Yeah, I know, 

gas has gone up lately. 

Well, I can't afford to 

not go to school because 

I need the loans. 

I know you need the loans too. 

I know, three bankruptcies. 

That must be hard. 

You won't talk to the union rep. 

No, yeah, I'm sure he's incompetent. 

So you quit? 

And your car got repossessed? 

And you need mine? 

And your wife's parents got deported, so they can't help either? 

Yeah, I know. 

Well, you know if you...

Have you eaten? No? 

We can stop at McDonalds. 

No, I know I said we're boycotting them

but I'm too tired to think of

anything else. 

I'm okay. 

Yeah, you're right, if we had communism in America, we wouldn't have Subway anymore. 

Yeah, I see the stuff in Iran. 

Yeah, he's doing okay. Medical care is just expensive. 

You paid for your wife's out of pocket and now you can't afford groceries and she won't get on government sponsored care because she's not sick enough, even though everything is chronic? 

Yeah, I know.

I know. 

I love you too.

The Colorado Democratic Party caucus and assembly process just wrapped, culminating in the state assembly on Saturday, March 28th in Pueblo. Thank you to the hundred-plus comrades who participated. Your presence made a palpable difference.

We learned in Pueblo that Democrats are hungry for material change. Some of the loudest cheers from delegates came when candidates named wealth discrepancies and the purchase that the billionaire class has on Colorado politics. Concrete demands landed with far more force than the vague platitudes so common in stump speeches.

That energy translated into results. DDSA-endorsed Melat Kiros beat Diana DeGette 158-77, nearly locking the fifteen-term incumbent out of the primary ballot entirely. Julie Gonzales won roughly 75% of delegates, not only securing ballot access but preventing Karen Breslin from clearing the 30% threshold. David Seligman closed the gap to within a percentage point of Jena Griswold for Attorney General. Amanda Gonzalez beat out Jessie Danielson for Secretary of State by a nearly two-to-one margin.

It is notable that establishment figures of the Colorado Democratic Party, Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, were absent from the assembly. They chose to bypass the democratic process rather than face a base that has moved well past them. That choice concedes that the progressive and socialist base now sets the terms of engagement, and it may cost them more in credibility than an expensive signature-gathering campaign ever could.

The platform told the same story. DSA members had fought to defend progressive language against establishment attempts to water it down in the lead-up to the assembly. When that language came before delegates on Saturday, they reinstated it by an overwhelming margin. The platform now includes opposition to the genocide of Palestinians, support for their right to statehood, a call to cut off aid to Israel, and support for 340B drug pricing. The Abolish ICE minority report won 92.4% support. While the platform is both imperfect and non-binding, it represents a clear demand by Democrats to move away from establishment politics, and a real opportunity for DDSA to capitalize on.

Despite these wins, there were hard lessons. In the state treasurer race, two progressive candidates, Brianna Titone and John Mikos, both ran on a public bank of Colorado as part of their platform. They split the vote, each missing the 30% threshold. This allowed Opportunity Caucus-adjacent Jeff Bridges to easily make the ballot and run unopposed in the primary. Mobilizing just fourteen more delegates could have swung that race. When aligned campaigns falter like this, we should study them as organizing blueprints and as the clearest argument yet for Ranked Choice Voting in the caucus and assembly process.

Electoralism is simultaneously a point-in-time checkpoint where we get to see what people are responding to and an opportunity to build a movement that extends beyond any one campaign. This cycle's wins show that progressives are ascending, and we socialists are the clarion call for that work. We should not turn away from the hard work of electoral campaigns and the piecemeal gains that come with it. Nor should we let our vision of a mass movement prepared for a true rupture atrophy. Instead, we double down and use these results to organize harder between elections so that our skills and influence grow while others wait for the next cult of personality to seize them.

This is not the end but the beginning. Now that ballot access has been secured for Melat, the work is just starting. Will you join us in ensuring she wins the June 30th primary and is the Democratic nominee for CO-1? Will you help us build lasting power across the metro area to advance socialist values? There are many ways to get plugged in: join our electoral meetings or the electoral Slack channel to learn more.

how many weapons of mass destruction will our country find –

searching in the burned-out craters where once stood a family’s home

symbols of resistance cooked into the flesh of civilians.

or are they victims or human shields or casualties or puppets of the regime or terrorists?

draw a peace sign on our hellcats so they know it comes with good intentions,

pray they sought the white Christian religion out before meeting an unavoidable death.

we were just following orders from America’s rich and powerful–

please don’t take it personally.

how many war crimes will our country commit

so the girls we killed can go to school,

the people elect a president, one of America’s choosing, 

give their oil rights to the rich?

& how many Iraqis will be denied a funeral–

no bodies for their family to find.

less than a hundred is an accident, more than a million is a statistic

if you’re brown – labelled collateral. 

how many Americans will be sent home in coffins?

their parents bury their kin, 

draped in the flag that sent them to die.

politicians crocodile teary-eyed speeches, lay medals drenched in blood.

called a hero, a martyr, or a symbol of a cause– 

ask not what your country won’t do for you

but what you’ll give for them.

how much of your humanity are you willing to sacrifice 

for a government that doesn’t love you back

“You can just do stuff, you know?” I’m told by Gillian Pasley, one of the organizers of the upcoming Blucifer’s First Rodeo, an artist-run music festival set to take over South Broadway this July 23rd-26th.

“It started with group texts and telling jokes and kind of spiraled into this really big thing.”

This post-ironic approach to making social change seems to be everywhere right now. It perfectly fits our strange moment in time: so much that we once sought feels just out-of-reach and yet so much possibility hangs densely in the air. It’s at once cynical and liberatory; belief in an expert-class whose gatekeeping was a rational expression of their abilities is gone, wholly replaced by a kind of faithless hope that we must – and ultimately can - get it done ourselves.

Gillian and her fellow organizers didn’t set out to start a new music festival, but when the opportunity appeared, they’d already started to lay the groundwork. “It goes back for a long time and being a part of this local music scene, but I would say the big sort of catalyzing event was perhaps our Last-Minute Last Waltz at the Hi-Dive in November.” Gillian explained. “That was like 40 or so musicians from 25 or so local bands kind of banding together over the course of three weeks to do this big show. We ended up raising about $3,000 for Kaizen Food Share. From that I think everyone was sort of feeling like we can do more big things that we want to and just sort of waiting for an opportunity for something else big to come along and feeling like we had the capacity to do something at a larger scale.”

Watching beloved cultural institutions move away from South Broadway has become an all too regular affair of late, so it wasn’t too surprising when Underground Music Showcase decided that last year’s music festival would be the last one, at least “in that form” they coyly added.

The organizers Youth on Record had been signaling for years that it was becoming increasingly untenable, taking too much time away from their non-profit arts outreach, and not long ago they’d partnered with experiential creative agency Two Parts to share the load. When they said it was over, many felt optimistic (or suspicious) that YoR just needed to get out from under its administrative burden and that we’d see UMS again. But when the buyer was announced as the RiNo Business Improvement District, that said more than enough.

The unsung heart of the festival had been cut out of the deal: South Broadway and its vibrant community of artists, venues, and fans. The once warm and airy atmosphere of the late July event had coldly blown across town and the vacuum was palpable.

“I started talking this winter about how there wasn't going to be a local music festival on South Broadway this summer and the vacancy that that created for something that could really be artist run and artist centric felt like a natural move in a lot of ways.”

It's fitting that it was the musicians themselves who stepped up. These local artists are what make South Broadway the kind of stretch you can walk down any random weekday and have a half dozen shows to choose from.

“It's affordable to go to these shows and it happens all year round. I think for a lot of people, you know, they have the idea that every July they might come down to South Broadway and see some local music, but those bands are playing all the time.”

And the dive-bars and lounges of the neighborhood know it. So when this small group of musicians who already knew these venues’ staff and ownership sought a meeting to discuss their bookings for the end of July, the response was supportive and excited. Swiftly, Blucifer’s First Rodeo was putting up a polished website, announcing lineups, and accepting hundreds of applications to perform and to volunteer from across the community.

“This is something that people really, really wanted to see happen. And so somebody just had to move really fast to make it happen.”

However, it’s one thing to be first, but it’s quite another to keep that goodwill through the festival. The organizers knew that to support a community of musicians that they would have to meet the material needs of working artists.

“We have a very equitable floor for bands and solo acts and DJs who are playing the official festival. And yeah, it's just all coming from the idea that we as working musicians should learn to value the work that we do in the community as truly valuable.”

Looking to your friends, saying to each other “why not?”, and then just putting in maximum effort is perhaps the only current strategy we can rely on. The spiritual clarion call of the down-but-not-out, looking to each other because the cost of doing nothing is just too high.

“Someone just needed to step up to the plate to organize something that now we're all going to do together.”

Hard to believe that this is the sentiment behind the first great Denver cultural victory of 2026 - but would you really believe it could happen any other way? 

If you still want there to be an organic artist-supporting musical culture in your city, visit bluciferfest.com to get tickets and get involved. Blucifer rides for you and me.

Insights from a Democratic Socialist

When a fellow comrade first mentioned the People’s Movement Assembly (PMAs) to me I was curious, but never expected the groundbreaking impact that would resonate through me, all the Atlanta DSA members, and the broader community that engaged with the idea. Done frequently enough with the goal of connecting different social activists and their groups they can become something akin to a mobilized and organized social movement against fascism, beginning in our backyard and local communities. Literature reflecting the organizational ideas made it clear that the PMA is not just about fighting fascism; it is about a whole range of different survivability tactics against ecological devastation and economic exploitation particularly affecting historically marginalized communities 

As an attendee of the March 14 PMA, one had the opportunity to engage in two sessions with the opportunity to choose from around ten breakout groups. Each group had one to three facilitators who were tasked with moderating the discussions.

​The radical, revolutionary nature of PMAs is that they bring community members together. However, true revolution happens when we involve the full extent and power of working class people. The organization that coordinated with other grassroots orgs and spearheaded this event was Project South; an org dedicated to an abolitionist approach to ending poverty so as to put people over profit. DSA runs on the same logic, but has mainly seen progress through electoral, mutual aid, and other collaborative organizational means; Even if we disagree, the very act of opening dialogue, bringing people together, and connecting different orgs breeds the political dissent not against each other but against fascism that is becoming increasingly central to American citizens in the current era.

Many participants understood proper conduct even if it was not directly outlined at the  PMA because there is a deep seated frustration with politics today. For example, diverse backgrounds breed diverse perspectives that we must acknowledge, participants should allow space for others to contribute but also honor their unique voice, even if groups do not find complete consensus there must be an effort to unify under certain values, principles, or actions, and finally cooperation over debate should be encouraged. These are all PMA rules that even if not stated are self-evident. The central theme of these PMAs is to inquire into what issues concern which citizens. 

​When the Olympics came to town in 1996, organizers formed Project South and the Hunger Coalition to react to the changing city. Project South coordinators for the PMA emphasized the generational nature of the social justice project and noted that formerly enslaved populations built the Atlanta community over 150 years ago. Some of our major goals as activists and organizers is fostering real public safety, ensuring basic needs, and fostering some semblance of equality in decision making especially during times of authoritarianism. The PMA goals are fourfold: Spreading knowledge, skills, and connections, and cultivating community building. Every PMA had a major community oriented priority: The first Atlanta PMA on March 22, 2025, sought public safety on community terms through the building of third party organizations. The second Atlanta PMA on September 6, 2025 set goals of stronger hyperlocal institutions and challenging misinformation from AI. The third PMA voted to share skills and coordinate for power, reaching beyond the assembly.

​After a second breakout session, the groups came together, appointing a representative to report back the group’s discussion on their issues. I joined participants young and old in the “Know Your Rights” breakout group, including an attorney as one of the main coordinators. We discussed how to be more aware of several legal realities in America: differences in laws between states, the importance of de-escalation work, policy changes on multiple levels, and advocacy against the most inhumane deportation laws on the books. Someone even mentioned the importance of knowing the hotline number for mentally ill crises situations that could avoid unnecessary violence. When the groups came together I was also struck by the value in having the phone number of representative state organizations like the Georgia Latino Association for Human Rights (GLAHR) to vouch for targeted citizens, and having talking points for organizers when speaking with law enforcement and other commercial bodies. I wanted to know: Is there a potential for any real social, cultural, or political power through such PMAs?

​The Step-by-Step Guide to Making your own Neighborhood Assembly emphasizes that: We must grapple with what democracy means to us, when our politicians no longer represent us, we’ve expanded the surveillance system and have an operational Cop City, seen the city privatize decisions away from democratic control, and allowed a continued housing crisis that’s forcing people onto the streets. The value of the PMAs is that they seek to transcend political partisanship in favor of true cultural and social transformation by bringing together diverse groups of people with diverse perspectives and skills to find solutions to problems in their neighborhoods. As the guide concludes: Food, housing, healthcare, education, self-determination, self-defense, resistance are all human rights, but they can only be achieved when communities organize to build real lasting change. The final ask was for individuals to connect with each other, with the sponsoring orgs, and mobilize  as many of these groups as possible for the planned May Day protest.

For DSA’s other projects, like electoral strategy, deeply democratic bodies like peoples’ assemblies are pathways to organize mass action and rally the people to our side.

The post Atlanta People’s Movement III appeared first on Red Clay Comrade.

Read more at Memphis-Midsouth

A Community Defense Working Group member reflects on lessons from Minneapolis' resistance to ICE terror, learned during a week-long visit to the city.

This guide explains the AI issues facing workers and how they can organize for a voice in how it's implemented at work.

The post How to protect your job from AI overreach in the workplace appeared first on EWOC.

Introduction & Methodology

Skip to:

Chapter Endorsed Candidates
Green-light Candidates
Red-Light Candidates
General Guidance on Ballot Measures

Portland DSA wants to inform our members and the public which candidates best advance the Chapter’s priorities in the May 2026 Primary. Because our endorsement policy is stringent and carries with it a promise of volunteer capacity, it is impossible for us to endorse every candidate who we would prefer to win. Instead, we chose to highlight candidates who supported, either in their public communications or in responses to DSA questionnaires, priorities which have been voted on by chapter membership. A “green light” does not mean an endorsement, and members should still vote according to their values in races where we did not issue green lights. We green-lit candidates in contested Democratic Party Primaries for state house races, where winning the primary practically guarantees victory in November. To vote for these candidates, you must be a registered Democratic Party voter. In lower offices, candidates run for non-partisan seats, and a Democratic Party registration is not necessary.

Democratically decided chapter priorities:

1. Whether candidates are members of DSA;
2. Whether candidates have supported the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
3. Whether candidates have supported the Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
4. Whether candidates have supported the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement;
5. Whether candidates have opposed Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
6. Whether candidates have supported funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

Additionally, candidates were disqualified and given a “Red Light” for the following criteria:

1. Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
2. Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
3. Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits or is bad on education;

Chapter Endorsed Candidates

Candidates who have been officially democratically endorsed by the chapter are, by virtue of the endorsement, already greenlighted, and meet all 6 of our priorities above. As endorsees, we not only expect every chapter member to vote for them, but we encourage all members to contribute to their campaigns!

DSA Endorsed Candidate: Automatic Green Light

House District 27 – Running in Beaverton and Cedar Hills as Portland DSA’s first Cadre candidate, Tammy is a former physician and school board member who can use that lived experience to challenge the insurance and hospital industries over a Universal Healthcare Plan for Oregon. On the school board, she was investigated by Zionist Board Chairs for recognizing the dignity of Palestinian people, but held strong and was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Contribute to Tammy Carpenter’s campaign! Sign up for canvassing or phonebanking, or donate here!

DSA Endorsed Candidate: Automatic Green Light

House District 35 – Farrah has been elected twice and endorsed by DSA once before this cycle in HD 35, which includes Beaverton and Aloha. In the 2026 short session, she used one of her two allotted bills to introduce and pass identification requirements for federal officers (or suspected imitators) at the state level through the LEAVA Bill.

Contribute to Farrah Chaichi’s campaign! Donate here!

---

Green Light Candidates

The order of presentation is State House of Representatives, district number (lowest to highest), State Senate, then local races.

House District 31 – Tom Forest is running in HD 31, which includes western Washington County and most of Columbia County. His voters pamphlet entry mentions climate change extensively, demands “Childcare for all Oregon families” and quote, “Tom believes we need to fund a transportation system that allows you to get from your rural home all the way to your favorite city center and from your urban home to your job in rural Oregon.” He has expressed support of HCAO, Universal Pre-K and a desire to fight data centers.

How he lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

4 out of 6 means we greenlight Tom.

House District 38 – John “Waz” Wasielewski is running for HD 38, which includes SW Portland to Lake Oswego. Waz has signed the Renters Bill of Rights, advocated for Universal Preschool, and Health Care For All Oregon. Waz can be trusted to oppose new data center construction and fight to restore and expand transit funding. He was recently targeted by the Portland Metro Chamber in a dark money push-poll as being “Endorsed by DSA” despite not being endorsed by the chapter.

How he lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports (signed!) the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR);
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

5 out of 6 means we greenlight John.

House District 40 – Michael Sugar is running in HD 40, which includes Oatfield, Gladstone, and Oregon City. Michael is a strong supporter of single-payer health care, and truly universal pre-K across the state. On data centers, he believes that we quote “deserve to protect our water resources, to protect the middle class from utility spikes, and we should also insulate Oregon from what I’m sure will be a bubble-burst in the AI economy.” He is supported by unions like OEA and UA 290.

How he lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

3 out of 6 means we greenlight Michael.

House District 41 – Mark Gamba is running in HD 41, which includes Sellwood-Moreland, Milwaukie and Oak Grove. Mark is a DSA Member and current House Rep. He has fought to support transformational Transit Funding through the SMART Framework in 2025, looks to sponsor an HCAO bill, and has fought tax breaks for data centers. He supports truly Universal Pre-K and the Renters Bill Of Rights, though he has not yet signed.

How he lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

6 out of 6 means we greenlight Mark.

House District 51 –  Darla Mead is running for HD 51, which includes rural Clackamas county, Canby, Estacada and Sandy. A nurse, she has emphatically supported HCAO, including reproductive and gender-affirming care and is endorsed by ONA. Her voters’ pamphlet entry mentions climate change regularly, and when questioned she supported Universal Pre-K, Stopping Data Center Construction, and saving Trimet Funding.

How she lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

4 out of 6 means we greenlight Darla.

House District 52 – This house district includes East Multnomah County, East Clackamas County, and the south side of the Columbia River out to The Dalles. This is a rare race where 2 candidates met the minimum for a Green Light, David Osborn and Nick Walden Poublon. Osborn has expressed interest in elements of the Renters Bill of Rights, Preschool for All across the state, HCAO, and expanded Trimet Funding. He wants to see the externalities of Data Centers addressed before allowing any new ones.

How he lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

5 out of 6 means we greenlight David.

House District 52 – This house district includes East Multnomah County, East Clackamas County, and the south side of the Columbia River out to The Dalles. This is a rare race where 2 candidates met the minimum for a Green Light, David Osborn and Nick Walden Poublon. Poublon is a chair of HCAO. He wants a moratorium on new data centers.

How he lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

2 out of 6 means we greenlight Nick.

Senate District 15 – SD 15 includes the city of Hillsboro, Cornelius, and Forest Grove, as well as rural Washington County. This area has been targeted for the construction of new data centers, and Myrna Muñoz is challenging an incumbent democrat who has taken hundreds of thousands in campaign donations to push them through. The incumbent has also been caught getting a KGW interview segment about data centers pulled. Myrna is a DSA Member who wants to bring working people’s perspectives to the capitol with her. She supports HCAO.

How she lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

3 out of 6 means we greenlight Myrna.

Beaverton City Council, Position 1 – Evelyn Kocher is a DSA member running for Beaverton City Council. She was campaign manager for Portland City Councilor Angelita Morillo, and signed HCAO, the Preschool for All petition, and the WashCo Data Center Moratorium. As Angelita’s CM she signed on to the Portland Renters Bill of Rights as well. She would make a force for change in Beaverton.

How she lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO ) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

6 out of 6 means we greenlight Evelyn.

Beaverton City Council, Position 2 – David Kearns signed the Data Center Moratorium early, supports HCAO and the Renters Bill of Rights, and wants to fund Transit services like Trimet.

How he lands on our chapter priorities:

• DSA Member
• Supports the Portland Renters Bill of Rights (RBOR) or equivalent policies;
• Supports Multnomah County Preschool for All (P4A) or a truly universal statewide childcare program;
• Supports the HealthCare for All Oregon (HCAO ) movement for statewide single-payer healthcare
• Opposes Data Center construction in the Portland Metro Area;
• Supports funding Trimet (and other public transit agencies) to restore and expand service.

5 out of 6 means we greenlight David.

---

Red Light Candidates

Again, our criteria for recommending against voting for these candidates includes:

1. Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
2. Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
3. Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits

A red “X” in the checkbox means that the candidate has taken the indicated disqualifying endorsements.

Washington County Commission At-Large – As you might have seen in the “Data Centrists” article in the Thorn, Pam Treece should be disqualified for her support of data centers (and support by data center-loving candidates), but also her multiple Chamber of Commerce and Police Association endorsements.

How she stands on our Chapter Disqualifications:

• Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
• Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
• Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits or is bad on education;

Washington County Commission Position 2 – Also shown in the “Data Centrists” article in the Thorn, Felicita Monteblanco should not be your first choice for this position. Her Beaverton Area (And Washington County) Chamber of Commerce endorsements are also troubling.

How she stands on our Chapter Disqualifications:

• Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
• Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
• Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits or is bad on education;

Washington County Commission Position 4 – Featured in the “Data Centrists” article in the Thorn, Steve Callaway has taken endorsements from District Attorneys and multiple Chambers of Commerce. Most troublingly, he touts endorsements by State Republicans like Bruce Starr.

How he stands on our Chapter Disqualifications:

• Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
• Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
• Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits or is bad on education;
  

Clackamas County Commission Position 2 – Paul Savas should be avoided due to his Police Association and Chamber of Commerce endorsements.

How he stands on our Chapter Disqualifications:

• Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
• Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
• Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits or is bad on education;
  

Clackamas County Commission Position 2 – Mark Shull should also be avoided, due to his gestures rightward. Shull would probably have the endorsements had they not gone to Savas; his “property tax relief” plan would devastate school funding. Shull openly ID’s as Republican.

How he stands on our Chapter Disqualifications:

• Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
• Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
• Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits or is bad on education;
  

Clackamas County Commission Position 4 – Diana Helm should be avoided considering her endorsement by the Portland AND Lake Oswego Chamber of commerce, as well as a District Attorney and several OR villains, like Ben West (more on him later) and Betsy Johnson. She fought to stop BAT Lanes on the rebuilt 82nd Avenue.

How she stands on our Chapter Disqualifications:

• Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
• Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
• Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits or is bad on education;
  

Clackamas County Commission Position 5 – Run, don’t walk from MAGA Republican Ben West. He boasts endorsements from Police Associations, District attorneys and the Portland Metro Chamber, though that reflects more on PMC than it does West. Google his association with abuser Jeff Church of PDX Real.

How he stands on our Chapter Disqualifications:

• Endorsements from Chambers of Commerce or Business Alliances;
• Endorsements from Police Associations or Unions;
• Endorsements from Private Education Nonprofits or is bad on education;
  

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General Guidance on Ballot Measures

There are too many ballot measures across the Portland Metro for us to cover, but we wanted to provide general guidance and an example you can use to decide on your particular ballot.

DSA Members should consider:

1. Whether a ballot measure is endorsed by member-led organizations or unions.
2. Whether a ballot measure increases funding for broad public services, like public schools, fire departments, or public transit;
3. Whether a ballot measure supports or empowers local, state, or federal police.

Let’s consider an example:

Measure 36-239 – This 5-year local school levy would raise millions of dollars every year for schools in Yamhill County to fund school operations and teacher positions. No money would be put towards police, something reasonable people may fear school funding going towards.

Though some additional teachers will result in smaller class sizes, readers may be wondering why additional revenue is needed for largely the same services. The answer, as with most other initiatives on the ballot, is inflation – combined with regressive tax policy passed statewide in the ‘90s. Measures 5 and 50, passed during the height of neoliberal “End of History”, limit the growth of property and income taxes strictly, resulting in the “slow but steady strangulation of city finances as costs increase far faster than revenues”, to quote the league of Oregon Cities (https://www.orcities.org/application/files/2216/8685/9599/FAQonMeasures5and_50-updated5-23.pdf). Comprehensive reform of both Measures is required at the state level, but in the meantime local levies like this are required to keep the lights on.

Now, let’s look at the endorsements for, and against 36-239:

The highest-profile argument “For” is from the Teachers Union, while the highest-profile argument “Against” is from the Republican Party. “For” arguments center the needs of those reliant on public services and community. They aspire towards a better world in which said needs are met and outcomes can improve. “Against” arguments fixate on accusations of mismanagement and “bloat”. They aspire to retreat from society and from any responsibility to those around them. We’ve seen enough; vote “Yes” on 36-239.

By far the most contentious Ballot Measure you will see this cycle is the statewide Measure 120, which referred elements of the beleaguered state transportation package HB 3991 to the voters. I’ve written an essay in The Thorn presenting my own thoughts on the measure. You can find it here.

Jordan Lewis is an Ecosocialist Working Group Co-chair and an elected member of our Socialists in Office Committee.

DSA condemns this week’s Supreme Court ruling  Louisiana v. Callais, which functionally eliminates key elements of the historic Voting Rights Act. This ruling strips communities of color of the right to political representation, opening the door for further racist disenfranchisement. Louisiana has already moved to suspend their Congressional primaries to re-draw maps that will ensure the Louisiana delegation is entirely Republican. This ruling comes during a week in which the Supreme Court also ruled against Latino and Black districts in Texas. The rolling back of our already-limited options for political expression only accelerates the country’s tilt into fascism.

This is a step back towards the days of racist Jim Crow laws, or the Black Codes to constrain the freedoms of Black Americans post emancipation. This is expected; Black political power that was gained during Reconstruction was then systematically dismantled by Jim Crow and white domestic terrorism. Enfranchisement, while not liberation, did allow for political organization, the development of Black political institutions, and fuller representation of Black voices in Congress. The Supreme Court’s decision is cut from the same pure white cloth as the government’s assaults on Black political power during and after Reconstruction. 

Repressing the right to vote is an attack on the ability of oppressed people to represent themselves in government and fight for a more just and equal society. DSA has consistently defended the right to vote for all people. Across the country, DSA members and elected officials are standing against the corrupt and undemocratic Supreme Court, the malapportioned Senate, and the racist state legislatures who are already moving to capitalize on this attack. In the shadow of this decision, we are reminded that our political responsibility is not limited to the ballot box. Our political landscape is shaped by collective struggle. Enabled and enacted by our political organizing. The struggle for economic rights and political rights go hand in hand Today, six unelected judges reminded us that the United States is no democracy — we must expand the Supreme Court and enact proportional representation.

That’s why we support Rep. Don Beyer’s Fair Representation Act (FRA), co-sponsored by DSA member and congresswoman Rep. Rashida Tlaib, which would help guard against fascist attempts to strip Black communities of political power. The FRA would replace single-member congressional districts with multi-member districts ensuring political minorities can reliably elect a representative. 

But reforms alone are not enough. Socialists have a long history of fighting to build and defend Black political power, recognizing that the struggle for Black liberation is central to any real expansion of democracy and working-class power. DSA is committed to this fight to dismantle white supremacist capitalism — taking it head-on at the ballot box, in our workplaces, and in the streets.

Join us today.

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