The following report was given on behalf of the CPUSA Political Action Commission by Joelle Fishman to the July 13, 2025 meeting of the CPUSA National Committee.

Much appreciation, Joe, for your assessment of this moment and where we go from here. The Political Action commission is asked to speak about fielding our own candidates. The context is the conditions facing our people, the deep pain and suffering and lives lost to violence, and the racism and bigotry being inflicted, as Project 2025 is rolled out at breakneck speed.

The context is the beautiful solidarity and unity coming forth on the ground to uphold democratic rights and resist mass deportations, militarization, and across-the-board loss of health care, food security, and the entire social safety net.

The majority of people do not support the MAGA agenda. It can and must be stopped in its tracks, using every tool in our organizing tool box.

Experience shows that when we are on the ground fighting for people’s needs like public education, health care, housing, jobs, police accountability, taxing the rich and slashing the military budget, we are welcomed, appreciated, and yes, asked to run for public office. It is from these coalitions that our candidates are emerging.

Recent victories

Let’s take a moment to recognize the most recent victory. In Ithaca, N.Y., Hannah Shvets just won the primary for City Council in her Ward. Hannah and the Ithaca Club are not alone. Luke Rotello, Western Massachusetts Club, is running a full scale campaign for Ward 5 City Council in Northampton with a local coalition for school funding. Dom Shannon and multiple members of the Philadelphia club are running for ward committee positions across the city. And looking ahead to 2026 are Daniel Carson and his club in Maine, Nathaniel Hayes and his club in North Carolina, and TJ Campsey and his club in Kansas, among others.

Where there are nonpartisan races such as in Massachusetts or ranked choice voting like in Maine, it is easiest to run and win. Without those options, some of our candidates are running as part of coalitions in primaries where the Democratic Party is prevalent. Our toolkit includes fielding our own candidates on our own line as well.

The Political Action Commission’s regular meeting agenda has included reports from Comrades running or planning to run for public office as part of their club work. Recently, we brought all of those Comrades together to share experiences and ideas.

Appreciation is due to Lee Dlugin for heading up this work, and to Denise Edwards for a wonderful contribution based on her 20 years of experience serving on the Borough Council in Wilkinsburg, Pa. Denise showed the power of running locally to win and gain the experience of governance.

When we field Communist candidates, we add working class consciousness and strengthen the struggle.

At this time, there is experience from electeds in five states serving in the legislature, judicial, and municipal levels, as well as appointees to boards and commissions. When we field Communist candidates, we add working class consciousness and strengthen the struggle. Our local campaigns are a part of Resistance 2.0. They make the connection between local organizing and building a national movement to stop fascism. They bring forward people-before-profits solutions to economic and racial inequality. They build unity by exposing anti-Communist lies.

As a party, we have been present in all aspects of Resistance 2.0. This has included organizing participation in mass mobilizations, supporting the lawsuits against Trump’s lawless attacks, joining preparedness trainings, and keeping the pressure on Congress with our Rapid Response weekly calls and letters, alongside the People’s World.

Employing the weekly Rapid Response calls to Congress remains more important than ever. Now there are added layers to the resistance. The MAGA billionaire budget betrayal squeaked through, but the movement understands that it must organize even harder. Many people do not know what is in this bill. As they find out, the resistance will grow stronger.

Now whole cities and states are being brought into collective resistance as they hold the line. In the face of ICE military force, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive order developed with immigrant and labor organizations to prepare the city to know its rights.

In the face of devastating health care cuts, mass training initiatives are engaging those affected to learn how to tell their stories and organize. In the face of ignorance about the bill, the American Federation of Teachers and 149 other organizations took out a full page ad in the New York Times exposing the details with a call to action, saying, “Join us. Organize. Vote. Let’s undo the damage from this big betrayal.” The AFL-CIO and Moral Mondays protest movement are both touring the country to sound the alarm and organize the vote.

Half-way measures are not enough. Confidence in the political system is generally eroded. An uprising is underway. As a multi-racial, multi-gender, and multi-generational party, we live the crisis, and we understand its capitalist roots. Building at the grassroots, strategic door-to-door organizing with our allies and our own candidates, and helping to bring out voters en masse is a powerful contribution we can make to Resistance 2.0 and beyond.

Image: YCL members in Philadelphia GOTV for the Uncommitted campaign by Philadelphia Young Communist League (X)