SMC Socialist Swing State Canvassing! Profiles and Stories
In the fall of 2024, facing the prospect of Donald Trump being elected president once again and the national DSA leadership not taking a clear position or any action to prevent this, many DSA comrades, including many members of the Socialist Majority Caucus, self-organized to travel to swing states and canvass against the election of Trump and Republicans in Congress under the banner “Socialism Beats Fascism.” Here are eight stories from SMC members who participated.
Leslie Chang
How long have you been a DSA member and SMC member?
I've been a DSA member since March 2020 and SMC member since August 2023
What DSA chapter are you a member of?
Los Angeles DSA
Where did you travel to for your Socialism Beats Fascism canvassing? What organization(s) did you work with?
Arizona (UNITE HERE and Worker Power) , North Carolina (Carolina Federation)
Why did you decide to canvass in this way in this election?
I canvassed for Kamala Harris knowing that it was my responsibility as a socialist to stop Trump. Over a series of days, I volunteered alongside hundreds of Black and brown organizers, all of whom were united in their belief that a Harris administration would be better for working Americans than a Trump administration.
What was your favorite moment canvassing in a swing state?
Trying Bojangles for the first time.
Anything else you'd like to share?
To become a mass movement organization, DSA cannot be more focused on building a particular socialist identity than working to better material conditions for working people. Building a diverse and multiracial movement means dealing with the contradictions of contesting for power. Through mutual struggle, we can correctly identify the principal contradiction and organize through it, but it has to be a collective effort, and that means DSA must be confident in entering spaces that do not identify as socialist and rejecting red lines for the sake of moral purity.
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Jeremy Cohan
How long have you been a DSA member and SMC member?
DSA member since 2016; SMC member since 2022
What DSA chapter are you a member of?
New York City DSA
Where did you travel to for your Socialism Beats Fascism canvassing? What organization(s) did you work with?
Philadelphia, One PA & UAW
Why did you decide to canvass in this way in this election?
My basic analysis of the election was that Trump’s second term promised to be far worse than his first, given his consolidated control of the Republican Party, how far he had gone (e.g. sponsoring an attempted fascist coup on Jan 6) with no consequence, and the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment I saw in NYC and nationwide (Trump ran on a dystopian platform of the largest mass deportation in history and it seemed to make him only more popular). The left needed to defeat him. I had been hoping the left could play a leadership role in a popular front to defeat him — was hopeful about recruiting a left candidate to run in the Dem primary, involved in Uncommitted and the Arms Embargo campaigns to pressure the Dems — but since we largely lost that fight, I knew liberals could not be trusted to defeat Trump on their own (as Harris’ disastrous campaign proved). So I did what I could, to knock on doors to defeat the right, so our organization, movements, immigrant siblings, and unions could be under less dire circumstances. We’re socialists, we take action. I proudly wore my UAW shirt. I had a wide variety of conversations — and left unfortunately very worried Trump was en route to win.
What was your favorite moment canvassing in a swing state?
A tie between two things I think:
1) What I generally love about canvassing—getting to have conversations with ordinary working people about how things should and can change.
2) Seeing all the mail and actually getting to see the pitch the candidates were making to voters — it was helpful for my understanding! And further sharpened my hatred for the Electoral College — I live in the largest city in the country but due to our system I had not received a single piece, while Philadelphians were drowning in it.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I had some tough doors in Philly — with unexpected combinations of ideology like an elderly Black hardcore Christian Zionist, or a middle aged white woman assuring me how much she loved gay people but she was voting Trump. I had the feeling that things had moved rightward and that was tough. But I also left inspired by all my comrades ready to fight these anti-democratic forces, and offer a popular agenda that can bring working people together and win!
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Wamiq
How long have you been a DSA member and SMC member?
Joined DSA in 2018, joined SMC in 2019
What DSA chapter are you a member of?
Triangle DSA (North Carolina)
Where did you travel to for your Socialism Beats Fascism canvassing? What organization(s) did you work with?
Charlotte, NC. Carolina Federation led a group of orgs including SMC, North Star Socialist Organization (NOT the DSA Caucus), and Liberation Road for canvassing.
Why did you decide to canvass in this way in this election?
North Carolina was an important swing state for the presidential election, and there were also a number of working class champions on the ballot in NC, plus a critical state Supreme Court race that had major ramifications for the electoral future of the left in NC. DSA nationally and locally largely chose to sit on the sidelines and I just couldn't do that. As an electoral organizer, the state Supreme Court race was especially important for me - my dream is to build a squad of working class champions in the NC state leg, and that is incredibly difficult to do under the current maps, which are arguably the most heavily gerrymandered in the country. Drawing fairer maps requires a Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court. Socialists need to be laser focused on what we need to build power, and sometimes changing the conditions to allow us to build socialist power means going hard for candidates who aren't necessarily socialist. Our Socialism Beats Fascism coalition in NC understood that.
What was your favorite moment canvassing in a swing state?
Our coalition held a big get out the vote event during early voting in Charlotte - music, food, and a mass march to the polls together. In addition to the core coalition partners, we had several other organizations including unions and immigrant rights groups take part in the event. As the event got going, I took a step back and looked around. What I saw was a mass of hundreds of people, old people, young people, families, mostly Black and brown. I saw the multiracial working class, all singing and dancing and breaking bread and sharing both their struggles and their hopes, with both anger and joy. These are the kinds of crowds DSA aspires to draw to our events, and the kinds of vibes that we too often fail to cultivate. And then the whole crowd marched together to the polls, chanting union chants before casting their ballots. It was an inspiring demonstration of what you can achieve when you get off the sidelines and orient to mass politics.
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David Duhalde
How long have you been a DSA member and SMC member?
DSA since 2003 and SMC since 2019
What DSA chapter are you a member of?
New York City DSA
Where did you travel to for your Socialism Beats Fascism canvassing? What organization(s) did you work with?
Philadelphia with Seed the Vote
Why did you decide to canvass in this way in this election?
Socialists need to be at the forefront of defeating the right. I jumped at the opportunity to canvass in my favorite city in the US with other comrades. While the results weren't what we wanted, it was empowering to be with many others in labor, socialist orgs, and progressives coming together to defeat the far right.
What was your favorite moment canvassing in a swing state?
Dinner with SMC members from around the country. While I did get a cheesesteak, the Pho we had was the best meal both in terms of taste and company.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I want to thank everyone who donated to my Seed the Vote fundraiser! Seed the Vote provided free lodging for me and many others.
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James Cordero
How long have you been a DSA member and SMC member?
6 years DSA, 3 years SMC
What DSA chapter are you a member of?
Boston DSA
Where did you travel to for your Socialism Beats Fascism canvassing? What organization(s) did you work with?
Philly
Why did you decide to canvass in this way in this election?
To build a united front against fascism
What was your favorite moment canvassing in a swing state?
Bonding with other members of my union who went canvassing
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José La Luz
How long have you been a DSA member and SMC member?
I’m a founding member
What DSA chapter are you a member of?
New York City DSA
Where did you travel to for your Socialism Beats Fascism canvassing? What organization(s) did you work with?
In Arizona and Pennsylvania with AFL-CIO
Why did you decide to canvass in this way in this election?
To stem the rise of right wing ideology in working class communities of color
What was your favorite moment canvassing in a swing state?
Was able to confirm influence of MAGA among Latino males ( Mexican American in Arizona and Puerto Ricans and Dominican in Redding, Pennsylvania
Anything else you'd like to share?
We need to build the broadest alliance of Liberals and Progressives with the the Socialist and non Socialist Left to build an anti- fascist alliance
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Paul Zappia
The photo above is our DSA-LA delegation in Arizona with one of our council members, Hugo Soto-Martínez
How long have you been a DSA member and SMC member?
DSA: 5 years, SMC: 1.5 years
What DSA chapter are you a member of?
Los Angeles DSA
Where did you travel to for your Socialism Beats Fascism canvassing? What organization(s) did you work with?
Arizona (UNITE HERE Local 11)
Why did you decide to canvass in this way in this election?
I canvassed this way because I was convinced that we had to do everything in our power to stop a second Trump term.
What was your favorite moment canvassing in a swing state?
My favorite moment was my second day of canvassing, where I was able to get 4 people to vote with me, and tell me about why they cared so much about this election. Some were excited to see a woman elected president. Others were mortified at the possibility of Trump's deportation machine. All of them were so grateful to have someone show up at their door and listen to their concerns and aspirations. I think about these folks a lot.
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Russ Weiss-Irwin
How long have you been a DSA member and SMC member?
DSA member since 2014, SMC member since 2019
What DSA chapter are you a member of?
Boston DSA
Where did you travel to for your Socialism Beats Fascism canvassing? What organization(s) did you work with?
I traveled to Delaware County ("DelCo"), PA, with other members of my union, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, and we canvassed with the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
Why did you decide to canvass in this way in this election?
I felt both that I needed to do everything I could to prevent the election of a fascist president, and that I wanted to do it in a way that helped build the capacity of the labor movement to fight for the working class, no matter who won.
What was your favorite moment canvassing in a swing state?
I really appreciated being together with other people-- other union members from Massachusetts, other non-labor volunteers, DSA folks from other states and from PA-- and the feeling of camaraderie. The outcome has already been terrible, and worse will undoubtedly come, but being together with other people who were fighting back against it was a powerful experience.
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