As the midterms approach, the choice facing most workers will be limited: either cast a ballot for a capitalist politician, or abstain altogether. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, but in most districts, there are no genuine anticapitalist alternatives.

In Washington State’s 9th congressional district, however, socialist Kshama Sawant is running against big-business politician Adam Smith. The RCA calls for all residents of this district to vote for Sawant in the August 4 election, and again in November, if she makes it to the final round.

Capitalism is in a deep crisis, and class anger is rising. A mass, left-wing workers’ party could take off if a visible lead were given. Instead, the unions in the AFL-CIO continue to bankroll the Democrats, while the Democratic Socialists of America back candidates within that bourgeois institution. 

For her part, Sawant is running as an independent, against the two big business parties. She was against the war on Iran from day one, and wants to stop taxpayer money from being sent to Israel. She stands for universal free healthcare and wants to stop deportations of undocumented immigrant workers and close down the detention centers.

Sawant is running against an incumbent congressman with millions of capitalist dollars behind him. She does not have wealthy backers or support from the corporate media. Nor does she have a strong and established workers’ party behind her. 

In this context, if she gets 10% or more of the vote, it should be considered a victory. If she gets into the November election, it will be a major accomplishment, and a large vote for Sawant will be a punch in the gut for the capitalist political establishment. If she were to win, it would be a tremendous political earthquake. Her campaign underlines the need to build a party of the working class that can fight to get rid of capitalism.

A mass workers’ party will need a strong apparatus of activists and money. But even this will not be enough to defeat the powers that be. History shows that even the strongest apparatus can collapse into nothing without correct ideas, while small forces with correct ideas and methods can rise to great heights. The workers’ movement needs a solid core of dedicated revolutionaries that understand the lessons of the class struggle and can arm the working class with those correct ideas and methods. This is what we in the Revolutionary Communists of America are building all over the United States, as well as in 70 countries, as part of the Revolutionary Communist International.

One of the principal lessons of the worldwide class struggle is the importance of the workers acting as a class, and understanding their interests are opposed to the interests of the bosses. Sawant is running against both parties, calling for the formation of a new party for workers, and this is why the RCA supports her campaign.

Vote for Sawant!

Join the RCA in the fight for a mass communist party!

For a workers’ government and an end to capitalism and imperialism!