More local elections took place in the United States last Tuesday (2). In Tennessee, the race for a seat in the House of Representatives once again signaled the weakening of Trumpism: although the Republican candidate won, his margin was only 8 percent of the vote, much smaller than Trump’s 22-point lead in the state one year earlier.

The main highlight of the day, however, came from Jersey City, just across the Hudson River from New York and the second-largest city in New Jersey. There, two candidates from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) won seats on the City Council, ending a gap of more than a hundred years without socialist representation in the local legislature.

Jake Ephros and Joel Brooks built movement-style campaigns capable of confronting and defeating powerful political machines as well as local and even national financial interests. Both had already surprised observers in the first round, in November, and now confirmed their victories in the runoff election. It is also noteworthy that Ephros and Brooks ran as independents—not as members of the Democratic Party—presenting themselves openly as DSA candidates.

Among the two, Ephros was the newcomer: at 30, he is a teacher, union activist, internationalist, and socialist, as well as a member of Bread and Roses. His campaign adopted the so-called “1-2-3-4 plan” (https://socialistcall.com/2022/10/20/nyc-dsa-building-a-party-1234-plan/), created by the caucus to strengthen independent and socialist candidacies that help establish the DSA as a proto-party.

Our column spoke with Sâmela Guimarães, a Brazilian teacher living in Jersey City. She lives in Ward D, where Ephros was elected, and volunteered for his campaign. Sâmela told us:

“As a resident of the neighborhood, it was unprecedented and very meaningful to see so many people out on the streets, going door to door and encouraging neighbors to leave their homes and vote, especially since voting here is not mandatory. Jake Ephros’s entire campaign, from beginning to end, was organized by volunteers who showed up rain or shine, driven by their belief in his proposals for a more people-centered Jersey City.

Jake advocates for house rent control. The issue of exorbitant rents and real-estate speculation by large corporations will still require a great deal of struggle and debate. It is also a key issue that Zohran highlighted in his campaign in New York—two geographically close cities marked by similar problems. Another commitment Jake shares with Zohran is confronting ICE’s actions against immigrants living in the city.

With the victories of Jake Ephros and Joel Brooks, more than a century later, Democratic Socialists return to elected office in New Jersey, marking a historic moment.”

The victories in Jersey City once again reveal the growing space in the United States for an independent politics committed to workers, social rights, and socialism. In electoral terms, this space now represents one of the main avenues for confronting Trumpism in the upcoming midterm elections.

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