To read more and contact candidates directly, join us in the #convention-discussion channel on Slack!
Ian R.
I’ve been an active member of Twin Cities DSA since 2016, and was a delegate to our 2017 and 2019 conventions. I’ve been active in labor work within the chapter, leading Socialism 101 events, and assisting in various projects. I served as our 100k captain and a PRO Act coach.
I believe in a big tent socialist organization that’s focused on growing working class power and winning victories for working people. I believe that the road ahead for DSA requires diversifying the racial composition with our organization, creating campaigns that speak to the interests of working people, and finding ways to increase the effectiveness and organization of our movement. I would be honored to serve as a delegate again.
Henry B.
Have not been a DSA delegate before. DSA/TCDSA member since 2016. Also active in Left Social Democrats Caucus NS TCDSA since May 2020. Involved in the setup of a Democratic Socialists Caucus in the DFL. Active in Our Revolution Twin Cities, the first org to endorse Ilhan Omar, which also supports democratic socialist candidates and platform issues. The Living Platform I was part of developing from the start and originally adopted in 2017: https://bit.ly/ORTCplatform
Edison P.
I am a long-time believer in socialist ideas and movements, but new to the DSA. I’ve done everything I can to throw myself into organizing with TC DSA since joining. I’ve already attended events, canvassed, and am working to revive the Mutual Aid and Solidarity Economy Working Group. I aim to become a dedicated and active capacity-builder within TC DSA and would appreciate the opportunity to grow in leadership by tapping into the discussion at the national level, and bridging it with TC DSA local’s recent visioning and electoral work.
Renny C.
My name is Renny Cullen (she/her). I’m a bartender by trade and I’ve been a socialist since I was a teenager, long before it was politically viable. Since joining DSA in 2017, I have been a dedicated volunteer for our endorsed candidates, Defund MPD campaign, and internal organizing efforts. I strongly believe that mobilizing and bringing in new members, making them feel included and empowered, and meeting people where they’re at is how we build a stronger DSA and mass movement. I support investing in political education, member engagement, and development of new leaders. DSA is the most powerful socialist organization and our best chance at winning a better future. We need to continue building to harness the full power of the working class.
In solidarity,
Renny
Kip H.
My deep involvement in the Twin Cities workers movement and leadership in the TCDSA labor branch make me a good candidate for convention delegate. I would bring that insight and experience to national DSA policy. I want to exchange ideas and proposals to bring more workers and union members into DSA, particularly Black and Brown workers.
Nicholas R.
I was co-chair of Twin Cities DSA for two years, and served as a delegate for the chapter at the 2017 and 2019 conventions. Since then, I have worked as a union representative for over 1,000 workers in the Metro and have been active in our chapters electoral and labor work. I am excited to be running to return to the convention to represent our chapter and as a member of the Collective Power Network caucus. I plan to support resolutions that bring DSA closer to being a mass organization of the working class, through recruitment, effective electoral strategy, cohesive national campaigns, and helping our members organize their own workplaces. I am also excited to build out the internationalist program of DSA through solidarity with socialist parties and movements abroad, especially in South America. Convention is an exciting and often confusing experience and I pledge to help our delegation navigate it effectively.
Paul KD
My name is Paul KD and I am running as a proud revolutionary socialist. I currently work as a grocery clerk at the Wedge and am a member of UFCW Local 1189. Since joining DSA as a co-founder of my college’s YDSA chapter in 2017, I have thrown myself into labor organizing work. Over the last year, that has consisted of being one of the main organizers of the DSA Restaurant Organizing Project, a national network of rank-and-file service industry workers organizing inside and outside of their workplaces. This has been a great experiment in long-term industrial organizing, utilizing DSA as an incubator space, and I’m excited to share our experiences with the rest of the org. Locally, I have been involved in labor work as well, helping out with our service industry organizing in partnership with UNITE HERE Local 17 and helping to lead labor solidarity actions with workers across the Metro. I have also tried to stay present in the struggle in other ways, probably most concretely through helping out doing jail support for those arrested protesting against racist oppression.
A vote for me is a vote for a rank-and-file labor activist who is excited to talk about how to continue building power and long-term organization at the grassroots level. DSA has done a lot of great stuff, but I’m most excited by the work we’ve done to build lasting institutions and be present in so many different working class struggles, from labor to housing to environmental fights to the struggle for Black lives. There are a ton of challenges ahead, and we’ll probably make some mistakes (I definitely will) but if we root ourselves in our communities (like we’re doing with those regional groups!) we’ll build something long-lasting.
Ali R.
See if the TSA is group that encourages Democratic socialism throughout the mainstream I am the perfect candidate to be delicate as a result I have experience in all political in most main political parties I have worked in as campaign manager for a Democratic Socialist candidate I have worked with individuals who are for universal healthcare shorts the perfect candidate for a new DS a delegate
Pearl R.
After more than a decade working in childcare, food and customer service, I have built a deep appreciation for the needs of the working class. From having to file complaints to OSHA, to supporting single mothers, I have seen that the most vulnerable of our society are too often left without, when there is plenty to go around. I want to build solidarity and strength within my community, empowering myself and others to enact positive, long-lasting change. For the last five years I have been working as a stand-up comedian. I have participated in fund raisers for various mental health and women’s organizations, as well as produced shows aimed at informing the community in local affairs. I am not shy when it comes to public speaking, and am passionate about voicing matters that affect more than myself. I aim to be as intersectional and accountable in my advocacy as possible. I would love to participate as a delegate for the TCDSA. Thanks!
Freeman R.
We’re the second largest Socialist organization in US history: It’s time to go on the offensive.
We should take on ambitious campaigns like Medicare for All and the PRO Act, but we need a clear perspective on how to actually win them. The Democrats oppose our movements, and our elected representatives need to enter into open conflict with these career politicians – Socialism must be a complete alternative to bankrupt status-quo politics. To win M4A and more, we will need a mass movement approach and determined workplace action by labor. I support:
– Strong DSA engagement with mass mobilizations like the George Floyd rebellion,
– A worker’s wage and a movement-building approach for our representatives,
– Taking the Fortune 500 companies into democratic public ownership for a planned, green economy.
I’ve been an active member of TC-DSA for 6 months, and Socialist Alternative since 2015, including working as a staffer for the successful Tax Amazon campaign which won $240m annually from the biggest corporations for affordable housing.
Cesar M.
I’ve been a socialist activist for twenty years, with organizing experience in BLM, Anti-war movements, union drives, immigrant rights battles, and more. I’ve been an English teacher for twenty-three years, and was on the board of directors for the Teacher’s Association of Long Beach in Southern California (a union of over 4,000 teachers). I’m well read and greatly enjoy political discussion.
Diana W.
I’m running to be a delegate because I have a strong investment in keeping both our chapter and the organization as a whole strong and thriving. As a member of four years who has been primarily active in the Socialist Feminist branch (currently as branch co-chair), the Mutual Aid and Solidarity Economy working group, the Solidarity Fund committee, and the Red Rabbits, my focus has been on maintaining strong relationships across the chapter, as my philosophy is that strong relationships are what keep people invested; that investment in a community is what makes people want to participate; and that the more people participate, the greater the heights our organizing can reach. I look forward to representing the voices of the rank-and-file membership at convention and connecting with comrades across the country.
Anand B.
Hello, I have been a part of the TCDSA chapter/DSA for around 3 years now. I joined in mid-2018 and since then watched and participated in the growth of the org here at home and across the country. Working through multiple projects with members of TCDSA including TCDSA for Bernie and offshoot coalition groups like No Cages MN has helped me develop my organizing skills over the past few years across multiple avenues of organizing, whether electoral or coalition/worker-based.
It would be a privilege to be part of the delegation from TCDSA to the national convention where I can represent all the people and views I have encountered in our chapter the past 3 years and also help pave the path forward for the future of DSA nationally. I’m excited for this opportunity and hope you you consider voting for me to attend.
Jory F.
I’d be honored to speak on behalf of my comrades here in the Twin Cities
Laura H.
I’ve never been able to make the trip to be a delegate and this year with it online allows me to take part. I believe that the future of DSA needs to continue to educate and empower people to take action against systems of oppression. It’s only through our mutual struggles we will be able to engage with each other and hold each other accountable to change the world.
Patrick A.
I’m excited to be running for a delegate position for the first time! I joined DSA sometime around 2016 and have been involved in the chapter since. As a delegate, I plan to support resolutions and NPC candidates that will transform DSA into a mass organization, promote a sustainable socialist electoral program, and further commit the organization to internationalism and global solidarity.
Bridget B.
Hello! Since joining TCDSA, I have become involved in the Hi-Lake region organizing committee, the stewards coordinating regional groups, and a regional research group.
Tim J.
Hi comrades! My name is Tim Johnson and I’m running to be a Twin Cities DSA delegate to the 2021 national convention. I hope to earn your vote!
My work in DSA since 2017 includes neighborhood organizing as a Steward, Medicare for All organizing and canvasses, former chair of the Health Justice Working Group, DSA for Bernie and other electoral volunteering, helping with the Eviction Moratorium pressure campaign, Upper Midwest Regional Organizer for both DSA M4A + DSA for Bernie campaigns, technical support with several digital chapter tools, etc.
My #1 priority is strengthening the largest socialist organization in the heart of U.S. empire into an effective mass multiracial organizing vehicle for the working class — one that, following the lead of the global working class, will play a decisive role in defeating racial capitalism. I believe this means deepening organizing trainings, political education, and support for DSA members everywhere — especially in Southern and rural chapters. It means throwing down for abolition work, mass labor organizing, Medicare for All, tenant/neighborhood organizing, immigrant rights, a Red New Deal, and electing socialists to local office. Most importantly, it means showing solidarity for the international working class by building ties with mass socialist parties and movements across the Global South opposed to Western Imperialism and the forces of global capital. Solidarity Forever!
Tim H.
I’ve only been a member for about a year, and in that time it wasn’t always apparent how I could help push the mission of DSA forward. Today, I feel like I’ve gotten some of my footing with my work in the electoral committee and the regional organization, and I love being a part of the hope and the purpose of the chapter as we build our programs. I would be thrilled to represent that as a delegate to the National Convention.
Mara K.
I would be honored to represent TCDSA and join our delegation of comrades at the 2021 national convention. As an active and committed member in our chapter, I’m excited to have opportunities to meet members of other chapters, hear about their work, make connections between the national and local levels, and bring it all back to our own chapter. Some national priorities I will support include international socialist solidarity, transformative justice through a national committee of grievance officers, and beyond 100k membership for more intentional recruitment and development in BIPOC communities, small cities, rural areas, and the south. My current work in TCDSA is with the Inreach Committee, regional organizing, and the HENS rent control campaign in St Paul. I also serve as an at-large member on the TCDSA Steering Committee.
John G.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VPyXDv-cK_-cyS78-mQak0lapWYBIT3nLfRzJfv4VjI/edit?usp=sharing
John H.
I would be honored to be elected as a delegate to the 2021 convention. I have served as a delegate previously in 2017 in Chicago and 2019 in Atlanta, and I served as Treasurer from 2015-2017. I helped organize local fundraising for the 2017 DSA convention in Chicago to help supplement the expenses of our delegates. I also worked with many others to help get the TCDSA more active beginning in 2015 and helped to write the current constitution and bylaws. I have participated in various working groups, branches, and caucuses in our local.
I am president of my American Federation of Teachers local. Local #06504 University of Wisconsin River Falls. I am a professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin River Falls and I live in Woodbury. I helped to organize my local union by serving on the organizing committee. Having organized a union and serving as leadership in my union, I believe that I bring an organizing experience that is true to the current material conditions we face. In organizing we need to first address the immediate concerns of wages, benefits, and working conditions and then work on political education in getting members active in movements and politics. I have been a delegate to DFL precinct caucus and state-senate conventions for both St. Paul and Woodbury supporting democratic socialist issues.
I am a democratic socialist committed to DSA continuing to be a multi-tendency socialist organization. In regard to issues facing DSA we need to continue to try to be a welcoming organization for people of color, religious minorities and other minorities. I acknowledge that we have fallen short on that locally and nationally and I have some ideas on increasing our diversity. My mom is from Korea and from my family I have experienced the first generation and second-generation immigrant experience and the toxic effects of racism and discrimination. I believe race and class in the US are intertwined and you cannot separate the two. At the 2019 Convention in Atlanta, I was in discussion with some folks about forming an Asian-American caucus in DSA, but not much developed from it, but I do think affinity caucuses and caucuses of color can be an effective way to increase diversity within DSA.
In regard to my stance on revolutionary or evolutionary socialism I firmly agree with people like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib in that we need a political revolution with an active labor movement that continues to agitate and engages with movements. We have had success locally and nationally with getting democratic socialists elected as independents or running on the DFL ballot line and I think we should continue that strategy. I believe that we should have a democratic socialist political party that will eventually come as a break or realignment or fusion with another political party. I feel our current methods are working toward that eventuality. DSA should support people who identify as democratic socialists first and then party labels are second.
I have learned that our TCDSA delegation has been successful in that we have had a delegation the is reflective of our membership in regard to ideology and outlook. I would encourage members to vote for delegates that reflect the various and multiple tendencies we have in the TCDSA. My other contributions include a forthcoming entry on renowned socialist and communist Jessica Mitford in the updated version of The Encyclopedia of the American Left to be published in 2022 by Verso. Thank you for your time.
Jon VanO.
While I’m new to the DSA, I’m am not new to the cause of socialism. I have dedicated my career to public service and currently work for the Department of Education in Minnesota. I am a union steward with my Minnesota Association of Professional Employees local 1002 and have been recently elected to the Statewide Organizing Council. In my roles I have been a radical member of a leadership movement pushing for great equity and democracy in state employment and services. I hope to use my public service experience and union leadership experience to do my best to represent TCDSA as a delegate.
My personal philosophy is best summed up by Bertrand Russell: “The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. Neither love without knowledge nor knowledge without love can produce a good life.”
I wish everyone a good life and will fight my hardest to achieve it. I believe that good life can only be achieved through socialism.
Ryan S.
I’m a healthcare social worker in Minneapolis and I live in St. Paul. I moved to the Twin Cities at the beginning of this year from New Orleans, where I was active in my chapter and served as the Chapter Secretary for one term. I am looking forward to the chance to serve TCDSA as a delegate to the 2021 DSA National Convention.
Integrating into a new chapter primarily through Zoom in the midst of a big life move hasn’t been easy, but I’ve enjoyed meeting a handful of people at HENS campaign actions and the monthly All St. Paul regional group meetings. I would like to see our chapter use the Convention as an opportunity to have discussions through the summer about our relationship to nationwide DSA campaigns and listen to local members’ ideas about how to shape the structure of our national organization.
I am not a member of any DSA caucus. I am motivated by my values: that organizing must view people as complex and interdependent on the many relationships in their lives, including their relationship to capital; that democratic socialists should be vocal about their analysis and views while also respectful of others when debating within the big tent; and that we need all of us working in multiple arenas–in unions, in electoral campaigns, in our neighborhoods, and within ourselves–to manifest our socialist ideals into material gains for the working class.
Tony D.
Hello! My name is Tony D, I have been a member for TCDSA since 2017. In the past, I have been active with the housing branch and was a steering committee member. During the Uprising last summer I helped coordinate TCDSA’s community defense group.
Julia M.
Since last Fall, I’ve been very involved with TCDSA. I’m a regular member of my regional group and the regional stewards group, and I’ve canvassed for HENS with other St. Paul DSA members. I’d like to better understand how the national org works and help out in representing our chapter!
James E-T
Hi comrades! My name is James E-T and I have been a member of Twin Cities DSA for over three years now. I have organized community college students for the Bernie Sanders campaign, and am presently organizing students under the banner of YDSA at the University of Minnesota.
It was an honor to represent our chapter at the 2019 national convention in Atlanta, and I hope you will consider re-electing me as one of our delegates. I believe we can become the mass multi-racial working class organization that pushes us toward socialism in our lifetime. With this lens I will deliberate the resolutions, amendments, and candidates for leadership. Thanks!
Anders B.
I have been a long standing member who successfully organized their workplace last year and would like to help shape the organization so that others can accomplish the same.