A New York Democrat state Senate candidate backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., celebrated her primary election victory by declaring “socialism wins.”
Kristen Gonzalez, a tech worker whose campaign for the New York state Senate was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and left-wing lawmakers including Ocasio-Cortez, made the declaration to cheering supporters on Tuesday after winning her primary election.
“I know we’re saving the speeches for a little later, but today we really proved that socialism wins!” Gonzalez said as her supporters cheered.
WASHINGTON DEM SOCIALIST CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE CALLS FOR BREAKING INTO EMPTY HOMES
“We are not going anywhere, and we will not stop until we see a socialist slate across this city!” she continued.
Gonzalez is running on a far-left, socialist platform promising she will “cancel student debt,” “free healthcare,” “aggressive action on climate” to “build a Green New York,” “Good Cause rent protections” that make it harder for landlords to evict tenants “and make sure our neighborhoods stay working-class and diverse.”
“We need to tax the rich to finally invest in public housing, and build hundreds of thousands of new, affordable, and green homes to solve the housing crisis and start building a Green New York for all,” Gonzalez’s campaign website reads.
Gonzalez, a former staffer for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is also running on a platform of “queer liberation.”
“Trans and queer right are under attack, with our Black and brown siblings disproprotionately affected. These attacks overwhelmingly focus on youth and schools, but they are only the beginning of a larger attack on queer identities and bodily autonomy,” the socialist candidate’s “Queer Liberation Platform” reads.
“In order to fully acheive queer liberation, we must directly address the attacks on queer and trans rights, along with ensuring our housing, healthcare, and education system are intersectional and provide dignity for all,” Gonzalez continued.
Gonzalez’s Tuesday primary win makes her the latest socialist candidate to advance in a Democratic primary election.
Socialist candidates have become more prominent on the left since the rise of Ocasio-Cortez and the “Squad,” and are popping up more in deep blue areas like New York City and Austin, Texas.
In May, former Austin city councilman Greg Casar defeated Texas state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez for the 35th District’s Democratic nomination in one of several heavily watched blue primaries in the Lone Star State.
Casar, who calls himself a democratic socialist, is running for a seat that covers parts of both Austin and San Antonio. Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett previously represented the district.
Doggett elected to run in the new 37th District in Texas, leaving his old seat open in a heavily Democratic area.
Casar’s primary victory means he is likely to win the general election and become the next socialist to head to the Capitol in Washington.
Meanwhile, in the state of Washington, Democratic House candidate Rebecca Parson said that if elected, she will propose a “Housing for All Bill” and have a million people break into empty homes nationwide to push the legislation.
“Imagine I proposed a Housing for All Bill in Congress, Then imagine you, me, and a million of our friends took action and occupied empty houses nationwide. They couldn’t ignore us,” Parson said in a May ad.
Gonzalez, a political newcomer, defeated Democrat challenger Elizabeth Crowley — who is former Rep. Joe Crowley’s, D-N.Y., cousin.
Ironically, Ocasio-Cortez — who backed Gonzalez in the primary election — defeated Crowley in 2018 in a congressional upset when she was a newcomer, herself.
Preliminary election results show a wide margin between Gonzalez and Crowley, with Gonzalez taking home 59 percent of the primary vote.
