Tomorrow, Milwaukee Could Elect a New Generation of Sewer Socialists
Three democratic socialists are on the ballot tomorrow in Milwaukee, a city with a long history of socialist municipal government. We interviewed them about what their socialist vision for the city looks like.
Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) teachers, parents, students, and supporters protest outside the administration building in 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Wikimedia Commons)
On April 6 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, socialists have a rare chance to elect a slate into local public office — the first step in potentially reviving and reforming the city’s rich history of socialist governance. If they are elected, it would be the first time in Milwaukee’s history that a black socialist has won office, let alone two.
The local Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapter has not only endorsed the three candidates but has also built an independent and increasingly powerful working-class campaign apparatus. All three campaigns share a field program run by members of DSA, who prioritize which areas get knocked, run phone-banking actions, organize fellow members to work with the campaigns, and much more. In Milwaukee, socialism is back on the agenda and in the public debate, and Milwaukee DSA is fueling it.
Sociologist Mike McCarthy talked with candidates Alex Brower, Dana Kelley, and Darrin Madison to get their impression of this fight and the potential for democratic socialism in the city.
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