I have no memory of there being such youth engagement in the 2010s or 2000s, except perhaps under Obama. (Disclosure: Barkan sits on New York Focus advisory board.). So-called de-escalation units were supposed to help people cool off after violent encounters. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images) The slate enabled fundraising strategies beyond the reach of individual campaigns. After joining DSA in August 2018 to get more politically involved, her involvement with the group intensified. The members of the branch (or branches) where the candidates district is located will vote whether to recommend the candidate for endorsement. Brisport won an open seat, while Souffrant Forrest and Mitaynes ousted long-time incumbents. Despite their qualms, both Graubard and Cumbo recognize NYC-DSA as a force whose power is likely to grow. NYC DSA co-chair Sumathy Kumar explained that the group chooses to devote its resources to a sort of scorched earth ground game approach for its chosen candidates, rather than spreading its resources more thinly in an effort to win more seats. Mausser became campaign manager for Boris Santos DSA-endorsed campaign for State Assembly in September 2019. performance. THE NATIONAL POLITICAL COMMITTEE DSA's primary political leadership is the National Political Committee (NPC), a sixteen-person body which functions as the board of directors of DSA and is elected every two years by the delegates to DSA's National Convention. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. Hollingsworth, Avils, and West are all first-time candidates who joined DSA in recent years after working in organizing. will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. But in the 2021 City Council races, there are multiple districts in which more than one strong candidateincluding, in some cases, more than one DSA memberis applying for DSAs endorsement. Among the candidates cozying up to the DSA are Brooklyn Councilmembers Jumaane D. Williams and Rafael Espinal, Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell of Manhattan's West Side and liberal activist and DSA member Nomiki Konst. Running for office in Brooklyn? determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and Over $60,000 of DSA-FTMs fundraising total came from a virtual variety show hosted by actor Cynthia Nixon, for example, featuring appearances by the candidates as well as drag performances, music, and comedy. But coming barely a fortnight before the election, this did not allow time for major volunteer mobilization. We aim to make government more transparent by publishing in-depth journalism that explains how the state really works. Im a Nepali-American climate organizer and a lifelong advocate for the working class. Nationwide, DSA has about 85,000 members, up from just 6,000 in 2015. In mid-September, the group announced its endorsements in four races: Boris Santos, running to unseat Assemblyman Erik Dilan in Assembly District 54 (Bushwick); Pharah Souffrant Forrest in her challenge to Assemblyman Walter Mosley in AD 57 . On July 22, after three nail-biting days of absentee ballot counting at Queens Borough Hall, Zohran Mamdani and his supporters breathed a collective sigh of relief. Brooklyn's St. Patrick's Day Parade - the 48th - will be this Sunday, March 19. I think those two forces coming together is really potent and visible, in Brooklyn and Queens and other parts of the city.. With 36 of 51 Council members barred by term limits from seeking reelection, the 2021 city elections will substantially change the makeup of the citys legislature and the DSA hopes to capitalize on the shift to enact priorities like defunding the Police Department and investing more in the social safety net. Comptroller Brad Lander is scrutinizing the climate impacts of private equity investments an area his counterpart in Albany has yet to address. My name is David Alexis. DSA has chosen to support candidates in three races in Brooklyn this election cycle Michael Hollingsworth, running to replace Laurie Cumbo in Council District 35; Alexa Avils, running to replace Carlos Menchaca in CD38; and Brandon West, running to replace Brad Lander in CD39. DSA-FTM still has about $30,000 in the bank. Richard Ahne J.D. Sign up for our free newsletter, and we'll make sure you never miss a beat. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of your data under the CCPA. With increased response from candidates interested in our endorsement, we are navigating different challenges with City Council endorsements that we didnt have to with state [endorsements], Ballester said. That includes 4,300 members in Brooklyn. Were running a people-powered campaign for immigrants and all working New Yorkers. Regardless of what happens with the budget tomorrow, our fight to #TaxTheRich and secure a better life for NYs working class will continue. We work really, really hard to get our candidates elected. NYC-DSA didnt have to contend with this situation in 2020. Were really excited to be aligning with a Black socialist organization, Operation POWER, NYC-DSA Co-chair Sumathy Kumar, told City & State. Our endorsement process is thorough and democratic, and includes several rounds of meetings, an in-depth questionnaire, candidate forums, and votes by multiple membership bodies across NYC-DSA. As a member-led and member-funded organization, our capacity is limited and we receive many inquiries about endorsement. The presence of two candidates who shared DSAs vision in this case limited LHV-DSAs ability to exert sway on one of the most hotly contested primaries of the 2020 cycle. When we endorse someone, it means were going all-in on their race. DSA, founded in 1982 with the merger of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee and the New American Movement, isnt a political party, but also isnt exactly an advocacy organization either, falling somewhere in the middle. Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies, Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to Nine candidates are looking to replace Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo in District 35, where DSA threw their weight behind Hollingsworth, a tenant activist who has been vocally opposed to development rezonings. Endorsements Organizations: NYC DSA. Gov. The four candidates newly elected this cycle, for example, were all active DSA members before their campaigns. The support is also notable since Alleyne is not a DSA member himself like most, if not all, of candidates that DSA has endorsed in the past few election cycles. These cookies collect information for analytics and to Howard Graubard, a longtime commentator on New York City politics, likewise questioned whether New Yorks democratic socialists actually represent the working-class constituencies they claim to. My journey as an organizer started with @nycdsa, my political home. He says that housing issues are his primary focus as a candidate, calling for a comprehensive citywide plan crafted by local communities, and for an end to neighborhood rezonings long thought to spur gentrification. My boyfriend, who joined DSA before me, would look at that and say, Ill go to one of those with you.. That includes decommodifying housing, ending private control of utilities, and democratizing land-use policy. Julia Salazar (@JuliaCarmel_) January 26, 2020. Excited to work together and build power through radical politics for East New York , Keron Alleyne (@Keron Alleyne) March 23, 2022. intended if you do so. content and messages you see on other websites you visit. She attributed this excitement to the candidates deep roots and political activism in their neighborhoods. Andrea Stewart-Cousins wants to ax the Commission on Judicial Nomination, A (not so) brief guide to New Yorks bail reform evolution, What you need to know about NYC retirees health care fight, Following the asylum-seeker odyssey: a timeline. For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link. Endorsements - NYC-DSA -- NYC Democratic Socialists 2022 Endorsements Apply for 2023 Endorsement Re-endorsed on September 25th, 2021 Zohran Mamdani My name is Zohran Kwame Mamdani. The right thing to be worried about when you send fantastic leftists to the state legislatures is not that theyll betray you, Kinnucan said, but that theyll be isolated and prevented from doing useful work and will end up making compromises that you disagree with.. A Homes Guarantee In eastern Queens, DSA ran a strong campaign for an open city council seat, nearly electing a young South Asian organizer named Jaslin Kaur. Most everyone knows the governor, though fewer know Dilan, first elected to the legislature from Brooklyn in 2002. Opinion: I ran for Manhattan DA against Alvin Bragg. Lets get it done: pic.twitter.com/HJRwObFFTX, Brandon West for NY City Council (@brandonwestnyc) March 31, 2021. The process begins with a small group meeting between our Candidate Recruitment Team and the candidate.The candidate will be asked to complete a detailed endorsement questionnaire. Hi everyone, my name is Sarahana. Im running for the Assembly to make sure nurses have a seat at the table in Albany. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal Please contact us no later than October 15th. Donate to our slate of socialists running for office! After a slew of upset victories in the June primaries, the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is setting their sights on the 2021 City Council races, where theyve so far endorsed six upstart candidates including three would-be Brooklyn legislators. Their backgrounds are similar to their districts constituencies: Mitaynes immigrated from Peru as a child, and Souffrant and Brisport are of Afro-Caribbean descent. Yes, I want to receive occasional updates from partners. They Whether DSA has staying power, and whether its electoral strategy will continue to succeed, remains to be seen. Soren Stevenson for Minneapolis City Council Ward 8. For a while there, we really felt like we had bitten off more than we could chew, All told, the process is crazy and democratic and long, said Leanna Ballester, an electoral organizer with Brooklyn DSA. NYC-DSA voted to finalize the endorsement of Alleyne this past weekend. February 18, 2021 12:00 PM. Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. In Brooklyn, the DSA candidates are running to represent Council District 35 [Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights], District 38 [Sunset Park, Red Hook, Windsor Terrace] and District 39 [Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Windsor Terrace, Kensington]. DSA-LA 2022 | Powered by WordPress | Theme Fusion My work in DSA is a framing around what I think needs to be done, which is an alternative to capitalism and systems that bring power to working-class people, said Brandon West, who is running for City Council in District 39 with DSAs support. You may opt out of our use of such We view electioneering and especially our canvassing operations as an opportunity to build popular support for our policy goals and our movement. Join the NYC-DSA Brooklyn Electoral Working Group for our 2021 City Council endorsement discussion and recommendation vote! The groups number one policy priority at the city level is to defund the police by $3 billion, which they say would dovetail into increased funding for social services that have been on the chopping block throughout the pandemic. to take that as a valid request to opt-out. The endorsement process is as convoluted as it is democratic. Keith Brown makes $142,000 representing his Long Island district and about half a million representing corporate real estate interests. I wallowed in self-pity for a few weeks after Boris dropped out, Mausser said, But two weeks into hanging around the apartment, after I had watched both Sex and the City movies and all three Bridget Jones diaries movies, I knew that was a low point and I had to get back in. Mausser started volunteering with Brisport, and was quickly hired as deputy campaign manager. Brooklyn deserves better than politicians funded by corporations and policies that put the needs of the ultra-wealthy over the rest of us. can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking Wests (CD39) district somewhat overlaps with Brisports (SD25), but the Park Slope section, where the district is centered, is largely new territory for the group. When I clocked out of my day job, I started working on the campaign, and often worked until I was ready to go to sleep, Zimmerman said. On Oct. 1, we'll be holding the final discussion and vote on which candidate(s) the Brooklyn Electoral Working Group should recommend . Nonetheless, the group does have a large number of policy priorities that can be acted upon at the city level, on topics like housing, education, and criminal justice, and its candidates are expected to both embrace DSA positions and actively work to implement them. Thank you so much for believing in me, against all the odds. After both candidates won, DSA scaled up its mobilization in 2020, endorsing six candidates for state legislature and two congressional candidates. Its a sought after endorsement, since all five state legislative candidates backed by DSA won in 2020. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our The endorsement process then moves to NYC-DSAs geographic branches. You They all have deep ties to their communities and an absolute commitment to fighting alongside working New Yorkers for a democratic socialist agenda, including defunding the NYPD and funding the social infrastructure we actually need education, healthcare, and housing.. to learn more. Nearly a year and a half after they were supposed to fix their system, jail officials still don't know how long theyre keeping people in notorious intake pens. Howd Eric Adams do in the state budget? DSA member Jabari Brisport's city council campaign focused on a crucial affordable housing fight in rapidly gentrifying Crown Heights, Brooklyn. They also raised funds from more than 7,000 individual donors, breaking the New York State record for most donors to a state-level campaign. Avils, a 20-year resident of Sunset Park, has worked in various roles in the nonprofit sphere. We had groups of fifteen, twenty, coming out to our weekly canvasses in January, March, to knock doors in the freezing cold, he said. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and choices) and/or to monitor site performance. I am deeply concerned about the future of Brooklyn and this new movement to utilize Black candidates as a trojan horse, Laurie Cumbo, majority leader of the City Council, wrote in a Facebook post obliquely referring to DSA following the election results. Meetings are usually in Bay Ridge or Sunset Park. It endorsed two candidates for City Council, both of whom were soundly defeated by candidates backed by local party machines. City endorsements. Frequently Asked Questions about DSA-LA Endorsements. Find your rep in our database. So Alleyne and the DSA may be excited about the coalition building, but supporters know they have a tough primary ahead. Please understand that we cannot invite all candidates to speak in front of our membership. 2023 Endorsements. Byron Sigcho-Lopez for Chicago Board of Aldermen, Ward 25. Average rents in Brooklyn have risen substantially over the last decade, from $2,322 in 2011 to a peak of $2,948 in March of 2020, at the dawn of the pandemic. Now we have a completely different infrastructure, were running a grassroots campaign and were only accountable to the people who put us in office.. New York Citys matching funds program, in which every small donation is matched eight-to-one with public funds, means that the money is less necessary for City Council races. And I think that pairs very well with working-class people of color who live in these areas who have long been left behind by our economic system, through racist and classist policies. But people dont know how to do it. Phara Souffrant Forrest, likewise defeated Walter Mosley in Crown Heights 57th Assembly District. The endorsement processes were pretty undramatic because everyone was so excited about Jabari, Phara, and Marcela, Ballester said. People are only going to vote for things that they support and want, West said. We're powered by small donors like you because we believe that's who our electeds should be accountable to. Politics & Crime Major expenditures were subject to a vote of a six-person board whose members were appointed by each branch of NYC-DSA. In the highly-contested Democratic primary for New York's 16th Congressional district, both Jamaal Bowman and Andom Ghebreghiorgis sought the endorsement of Lower Hudson Valley DSA (LHV-DSA) in their efforts to oust incumbent Eliot Engel. Now that DSA has won a handful of seats, one major concern ahead is accountability. Im announcing my run for State Assembly District 65. Lucas, a former management consultant and frequent political opponent of the Barrons, is expected to once again have the backing of much of the Democratic establishment, including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Attorney General Letitia James and even the state Democratic party. Its an opportunity to build something like the Rainbow Coalition back again, she said, referring to the alignment of various race-based socialist organizations in Chicago in 1969. New York City Council member Carlos Menchaca and Sumathy Kumar of the Democratic Socialists of America. and analytics partners. Thatll be a rematch against Assembly Member Nikki Lucas, who was just elected in a February special election where she handily defeated Alleyne 80% to 18%. In addition to its presence in Albany, there are also two members representing the city in Congress: Ocasio-Cortez, representing Queens and the Bronx, and Jamaal Bowman, representing the Bronx and Westchester. Elected position and district seat you are seeking, Where youre at in the process of developing your candidacy (e.g., considering running, actively seeking endorsement, etc. But the Democratic party machine, they can put up Donald Duck against you and beat you if they get their stuff together., NEXT STORY: I agree to the use of my personal data by Government Executive Media Group and its partners to serve me targeted ads. Working in eviction prevention makes you angry enough during the day that at night you have the energy to fight back., Volunteers often end up being hired on to paid roles. Finally, NYC-DSAs Citywide Leadership Committee (CLC), will consider the recommendations from the Electoral Working Group and the relevant branches, and will vote whether NYC-DSA will endorse the candidate. Inside the NYC Democratic Socialists of America's Electoral Powerhouse. An NYC-DSA endorsement is not simply another logo to add to a candidates direct mail. Santos suspended his campaign in February 2020. In a first, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed the entire 13-member "For the Many" New York City Democratic Socialists of America slate of candidates for New York state senate and assembly. Brooklyn's celebratory parade will be this Sunday at 12:30 pm, starting by the Bartel-Pritchard square (Park Slope/Windsor Terrace). In order to really address that, its crucial that we put a serious citywide equity framework in place that sets requirements for social housing at each community level, and secure the resources needed to implement it in a way thats just, Hiller said in an email. Brian Cunningham wins Assembly special election in Brooklyn. He is a relatively late addition to the DSA slate of six new state legislative candidates and six incumbents. We need to fund excluded workers, cancel rent, and provide our people real relief. Hes been involved in legal and advocacy efforts to halt controversial developments like the Bedford Union Armory, 960 Franklin Avenue, and a city effort to rezone part of Franklin Avenue. "Samy has been a tireless advocate for social, racial, and economic justice in our communities here in North Brooklyn who intimately knows the struggles our people face every day. While that in itself might not sound remarkable, as no politician would say they dont intend to keep their promises, the DSA slate says that their affiliation with the organization helps keep them accountable to those who vote for them. Theres a huge desire in this political moment to be able to do useful work, said Kinnucan. Cuomo should be afraid, and so should State Sen. Martin Dilan. Marcela Mitaynes (@marcelaforny) September 29, 2019. De Blasio ran his campaign, running after Bloomberg, picking up those talking points and doing nothing. Get the must-read daily newsletter covering New York's nonprofit community. Im a housing counselor, an Indian-Ugandan New Yorker, and the Democratic Nominee for the 36th Assembly District. But now, they want people who will stand for their values & principles & be held accountable by the people. Being able to identify those people and give them the opportunity to do something that is meaningful and useful in advancing a political project is an incredible thing to do.. We want to collaborate with electeds to push our policy agenda, thats how we ultimately think well create a better state and city for working-class New Yorkers.. The candidates say they have every intention of keeping their word on what they campaign on. browser. sites. tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. The Brooklyn machine backed Crystal Hudson, a former staffer for the incumbent Laurie Cumbo, who spent eight years in office selling off the district to luxury developers. You will still Just north of the city, one DSA chapter has experienced this issue firsthand. People are out there articulating what we stand for, and thats resonating with people., You can talk about big words you learned in college, but if you literally explain to people, should housing be available to people regardless [of affordability], yes or no. New York Focus is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom covering state and local politics in the Empire State. Learn More. Should we be over-policing, West said. By the end I was texting them every day, just like, hang in there, and were still texting every day now., Brisport, who unsuccessfully ran for City Council in 2017, says he likely wouldnt have run in 2020 without the slate.Running for office is a really lonely, scary thing. But months after their implementation, Rikers staff still use the old brutal methods. Brisports deputy campaign manager Grace Mausser had been a longtime volunteer with DSA before being hired as full time staff. Running for office in Manhattan or The Bronx? For the past two months we've been studying congressional and state legislature districts and hearing from candidates seeking NYC-DSA's endorsement. DSA membership nationwide has exploded since 2016, with the number of dues-paying members growing from 8,000 then to approximately 70,000 today, around 7,000 of whom live in New York. Together, we aim to transform New York into a place where working people have the power in our democracy to ensure that everyone can live a dignified life. Despite running on the DSA slate, they say that they are faithful not to the organization necessarily, but to the ideas that power it. Members of Metro DC DSA voted overwhelmingly to endorse Gabriel Acevero for re-election to the Maryland House of Delegates, District 39; Zachary Parker for DC Council, Ward 5; and Max Socol for Maryland State Senate, District 18. Ballester says the length and arduousness of the endorsement process ensures volunteers are committed. Volunteers designed our mail and ran huge parts of our organizing. Volunteers also planned canvass launches, scheduled phone banking shifts, designed the campaigns web and print materials, translated campaign literature into Spanish, and even produced video ads.