SMC for Zohran! Profiles and Stories

Written By SMC Comrades

Zohran won! As we bask in the glow of victory and get ready to campaign hard in the summer and fall, here are why a few of our members got involved in the campaign and how they helped.

Elizabeth Gonzalez

  • DSA member since 2021 SMC since 2024

  • We need a mayor who cares about all New Yorkers, not just himself or the wealthy or the real estate lobby.

  • Field Lead

  • Bringing my Dad to a canvass, practicing talking to people in Spanish with him. He’s 76 years old and he worked for the Teamsters for many years. He brought me with him to the Labor Day parade when I was a kid and it was my political awakening. I love that we are still fighting together for working people.

  • We are building a movement of people who believe a better world is possible. We don’t have to live under fascism or under a capitalist system that exploits and harms us. We can take back our power and do it with love and solidarity.

 

Christian Araos

  • DSA - 2017 and SMC since late 2024

  • Because the people of NYC deserve socialism

  • Volunteered doing canvasses, phonebanks, poll site viz

  • Poll site viz in Brooklyn and seeing NYers of all ages and backgrounds cheer us on. It convinced me that the idea of socialism being just for the well educated transplant was a lie.

  • I envision a DSA that is able to replicate NYC’s success nationwide and support NYC as it progresses into greater challenges in campaigning and governance.

 

David Turner

  • NYC-DSA for just under 7 years, SMC for under two years

  • The left must contest for political power. Last year, when I first heard about Zohran's race, as a city worker, I knew this was something for us to seriously consider. Regardless of the 2024 election, the chief political question in NYC would center around the mayoral race, and in retrospect NYC-DSA made a mistake sitting completely on the sidelines in 2021. Then as Zohran revealed his clear vision around affordability it felt like someone took the core strength of Bernie Sanders' two runs but jointed it with a political infrastructure that was far more robust than existed in the late 2010s.

  • Volunteer

  • Meeting city workers, who aren't just excited about Zohran but are interested in rebuilding the strength of the public sector inspires me beyond this single electoral campaign. Be it people who work at our libraries, parks, hospitals, and many other city agencies, it's made working for the city, a job I already held with deep meaning, even more powerful. The election is for more than just deciding our next boss but about reaching out to our peers reading to fight for a mayor we want, but also for a stronger working class city.

  • I envision this race being a moment for DSA nationally to think hard about the power of executive races that we run to win and what can motivate people when victory is within their grasps. Then locally, this campaign has stretched NYC-DSA in many ways and I'm excited to see what we can do with some of the news muscles we've gained throughout this campaign.

 

Cole Sandick

  • Just joined! A DSA member since December and an SMC member since March!

  • For the same reasons most of us are! He’s my ideological twin, a blazing force of DSA and SMC thought with a chance to strike the first of hopefully many major blows against the party establishment. We’re also from the same neighborhood, went to the same schools, etc, are only a decade apart in age. It’s like if I ran for office!

  • Super volunteer. I’m still relatively new to this world so I didn’t figure out how to try to become a field lead until it was too late and I already work for a city council campaign anyway.

  • Very tough to pick just one! The first perfect that pops into my head is meeting this old Latino couple who lived in a mysterious, hidden walk up in East Williamsburg. It was pouring rain and the man brought me up to his apartment and introduced me to his wife, who seemed ill. They didn’t know much English and I don’t know much Spanish but we communicated as best they can and seemed so excited to have me there. They read the Spanish lit and seemed to be over the moon about it. The most surreal and wonderful interactions are the ones you have with folks you never otherwise would’ve met.

  • Also very tough to answer! My stance has always been that I don’t want politics to be my whole life but I do want it in the front and center at this point. I want to be involved in DSA and SMC going forward.

 

Shawna Morlock

  • Joined DSA in 2018, I think (after AOC primary). SMC member since 2021 or 2022?

  • The left desperately needs to swing for the fences and to create opportunities to empower the working class wherever possible. Zohran’s campaign does this and is so full of joy, hope and enthusiasm! Being a part of it and helping to actualize what our years of organizing has been building towards is inspiring.

  • I have been a volunteer field lead on Wednesdays for the campaign since we started field, and been doing additional paid canvassing for the last month or so.

  • It’s not just one moment, but every volunteer shift when we ask “who here has never canvassed before” and seeing SO MANY hands shoot up is so inspiring! Swing how many new people are being brought in and encouraging them to join DSA after the shift is my favorite. 💜

  • I could see us taking this type of organizing and replicating all over the country. People are hungry to be part of a community and a movement- we can take the baton from the Bernie movement and run with it. I’d love to see a Democratic Socialist president one day.

 

Langston Prince

  • I've been a DSA member since 2021 and an SMC member for like 4 or 5 months.

  • I'm a socialist and his campaign has been beyond inspiring. I'm not from New York but I wanted to help.

  • I volunteered and knocked doors.

  • Meeting all of the wonderful volunteers and canvassers.

  • I want a DSA that's big, both in membership and in electeds, and is actively transforming people's lives for the better.

 

Dylan Halper

  • About a year now for each (technically June 26 for DSA and early July for SMC)

  • I'm campaigning for Zohran because I believe that New York City deserves a mayor who is actually going to represent them, rather than billionaire donors. Also, in a moment where Trump is leading the country on a path to authoritarianism and we have a Democratic party that refuses to do anything about, Zohran represents a new generation of leadership that will take the fight to Trump, stand up for working class people at home and listen to New Yorker's needs. I'm excited about the possibility of a rent freeze and feel that Zohran will deliver on his promises.

  • Field Lead

  • My favorite moment has been seeing canvassers my age or even younger than me! Last year, when canvassing for Eon Huntley or Claire Valdez, I often was the odd one out and the youngest at only 18. But, seeing how Zohran has activated so many young people, where there are field leads at least 3 years younger than me is insane and so exciting! At one of my canvasses, we had to do an under 21 debrief outside the meetup spot (which was a bar that carded at the door lol) which warmed my heart so much that there were enough of us to warrant that.

  • Zohran's campaign has shown how DSA can be a driving force in Democratic politics, leading the way while standing in coalition with other important partners on the left including both groups and elected officials. DSA should be able to take strong positions on issues that affect both NYC and the entire country that allow us to move the needle toward a better future while also not alienating our allies. DSA must focus on achieving real power, and actually winning rather than posturing. Zohran's campaign has shown how that is possible and I hope DSA continues these efforts into the future!

 

Karen N.

  • DSA 13 years, SMC 2 years

  • I work for Phara Souffrant Forrest in the Assembly and I’ve seen the difference it makes to have socialists win elected office with a movement behind them.

  • Volunteer, material hub and staging location captain

 

Daniel Atonna

  • DSA since 2020. SMC since 2023.

  • I’m campaigning for Zohran because we need to win elections, pass transformative legislation, and grow DSA in order to unite the working class and defeat fascism.

  • Travelled from Poughkeepsie to NYC to volunteer twice even though I’m also busy running for office as a DSA candidate :)

  • Brad Lander volunteer let us into his building, gave us water, and said he’s ranking Zohran #2.

  • 1 million DSA members.

 

William Prince

  • DSA since 2021, SMC since September 2024

  • Zohran is running the most important race in the nation right now. I'm not from New York, I'm a member of DSA LA, but I still saw how vital it was for socialists from across the country to go support Zohran.

  • Volunteer

  • Getting to meet some amazing comrades from NYC DSA!

  • One where DSA is able to contest for power at the local, state, and federal levels across the nation. One where DSA is vibrant and millions strong.

 

Genevieve Rand

  • 2018 dsa, 2023 smc

  • We have a duty to win.

  • Volunteer

  • At poll site vis on election day, a man came up to me to say he was in israel on October 7, and that Zohran wants to globalize the intifada and doesn’t care about Jewish people and that’s why he can’t support him, and things like that. He wasn’t a Brad voter. I gave my answers on it — I talked about universal human rights, and how as a trans person I take antisemitism really seriously because of how it consistently goes with transphobia. He wasn’t really hearing it. Then an older Jewish woman doing passionate poll vis for Brad came over and told him he needs to understand what intifada means, and that Zohran and Brad cross-endorsed because he will keep Jewish people safe. I don’t know if it convinced the guy, but he calmed down, and she and I spent the next hour telling people to rank both Brad and Zohran.

  • I believe we can run this city and this country

 

Noah Popp

  • DSA for 8 years, SMC for 1 year

  • I think NYC has the people, communities and resources to be a vibrant, welcoming and affordable community if we can overcome the political problems of inequality, austerity and learned helplessness and cynicism. Zohran clearly intends to solve all of these problems and is building the beginnings of a coalition that I believe can one day truly make NYC such an amazing city.

  • I’ve been a canvassing and petitioning volunteer and donor.

  • Definitely meeting multiple high school students from immigrant communities in southeast Queens who are co-leading Zohran canvasses. These are the future leaders we need to develop to recreate our city in a positive vision.

  • I think we need to continue to expand our outreach and coalitions to working class communities of color, including immigrants, either through recruiting members and/or in building coalitions with groups from those communities. I think the Zohran campaign has definitely furthered this goal but a lot more work is necessary.

 

Daniel

  • 8 years/6 years

  • His message of an affordable New York; it'd also be cool to have a mayor who's been in my apartment. Queens is the Future.

  • 1. Created Spanish for Zohran Canvassing Course 2. Ran the Reach Relational Organizing effort with over 10000 IDs 3. Jackson Heights Field Lead Jan-June

  • Really honestly all the first time canvassers. Been doing this for near a decade now & every year we get a few new people in the core group, but this is like 2018. 20 ppl, 30 ppl come to a canvass & I only know like 2-3 of them. Refreshing and rejuvenating.

    Also was very proud of how into the Spanish 4 Canvassing Course was. Its rare enough to get people just to volunteer for a campaign, we had folks trying to learn a second (or third) language to do it even better. The Thirst! The passion! Seeing folks get the Zohran pitch down in spanish regardless of their previous abilities was so inspiring. Seeing them see the candidate do it too with his amazing video was so fantastic. Its so important to respect people enough to do absolutely everything you can to effectively communicate to them that a better world is possible.

  • More awesome elections like this that transform the lives of those that get involved in them.

 

Tim Traversy

  • 1 year DSA, 4 months SMC

  • To win material changes in the lives of people I care about and build a mass movement of people who believe positive change is possible through organizing.

  • Field lead

  • Seeing first-time canvassers grow into reliable field leads and invaluable DSA members.

  • Make every DSA chapter capable of running 2-3 Zohrans a year against establishment Democrats that are historically weak

 

Jim Shelton

  • DSA since 2020; SMC since 2023

  • I believe a better city is within our reach, and we owe it to eachother to think big, fight, and win.

  • I launched a Flatbush test canvass in December 2024 and haven’t looked back.

  • Seeing people at their very first canvass nervous about the first doors, getting transformed by the experience, then quickly developing into empowered, confident, incredible campaign leaders in a matter of weeks. There are so many talented organizers out there who just need an opportunity and organizational infrastructure that allows them to thrive.

  • We will cohere and lead the left and build institutions that beat back the right and empower millions of working people to believe a better world is imminent and something worth fighting for today.

 

Rebecca Harshbarger

  • Joined DSA in 2018, SMC in 2024

  • I absolutely love fast, free buses and think it’s an amazing transportation policy!

  • Field lead for Alexa/Zohran, volunteer

  • Watching canvasses grow to unbelievable sizes and meet all these new leaders!

  • A member-led organization that continues to grow both in political sophistication, field operation, and community building!

 

Jorge DeFendini

  • 2020, 2023

  • His campaign has shown we can shape the political terrain around us through ruthless and persistent organizing, clever communications, and offering an inspiring and achievable alternative. A Better World is Possible, but only if we organize for it!

  • Volunteer (canvassed)

  • Knocking Doors with my comrades who were seasoned campaigners and at the very first canvass!

  • A leading figure in the resistance to American Fascism and a fighting force making cities affordable and stable for working people

 

Leslie Chang

  • 5 years in DSA, 2 years in SMC

  • We need more socialists in office! In our current constitutional crisis, DSA must lead with a clear, positive, and unapologetically political message for change in the United States. Zohran, like Bernie and AOC, is helping build the mass movement by speaking clearly about issues that matter to working class Americans, and doing so while being unapologetically himself: a Muslim American socialist in Trump's America. His campaign demonstrates the viability of defeating corporate Democrats while still being able to run on the Democratic party ballot line, and sets the stage for many such future campaigns. I was excited to be able to doorknock for Zohran (and Alexa Aviles!) and to bring these campaign lessons back home to Los Angeles, as we continue to build power locally and across the state.

  • Volunteer

  • Meeting New Yorkers on the street and hearing that they're planning on voting or have already done early voting

  • DSA needs to be a well-resourced, well-staffed organization that is capable of contesting for power in strategic races across the country. All chapters should understand how to develop and run campaigns, electoral or otherwise, and work closely with field organizers, other chapters, and coalition partners to address the political conjuncture. We should be a visible partner in the united front against fascism. And when we defeat the MAGA forces currently occupying the federal administration, we should be the leading voice moving the majority towards socialism.

 

LET’S GO NEW YORK, WE HAVE A WORLD TO WIN!

SMC Comrades
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Winning as a Socialist on the Democratic Line