By: Trevor Loudon | New Zeal

Khalid Kamau, a member of the Marxist Democratic Socialists of America has resoundingly won a City Council seat in South Fulton, Georgia’s second largest city.

Also Black Lives Matter activist and Democratic Party member, Khalid Kamau, won 43% of the vote in a five-way primary, then 67% in the April 18th run-off.

Kamau’s impressive victory was won with massive DSA support. Marxists from across the country volunteered in, donated to and phone banked for comrade Kamau’s campaign.

According to Pittsburgh DSA:

Thanks to the work of DSA chapters across the country, including Pittsburgh DSA, Khalid Kamau won a whopping 43% of the vote in a five-way race. Our work helped put Khalid in a commanding 1st place, but it was short of the majority needed to win outright. Now we need to work together to put him over the top in the run-off election, so he can help advance the struggle for municipal victories around wages and housing.

“Far too many elected officials start their day thinking of your boss instead of you — but the working people of South Fulton will have a City Council member on their side: Khalid Kamau,” explained Maria Svart, Democratic Socialists of America’s national director. “Khalid’s win today is a tremendous victory for his community and a shot across the bow for politics as usual nationwide.”

Erin Parks, a Metro Atlanta DSA chapter member and Kamau campaign volunteer expressed enthusiasm: “Khalid’s campaign and victory prove that teamwork and a people-centered platform can prevail against all odds. His win is a harbinger of things to come in the Metro Atlanta progressive movement.”

Khalid entered today’s runoff election after coming in first place in a five-way primary election held in March with 43%. In that race, khalid won twice as many votes as the next runner up, and the highest percentage of any candidate running for any office in South Fulton. DSA members across the country made thousands of phone calls on behalf of khalid for both rounds of the election.

Khalid Kamau’s victory is part of a much bigger plan. DSA sees the new City of South Fulton as an opportunity to create the largest Progressive city in the South.

At February’s Young Democratic Socialists gathering, “Revolution at the Crossroads: Igniting the Socialist Resistance Against Trump,” Khalid Kamau “highlighted the right wing’s long-term strategy, especially their use of local races as a path for base building and candidate training. He argued that the left also needs to employ this strategy.”

In April 2017, Quad Cities Democratic Socialists of America member Dylan Parker was elected to the Rock Island City Council, 5th Ward Alderman, with DSA support.

Parker was the thirteenth DSA member holding elected office in the country, including Carlos Rosa, Chicago’s 35th Ward Alderman, Mike Sylvester of the Maine House of Representatives and Julie Ann Nitsch Austin Community College Board of Trustee in Texas.

Khalid Kamau’s victory is also indicative of DSA’s strong interest in Georgia. With more than 300 members in Atlanta alone, DSA aims to use upcoming Mayoral, Congressional and the next Gubernatorial race, to return a much more vulnerable than you might think Red State back to the Blue column.

Khalid Kamau’s victory was just a practice run.