After Kshama’s historic campaign, on to the next fight
September 9, 2026 by Justin Bare, campaign manager for the Kshama for Congress campaign
In June of 2025, members of Workers Strike Back voted overwhelmingly to endorse and help build the Kshama for Congress campaign. After a year of intense campaigning, we won the highest ever vote, by far, for a revolutionary socialist candidate for Congress, with 17.3 percent of voters in the district choosing Kshama. We achieved this despite the myriad obstacles and maneuvering by the Democratic and Republican parties. This was an absolutely historic campaign.
This shows the growing anger at the two parties for their endless attacks on the conditions of working people, and for their full-throated support of horrific imperialist wars and the US-backed Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people. And it shows the growing desire for political leaders who are unambiguous in their allegiances to the interests of working-class and oppressed people, and who are fighting for bold demands like taxing the rich to fund free healthcare for all and putting in place a full arms embargo against Israel.
Through this campaign, with the efforts of WSB members and thousands of others, we spread the incredible history of how Kshama used her position on the Seattle City Council to win major victories for working people. For a decade in that position, Kshama led militant movements and went to war against the political establishment to win the highest minimum wage in the nation, the Amazon Tax, landmark renters' rights, and much more. We need more political leaders who are willing to take this approach if we are going to have a shot at turning the tide against the billionaires and their political servants in the US and around the world.
We saw during this Congressional campaign the poisonous role of the left and labor gatekeepers. The Democratic Socialists of America, the so-called "progressive" Democratic elected officials, and many prominent left media figures refused to support Kshama. The business unionist labor leadership across all the major unions lined up to support warmongering billionaire-backed Democrat Adam Smith. As working-class anger pushes these left and labor gatekeepers into higher prominence, they will be tested. Zohran Mamdani is already betraying education workers in NYC by trying to take away their $10,000 wage increase, and he is endorsing Zionist pro-genocide Democrat Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the House. We need to continue to expose the gatekeepers who betray working people and hold back movements by tying them to the Democratic Party.
As we discuss next steps to fight the rich and the warmongering Democratic and Republican parties, please make sure you are subscribed to updates from Kshama and Workers Strike Back, and become a member of Workers Strike Back if you are not already. Let's continue building — we have a world to win!