On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, socialism has its day in America
Tuesday marked the centennial of the final push of the Russian Revolution, when the Bolsheviks seized Petrograd (Now St. Petersburg) and overthrew the more moderate Provisional Government in what was dubbed the October Revolution. (Russia had been using the Julian calendar which runs roughly two weeks behind the modern Gregorian calendar.)
It also marked the first time Americans across the country headed to the polls since the election of Donald Trump a year ago, and was widely interpreted as a broad rejection of the president.
In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy cruised to victory over the Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in the race to replace the term-limited and near-universally unpopular Gov. Chris Christie, an early Trump supporter. In Virginia, Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam thoroughly upended Republican Ed Gillespie in a contest which was expected to be much closer.
While welcomed on the broad Left, mainstream Democrats beating mainstream Republicans is not overly surprising, given the president’s unpopularity. But what’s notable about Tuesday’s elections — and will no doubt be aggressively ignored — was the slew of not just Democratic victories, but the overwhelming landslide of progressive victories.
In Boston, a race that Politico cited as one of the top contests to watch in 2017 saw Lydia Edwards, a progressive endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) win a city council election over the establishment pick Stephen Passacantilli. Expanding to the greater Boston area, all seven local candidates endorsed Our Revolution — Bernie Sanders’ spinoff organization — picked up wins in nearby Somerville, including four likewise endorsed by the DSA
In Pittsburgh, Anita Prizio and Mik Pappas, a pair of DSA-endorsed candidates for city council, were elected. Socialist Alternative candidate Ginger Jentzen was narrowly leading her bid for Minneapolis city council as of this writing.
At the state level, Virginians voted out Republican House Majority Whip Jackson Miller in favor of socialist-endorsed Democrat Lee Carter and Mainers opted to vote for the expansion of Medicaid against their governor’s will.
Said progressive journalist Zaid Jilani on Facebook, “Of course Dem establishment is on TV claiming this is all about Northam and his conservative politics. Ignoring socialist victories, ignoring progressive candidates running on health care, equality, and social justice. Last I checked, every statewide official in VA is a Democrat. Northam just maintained the status quo. Other people unseating incumbents are the ones doing the hard work, and winning.”
There were defeats too. Progressive insurgent Tito Jackson was dealt a landslide defeat to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh while Georgia state senator Vincent Fort fell short in his bid for mayor of Atlanta.
But as we stand a year removed from Donald Trump’s crushing victory and a year out from the next time all of America will take to the polls, it’s worth noting that, in a limited window of where the country’s moving electorally, the people have opted not just to repudiate the president, but also to push in a direction which questions how we ought to function as a society of human beings. Those questions have been asked before. They were asked 100 years ago in Russia, and at various moments in history all around the world. This Tuesday wasn’t a revolution, but when they went to the polls, Americans asked how a revolution might look.
Update: Here is a complete list of winning DSA-endorsed candidates:
Vanessa Agudelo (I) City Council, Peekskill NY
Scott Alberts (D) Treasurer, Upper Darby PA
Lee Carter (D) Virginia’s House of Delegates in District 50, VA
Charles Decker (D) Alder for District 9, New Haven CT
Ben Ewen-Campen (D) Board of Aldermen — Ward 2, Somerville MA
Kara Gloe (I) School Board, Moorhead MN
Ross Grooters(I) City Council, Pleasant Hill IA
Denise Joy (I) City Council Ward 3, Billings MT
Kristin LaLonde (I) City Commission, Mount Pleasant MI
Brian Nowak (D/WF) Town Council, Cheektowaga NY
Anita Prizio (D) County Council — District 3, Allegheny PA
Tristan Rader (D) City Council, Lakewood, Cuyahoga County OH
Carlina Rivera (D) City Council — District 2, New York City NY
JT Scott (I) Board of Aldermen — Ward 2, Somerville MA
Seema Singh Perez (I) City Council Third District, Knoxville TN
Update: Here is a complete list of winning Our Revolution-endorsed candidates:
- Jennifer Carroll Foy, Virginia House of Delegates, District 2
- Elizabeth Guzman, Virginia House of Delegates, District 31
- Lee Carter, Virginia House of Delegates, District 50
- Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney
- Andrea Jenkins, Minneapolis, Minn. City Council, Ward 8
- Carlos Menchaca, New York City Council, District 38
- Matt McLaughlin, Somerville, Mass. Ward 1
- J.T. Scott, Somerville, Mass. Ward 2 Alderman
- Ben Ewen Campen, Somerville, Mass. Ward 3 Alderman
- Jesse Clingan, Somerville, Mass. Ward 4 Alderman
- Will Mbah, Somerville, Mass. Alderman At-Large
- Jasmin Santana, Cleveland, Ohio City Council, Ward 14
- Tamaya Dennard, Cincinnati, Ohio City Council At-Large
- Tristan Radar, Lakewood, Ohio City Council At-Large
- Gina Morgenstein, Wallingford, Connecticut Town Council
- Ted Terry, Clarkston, Georgia Mayor
- Brian Nowak, Cheektowaga, New York Town Council
- Anita Prizio, Allegheny, Penn. County Council, District 3
- Mik Pappas, Allegheny County, Penn. Magistrate, District 31
- Anna Payne, Middletown, Penn. Township Auditor
- Noelia Corozo, San Mateo/Foster City, California School Board
- Mainers for Healthcare (ballot initiative expanding Medicaid access
