One of the most consequential elections for American foreign policy this cycle could be in the Pacific Northwest, where House Armed Services Committee chairman Adam Smith faces a challenge from socialist and union organizer Stephanie Gallardo. Gallardo’s background as the daughter of refugees from Chile’s Pinochet government stands in stark contrast with Smith’s hawkish record as a top recipient of money from the military-industrial complex and a strong proponent of the Iraq War.

Gallardo’s strong criticisms of US imperialism around the globe — including demands in her platform to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force and honor Indigenous sovereignty — are underlined by her family history as a member of a long line of Chilean socialists. Her anti-imperialist and socialist views have earned her the endorsement of Seattle Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), while her community roots have garnered support for her campaign from a slew of local elected officials. As a local and national union leader with the National Education Association, the country’s largest labor union, Gallardo’s candidacy is also an opportunity for the Left to continue ties with organized labor.

Karma Samtani spoke with Gallardo for Jacobin to discuss her work as a union leader, her views on foreign policy, and the challenges of running for office as a working person.