Kshama's on the ballot

Editorial Board

Kshama Sawant is on the ballot. 

Last fall, Kshama’s independent socialist campaign announced a goal of collecting 5,000 signatures to demonstrate the strength of the campaign.

In the end they fell short, but still collected 4,300 signatures, 2.5 times the legal threshold. This includes signers from every city in WA District 9 and represents a strong show of support.

They could have achieved the 5,000 signature goal if they had been willing to work with other socialist groups. Movement for Kshama, a united front of socialist organizations who are supportive of Kshama’s run, launched a two-week drive with a goal of collecting 500 or more signatures to help push the Congressional campaign over this target. However, Kshama’s campaign released a statement attacking this initiative (see page 4) and saying they wouldn’t accept any of these signatures. This drive had to be suspended after just a few days, at which point it had collected 150 signatures.

This is a microcosm of the sectarian approach that has for a long time prevented Kshama’s organization from cohering a broader base of support in the socialist movement. 

But socialists must not answer sectarianism with more sectarianism. The Socialist Workers Party has shamefully filed to run its own candidate, Jacob Perasso, against Kshama. Perasso and “progressive” Democrat Melissa Chaudhry (who is also on the ballot) will only succeed in splitting the vote and helping Adam Smith avoid facing Kshama in the general election.

We should build the maximum support for Kshama’s socialist campaign and oppose every effort to divide the left vote.