-chairs, in a statement on Wednesday. "Our Chicago for All platform is based on three main planks: Housing for all, Sanctuary for all, and Education for all. We're excited to build a socialist caucus in city hall to carry out this agenda and fight for Chicago's working class."
All the Chicago DSA-backed candidates, Uetricht wrote at the Guardian, "ran as unabashed fighters against corporate greed and austerity and for the city's working class."
"Political observers and organizers should take these victories as a lesson," he said, and not just for what they say about voters in the City of Big Shoulders.
"Throughout the country, people are tired of low wages, skyrocketing housing costs, privatization of public goods, budget cuts, and corporate giveaways of public money. They have tried austerity and found it miserable."
"If Chicago's elections are any indication," he said, "maybe they're ready to try socialism."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The election of Chicago's first black female and openly gay mayor--Lori Lightfoot--grabbed national headlines, but it was not the only noteworthy outcome of the city's runoff election Tuesday.
Voters chose three--possibly four --democratic socialists to be part of the Chicago City Council, potentially raising the number of ideologically aligned left-wingers on the council to six.
Their victories, coupled with those of two other democratic socialists in the first round earlier this year, mark "the largest socialist electoral victory in modern American history," wrote author and Jacobin managing editor Micah Uetricht.
Community organizer Jeanette Taylor nabbed nearly 60 percent of the vote to win the seat in the 20th Ward. Another community organizer, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, secured 54 percent of the vote to take the 25th Ward's aldermanic seat. In the 40th Ward, progressive Andre Vasquez defeated a nine-term incumbent and Mayor Rahm Emanuel's floor leader, securing roughly 54 percent of the vote.
The city council could have another candidate with the backing of the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, activist Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, but the 33rd Ward race is still too close to call.
Those victories follow wins in the first round of elections in February by two other democratic socialists: Carlos Ramirez-Rosa in the 35th Ward and Daniel La Spata in the first.
The aldermen will serve four-year terms on the 50-seat council, which will now have at least 10 percent of its members Chicago Democratic Socialists of America.
"As democratic socialists, we're ready to build a Chicago for all of us, not just a wealthy few," said Lucie Macias, one of two Chicago DSA co-chairs, in a statement on Wednesday. "Our Chicago for All platform is based on three main planks: Housing for all, Sanctuary for all, and Education for all. We're excited to build a socialist caucus in city hall to carry out this agenda and fight for Chicago's working class."
All the Chicago DSA-backed candidates, Uetricht wrote at the Guardian, "ran as unabashed fighters against corporate greed and austerity and for the city's working class."
"Political observers and organizers should take these victories as a lesson," he said, and not just for what they say about voters in the City of Big Shoulders.
"Throughout the country, people are tired of low wages, skyrocketing housing costs, privatization of public goods, budget cuts, and corporate giveaways of public money. They have tried austerity and found it miserable."
"If Chicago's elections are any indication," he said, "maybe they're ready to try socialism."
The election of Chicago's first black female and openly gay mayor--Lori Lightfoot--grabbed national headlines, but it was not the only noteworthy outcome of the city's runoff election Tuesday.
Voters chose three--possibly four --democratic socialists to be part of the Chicago City Council, potentially raising the number of ideologically aligned left-wingers on the council to six.
Their victories, coupled with those of two other democratic socialists in the first round earlier this year, mark "the largest socialist electoral victory in modern American history," wrote author and Jacobin managing editor Micah Uetricht.
Community organizer Jeanette Taylor nabbed nearly 60 percent of the vote to win the seat in the 20th Ward. Another community organizer, Byron Sigcho-Lopez, secured 54 percent of the vote to take the 25th Ward's aldermanic seat. In the 40th Ward, progressive Andre Vasquez defeated a nine-term incumbent and Mayor Rahm Emanuel's floor leader, securing roughly 54 percent of the vote.
The city council could have another candidate with the backing of the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, activist Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, but the 33rd Ward race is still too close to call.
Those victories follow wins in the first round of elections in February by two other democratic socialists: Carlos Ramirez-Rosa in the 35th Ward and Daniel La Spata in the first.
The aldermen will serve four-year terms on the 50-seat council, which will now have at least 10 percent of its members Chicago Democratic Socialists of America.
"As democratic socialists, we're ready to build a Chicago for all of us, not just a wealthy few," said Lucie Macias, one of two Chicago DSA co-chairs, in a statement on Wednesday. "Our Chicago for All platform is based on three main planks: Housing for all, Sanctuary for all, and Education for all. We're excited to build a socialist caucus in city hall to carry out this agenda and fight for Chicago's working class."
All the Chicago DSA-backed candidates, Uetricht wrote at the Guardian, "ran as unabashed fighters against corporate greed and austerity and for the city's working class."
"Political observers and organizers should take these victories as a lesson," he said, and not just for what they say about voters in the City of Big Shoulders.
"Throughout the country, people are tired of low wages, skyrocketing housing costs, privatization of public goods, budget cuts, and corporate giveaways of public money. They have tried austerity and found it miserable."
"If Chicago's elections are any indication," he said, "maybe they're ready to try socialism."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.