Mission Statement
Our goal is to challenge the capitalist state’s oppressive power through people-powered and class-struggle focused campaigns for elected office. This is a means to reach a mass audience, agitate and organize our base into DSA, and seize state power for the benefit of workers.
Strategy
A well researched power map of local conditions serves as the cornerstone for all of our chapter’s work. Upon identifying the most politically salient geographical areas to focus the committee’s attention, future chapter efforts will be better informed. Efforts including but not limited to: mutual aid projects, location of office space, public demonstrations and rallies, and other organizing events.
The committee will network and coordinate with local community groups to build DSA’s reputation as the only organization that can deliver needed political change. This work is measured in years, and as such the committee will develop and maintain a 3-year plan, roughly outlined by:
Offices on the ballot that election cycle
Filing deadlines for those offices
Offices that have significant district overlap with strategic areas
Running candidates in the same areas year-over-year, if possible
A narrowed-down list of race(s) to focus efforts on
To address the immediacy of the 2026 elections for Charleston County Council, which has a filing deadline of March 30th, 12:00PM for election year 2026, the committee shall first and foremost conduct a power mapping of the districts on the ballot. Should we identify a strategic race and a candidate that might be able to run a viable class struggle campaign even on this short timeline, the committee may expedite its work to take advantage of the current political terrain and possibilities.
Following the committee’s first electoral campaign victory, the members of the committee, with their unique and valuable electoral experiences, will organize and establish a Socialist In Office (SIO) committee. The role of that committee will be to co-govern with our chapter’s endorsed elected officials.
Focus Areas
Our Strategic Priorities
Our key priorities for building worker power and advancing economic justice.
Objectives
Run and win principled campaigns for elected office that center a message of class struggle and of DSA being the only organization suited to win that struggle
Identify and research strategic geographical areas that have a high density of DSA’s base - the multiracial working class
Research local conditions in strategic areas to understand the struggles being faced, to inform electoral efforts
Build connections to local communities with an emphasis on power mapping local dynamics to identify potential candidates for recruitment
Maintain awareness of city, county, and state law to build a legally compliant and politically salient platform for candidates to run on using DSA’s “Workers Deserve More” as a starting framework
Administer and maintain the chapter’s candidate endorsement criteria and process
Support electoral campaigns through canvassing, phone banking, and volunteering on campaigns
Support cross-committee and campaign efforts within the chapter by understanding the political needs of the chapter, and aligning electoral efforts accordingly