How Kshama Sawant Defeated Amazon
Amazon went all out to defeat Seattle’s socialist city council member Kshama Sawant in this year’s election — but Sawant emerged victorious. In an interview with Jacobin, she reflects on why it’s so important to pick fights with capitalists, and what every socialist running for office should know.
Seattle city council member Kshama Sawant speaks at a rally on February 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Karen Ducey / Getty Images)
On election night last month, Seattle’s socialist city council member Kshama Sawant trailed her opponent. The results seemed conclusive: Sawant had lost. The Stranger ran a piece under the headline, “Maybe Amazon Bought the Election — or Maybe Voters Were Sick of Sawant.”
Days later, Sawant had miraculously rebounded. She officially declared victory standing before a giant banner that read “Tax Amazon,” saying, “It looks like our movement has won, and defended our socialist city council seat for working people against the richest man in the world.”
Jacobin’s Meagan Day spoke to Sawant about the forces aligned against her in this recent city council race, the necessity of a socialist analysis for elected officials picking fights with corporations, and her counsel for socialists seeking office.
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