Member Statements on EER05: Endorsement of Hina Ansari for Congress VA District 10
Per Section 4 of our bylaws, “The Political Engagement Committee shall be permitted to issue a recommendation and rationale as a body, to be delivered by its chair or their designee, before or during debates on all electoral endorsements and will be allotted additional speaking time if requested to deliver findings from their engagement with the candidate or ballot initiative campaign. This recommendation and rationale will be included along with endorsement ballots sent to members.”
The Political Engagement Committee has issued a recommendation Against endorsing Hina Ansari. The PEC’s full recommendation and analysis can be found here.
In the last primary for Congressional District 10, incumbent Congressman Suhas Subramanyam won with 13,504 votes (30.4%) in a 12-way race, and then 215,131 votes (52.1%) in the general election. Per the candidate endorsement questionnaire, Hina has run for office three times and has not won any of her previous races.
The district is entirely outside of the Beltway, covering four counties (and two of them only partially) and two cities where our membership density is extremely thin and where we have had few to no current or even recent ongoing campaigns. Fairfax and Loudoun Counties also consistently ranked among the wealthiest in the nation due to the percentage of high median household incomes driven by the tech sector, defense contractors, federal jobs, and other higher-income professions. This turf would be significantly more difficult terrain to canvass, politically and logistically, likely requiring car pooling and other methods to turn out even a modest number of canvassers – in a geographic area of the chapter where we have not done so since at least 2021, which is the last year we ran (and lost) an electoral campaign in Virginia State House District 49.
Given the significant challenges involved in endorsing in this race, ranging from running against a well-funded incumbent at the congressional level to canvassing in a difficult geographic area where we have low membership density and little recent history of issue-based campaigning,
AGAINST by Carl R
Comrades, vote AGAINST the endorsement of Hina Ansari for Virginia’s 10th Congressional district.
This district is not friendly territory. It has particularly weak public transit, is particularly spread out even for a suburban race, and is not working class (in fact, it’s one of the wealthiest parts of the DMV and country). Additionally, both the primary and the general will have incredibly high win numbers - in the tens of thousands at a minimum - and our electoral program is least developed in northern Virginia. This race won’t help change that, either: volunteers can tell when a race isn’t winnable and won’t waste their weekends showing up to help.
Additionally, I don’t see the proper reflection on what this race entails in the questionnaire. Races in for congressional seats regularly cost in the millions; this data is publicly available. For this seat specifically, 4 candidates raised well over 1 million dollars in the 2024 race; in 2022, it was 3. This data is publicly available, and it troubles me that the questionnaire indicates the campaign isn’t looking at this data. This also applies to the win number: 15,000 is incredibly low for this race, and was only a winning number in 2024 because the field was huge (12 candidates), and the win number in the 2018 Democratic primary - the last open election - was 23,000. This race is not open, and that makes the win number radically higher than it would be otherwise. All of this information is the basic blocking and tackling of campaigns: it’s concerning to me that the questionnaire isn’t up to snuff on this stuff.
Comrades, vote NO on this endorsement.
IN FAVOR by Jonathan N
Without Hina Ansari, we are abandoning Virginia. As a native Virginian from Richmond, what we have witnessed throughout our chapter’s endorsement process this cycle is a retreat from organizing the Commonwealth - with claims that Virginia is “harder to organize” than DC and Maryland, that we cannot build a solid base in VA-10, that it would be a waste of resources to support a comrade who is fighting to make all of our lives better. Without an endorsement of Hina Ansari, we are leaving Virginia out to dry while Maryland and DC continue to benefit from our electoral capacity. Metro DC DSA cannot exist without NOVA, and therefore NOVA must be supported electorally this cycle by an endorsement of Ansari, our best chance in District 10 to build socialism and engage our newest members - same as we mean to achieve in PG, MoCo, and DC.
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AGAINST by Catherine R
With regret I encourage comrades to oppose this proposed endorsement.
I have been a Northern Virginia resident since the 1980s, and was a VA-10 voter until the most recent redistricting, so I’ve long (and desperately) wished for better representation in this seat. The corporate Democrat incumbent (who is to the right of his already-centrist predecessor) certainly deserves a challenger, and I am greatly appreciative of Hina offering to step up. But I see two major issues recommending against MDC DSA taking up this particular challenge.
First, I do not see a path to victory here. Hina estimates her win number as 15,000 and her minimum fundraising as $100,000. I think these are both significant underestimates as the last two Dem primaries had 44,000 and 53,000 votes cast (in 2024 and 2018 respectively), with the winners spending about $750,000 (2024) and $300,000 (2018). In both cases several runners-up also spent as much or more. These misperceptions of the basics of the race give me serious pause about Hina’s ability to organize a competitive campaign.
I was likewise concerned that, even at the original estimates, Hina’s questionnaire, Q&A comments and convention remarks presented no persuasive plan either to raise $100k or to make the voter contacts necessary to turn out 15,000 votes. And unfortunately, MDC DSA’s participation would not change that. Given comparatively lower membership density in Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties, the long distance from more member-dense areas, and the likelihood that many members will be otherwise occupied with campaigns in DC or MD, the chances of our door-knocking the multiples of 15,000 needed to win that many votes are remote. Similarly unlikely are the chances of MDC DSA making much dent in a six-figure fundraising target, especially, again, in a season where we anticipate supporting a number of campaigns.
So if we can’t help this campaign win, the question becomes, do we join a losing campaign as a base-building strategy? While there are pros and cons to that strategy in the abstract, I’m not confident this campaign in particular would serve that purpose effectively. Hina’s questionnaire expressed some positions that run contrary to DSA values, particularly in twice referring to Marjorie Taylor Greene as someone to emulate. Greene’s history of white supremacism and antisemitism have no place in our movement, and it would be a serious setback to MDC DSA organizing to link ourselves with a campaign that could confuse the public on this point. If the primary purpose of an endorsement here would be to create an ambassador for the chapter, unfortunately I don’t think this campaign is a suitable one.
For these reasons, I urge my comrades to vote no on this endorsement. I hope in the near future we may have opportunities to run smaller NoVa races where wins would make a subsequent Congressional race more plausible.
IN FAVOR by Kaitlyn W
I have the privilege of working alongside Hina in the Trans and Queer Liberation (TQL) group. Hina is a critical member of the TQL group in Northern VA. She attends most virtual meetings and adds value to each gathering. As the school year began, our TQL group has been working to protect transgender and gender expansive youth in NoVA public schools from the illegal demands from the Trump Administration’s Department of Education. Hina has been crucial to this campaign. She has joined us in rallies not just in PWC, but in Loudoun and Fairfax, too. Hina provided Citizen comment testimony many times at the PWCS school board meetings, advocating for trans students, for teachers, and advocating against a Turning Point chapter. Her attendance, comments, and advocacy have been noticed and appreciated by students and teachers across the district. At one school board meeting, a student approached Hina and thanked her for speaking against the federal administration’s policies and commended her for her argument. Also, her involvement has connected us with a local Dem chapter and the local NAACP chapter. Hina’s dedication and fierce advocacy is much needed at the federal level. Please consider supporting the endorsement of Hina Ansari.
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IN FAVOR by Hina A
After attending convention on Sunday, a few things really struck me. As an observer, it became very clear that certain people would receive assistance for their electoral campaigns regardless of the merit, impact or reach of their campaigns. Others would be tossed aside for spurious reasons. I can understand why some, who have only ever canvased inside DC or MD, would not want to venture out to VA, but the merit of a campaign isn’t just based on winning probabilities or how likable or popular the candidate is within the DSA or whether you can ride the metro to a location. At this time in his election last year, Zohran Mamdani was polling at less than 1%. It is about building the socialist movement where one may not fully exist, helping the working class of this nation, and those people may be in inconvenient places that aren’t easily accessible to mass transit. That is what my campaign can do. Leaving any seat unchallenged is a dereliction of duty on our part. But I’m not asking for financial resources or human resources. The needs for each campaign are vastly different. I’m asking for people to believe that it is important to fight fascism at every level. If that isn’t a core function for the DSA, then I’m not sure what we’re hoping to accomplish.
I really have one simple question for my fellow comrades, is fighting fascism, fighting racism, fighting Zionism, worthwhile causes? If they are, then come join me out in the far reaches of Virginia, too far for some to venture. Regardless of the outcome of this endorsement process, I will endeavor to run this campaign. All I really need is a few dedicated volunteers to help me run a guerilla socialist movement and we can make an impact on this election cycle. I intend to vote for every candidate because every campaign to fight fascism is worthy.
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IN FAVOR by Jon C
I work with Hina in my role as a member of the Bodily Autonomy Working Group (BAWG) leadership. She has proven herself time and again as a critical member of our Northern Virginia (NoVA) team. During our campaign to protect transgender and gender expansive youth in NoVA public schools from the illegal demands from the Trump Administration’s Department of Education, Hina was a key member of our contingent. When our tour of the School Boards of NoVA landed in Manassas, Hina gave impassioned testimony to the Prince William County (PWC) School Board. She’s a regular at PWC meetings. Her comments denouncing a scheme to place a Turning Points USA chapter at a PWC public high school gave us a connection with the local NAACP. Her defense of teachers led to an invite from the local Dem party. She’ll surely use that opportunity to connect with those members looking for real leadership in Congress.
Hina has also often been our NoVA reporter at Transgender and Queer Liberation (TQL) meetings. She’s on my short list when I need help, which is often, in our work. I value her knowledge and judgement fully and this is why I know she’s serious about running her campaign. As we move into Project Sanctuary and the Yes on All 3 campaigns, having a DSA endorsed candidate in NoVA door knocking and canvassing will help us build public support. The 10th Congressional District covers parts of PWC, Fairfax, and Loudoun, the same counties where we are launching Project Sanctuary. Being on the ground gives us better connections to the communities we need for pressuring their County Boards of Supervisors to approve our Sanctuary resolutions. Hina’s ability to connect across many constituencies is valuable in building DSA in the NoVA suburbs, exurbs, and rural communities.
Hina’s challenging Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a first term Congressman and a supporter of the Israeli genocide. Just this past August, protesters marched through downtown Leesburg to his office denouncing this position. In fact, his top contributor in 2024 was AIPAC. As socialists and humanists, we cannot allow this Representative to continue in office without a fight. Public opinion is rising against this lobby and Hina, a strong human rights supporter and fighter against the genocide of Palestinians, will have a strong wind behind her as she challenges Subramanyam. I understand that it will be difficult work. I also know that our Chapter and DSA nationally is growing larger every day and that we must provide opportunities to fight this rotten capitalistic system. Hina’s campaign provides us a battlefield on which to fight.
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/suhas-subramanyam/summary?cid=N00054085&cycle=2024
AGAINST by Ken B
I believe it would be a grave mistake to endorse Hina Ansari. Our chapter program states, “We are Organizing to Win. We cannot achieve the change we need by losing. Moral victories will not sustain us or grow our movement. Workers demand material changes in their lives that will prove that future victories are possible. Not every undertaking of ours must win, but we should be able to win and learn from our every undertaking.” We cannot achieve victory in this race. It is too large a district with too high a win number and a low density of members, and we would be unable to move capacity from other regions as we are likely to endorse in DC and both Maryland counties. Our electoral muscles in Virginia alone are currently relatively weak–we have not endorsed there since 2021 and have not won there since 2017. Due to the scale of this race, we could not even make a substantial impact without diverting resources from other, more winnable races, and we would still likely lose. This is not a risk we should take.
I want to stress that this does not mean electoral organizing in Virginia is fruitless or impossible, merely that this is the wrong race at the wrong time. On the contrary, we must build a strong electoral project in Nova so that we can fight for demands like public sector bargaining at the state and county level, a statewide PRO Act, better tenant protections, and dismantling VIAB. But this has to start small, at the city, county, and maybe state levels, similar to our work in Maryland. I believe a good first step towards building a Nova Electoral project would be to organize car pools from Virginia to canvas for Imara Crooms in Prince George’s County District 9. Imara’s race will be difficult, for many of the same reasons Hina’s is impossible–a spread out and not very walkable region far from our core membership areas, though due to the smaller scale we can still win–and this additional support could potentially be the difference between electing a strong cadre candidate to build local power or not. After the primary, we may have an opportunity to bring the chapter’s full capacity to bear on a ballot measure in Virginia: the “Yes on All 3” ballot measure campaign to protect reproductive freedom and gay marriage, and restore voting rights to felons. This is an excellent opportunity to invest resources into a campaign in Nova and build towards challenging in state and local races in 2027.
We must think strategically about our endorsements. A congressional race that we will not win is not a strategic use of resources. The right moment to build in Nova is fast approaching, and we should wait for that moment rather than throwing away resources on a campaign that is beyond our capabilities. Please vote NO on endorsing Hina Ansari for this race.
Per section 6.5 of our bylaws, “recognized caucuses shall have the right to publish statements and proposals in public forums for the local, subject to the moderation of that forum.” Metro DC DSA’s Groundwork Caucus has submitted a recommendation AGAINST endorsing Hina Ansari. The caucus’ full writeup and analysis can be found here.
We do not believe this is a winnable race, or even a potentially competitive one. We hope Hina remains active in the chapter and perhaps resets with a run for a more manageable office as we rebuild our electoral program in Northern Virginia.
AGAINST by Tim S
Just under 45,000 people voted in the last primary election for this district, VA-10, and just over 413,000 people voted in the general election. If we want a cleaner comparison, uncontaminated by the presidential election, just over 296,000 people voted in this district’s general election in 2022. This is a purple district far from our membership base: we cannot provide significant volunteer support (and it would take an unprecedented number of doors for us to make a difference even if we could!), a paper endorsement from us is more likely to hurt than to help, and that’s only in the primary! We cannot make anything close to a dent in a race with a win number of nearly 150,000, and I am baffled that anyone thinks we could. Furthermore, these races are phenomenally expensive – it’s not uncommon for candidates to spend 10-20 million dollars to win. Hina has not raised a fraction of this amount; she has in fact raised less than many of the candidates we are considering for local offices, with manageable win numbers. There is no chance that we win this race, and no chance that we even make a credible statement while losing. On the flipside, endorsing a hopeless candidate makes us look unserious, and wasting volunteers’ time hollows out our electoral project in NoVa. If you want our electoral project to succeed, it is imperative that you join me in voting no on this endorsement.