Marxist Unity Group congratulates our comrades in Florida who proved that tens of thousands of people in South Florida are hungry for socialist politics. While the Democratic Party abandons Florida, treating it as nothing but a nesting ground for fascism, Oliver Larkin and his DSA team fought through an anti-democratic gerrymander in the middle of the election to champion anti-Zionism, reparations for Black communities, and the struggle for political freedom. They proved that there is a base for socialist politics in every corner of this country.

We supported Oliver’s unanimous national endorsement because his campaign served as a model for candidates around the country: Oliver proudly identified himself as a democratic socialist, consistently centered DSA in his messaging, and defended DSA’s Workers Deserve More Program against hostile media. He organized as a socialist in the rank and file of the labor movement, putting concrete commitment to the working class above campaign results.

Most significantly, he defied the idea that socialist politics only appeal to white voters, consistently spending time in Black communities; championing Black liberation and Reconstruction; and earning the support of thousands of Black and Latino Floridians. It’s no wonder that reactionary Republicans rushed to illegally gerrymander his district to be in one of the whitest, wealthiest places in the state.

Broward DSA and other chapters across the state functioned as the engine of his campaign, building a party surrogate from the ground up to knock tens of thousands of doors, and leaned on the support of DSA’s National Electoral Commission to make hundreds of thousands of phonebanking calls. DSA members in Florida have built a movement that will shake the foundations of both fascism and liberal cowardice for years to come.

Member-driven, democratically controlled infrastructure is what separates DSA from the Democratic Party. Cadre campaigns like Oliver’s are how we build the political independence required to become a true socialist party that organizes and represents the working class. There are no shortcuts to building that infrastructure, and losses are worth it when they bring thousands to a party that represents us, not capitalists. We call on DSA chapters across the country to build up cadre campaigns with the same fearless commitment to DSA’s program for a working class democracy.

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