Last month, socialist J. P. Lyninger won the Democratic Party primary for Louisville Metro Council’s Sixth District with 49 percent of the vote, beating the incumbent by 20 percentage points. In a deep-blue district without a Republican nominee, Lyninger is expected to go unchallenged in the general election and join the Metro Council in 2025.

Lyninger was endorsed by the Louisville chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which he previously cochaired, marking their highest profile victory and first successful run for Metro Council. Louisville DSA candidates nearly won local and state office several times prior — experience that Lyninger said was indispensable to his campaign. Jacobin contributor Peter Lucas spoke with Lyninger about Louisville DSA’s electoral program, policing in Louisville since the Breonna Taylor protests, and the biggest issues the District 6 faces.