Resolution 20-12-R04
Resolution to Hold an Endorsement Vote for Karishma Mehta, candidate for Virginia’s 49th District in the House of Delegates
Sponsors: Alex H.
Co-Sponsors: Aliyah K, Diego J, Eric S, Helena K, Kaiser F, Maria B, Zeina H
Background:
Whereas Virginia is one of only two states with high profile elections in 2021, with VA primaries being held on June 8th, 2021, and the district win number being 3500 votes of 50k voters;
Whereas Karishma Mehta is a former Bernie Sanders Victory Captain, former candidate for MDC-DSA steering committee, current DSA member working to increase socialist power in Virginia, and has applied for official endorsement from the Metro DC DSA chapter and completed the endorsement questionnaire;
Whereas Karishma has committed to running an anti-poverty socialist campaign and championing universal healthcare, housing, and education policies; rent control and tenant protection; wealth and corporate taxation; a Green New Deal and pipeline moratorium; defunding Virginia police; and campaign finance reform with RCV and publicly funded elections;
Whereas endorsing and working to elect Karishma means electing a true people’s candidate, who refuses corporate donations and monopoly influence, who will work exclusively for working class communities, not corporations and the wealthy few; and who has committed to 2 election cycles against incumbent Delegate Alfonso Lopez;
Whereas Karishma is an organizer against Amazon HQ2, which is building its presence in the 49th district and surrounding DMV areas; fueling gentrification; surveilling union activists; partnering with law enforcement, and threatening the lives of workers and the community at-large;
Whereas incumbent Delegate Alfonso Lopez has not requested a Metro DC DSA endorsement or filled out the questionnaire; and has displayed leadership antithetical to DSA values and policies, including whipping votes for the VCEA that gave fossil fuel giant Dominion Energy more monopoly power, profiting thousands off of immigrant abuse at ICA-Farmville detention facility, and showing complacency towards Amazon which is fueling gentrification, surveillance, and food insecurity in the 49th district;
Whereas former efforts to support locally-endorsed candidates have been successful through mobilization of DSA member base despite strong establishment opposition and extremely well-funded opponents;
Resolution
Therefore, be it resolved that the general body of Metro DC DSA authorizes the DSA electoral working group to organize, phonebank, distribute literature, and provide holistic support on behalf of the chapter-endorsed candidate for 2021 Virginia House of Delegates election;
Resolved, that Metro DC DSA endorses Karishma Mehta in her race to represent the working people of House District 49 in the Virginia General Assembly.
Metro DC DSA members are able to submit written statements on resolutions coming to the General Body for a vote. All written statements are included on the ballot that is emailed to members following our General Body Meeting. In order to have a statement included on the ballot you must submit your statement by 11:59 pm the day before the GBM of the final read.
To submit a statement visit reddesk.mdcdsa.org, select “Open a New Ticket” and then select “Agenda Item/Submit a Statement” from the drop down menu. From there you can submit the text of your statement. Only statements submitted in this fashion will be included in official communications.
Please email secretary@mdcdsa.org if you have any questions.