List of Communist Party USA members who have held office in the United States
List of Communist Party USA members who have held public office
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of American politicians who are members of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and who have held elected office in the United States. CPUSA has run candidates on an explicit Communist ticket, on tickets of third parties (such as the Nonpartisan League), and on Democratic tickets. See also: List of Communist Party USA election results.
History
In a 1934 Daily Worker article, the Communist Party claimed that "party candidates" had won office in a dozen communities, including two mayors (Emil Nygard of Crosby, Minnesota and Bill Young of Platte Township, Michigan) and several councilmen.[1] By 1964 however, the party claimed only three "party candidates": New York City Councilmen Peter V. Cacchione and Benjamin J. Davis Jr., and "a mayor in a Montana community no longer recalled."[2]
Federal officials
As of 2026[update], two Communist Party members have been elected to office in the federal government.
Lower houses
Former (2)
| Name | District | State | Office | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh De Lacy | WA-01 | Washington | House of Representatives | January 3, 1945 | January 3, 1947 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist | [3] |
| John Bernard | MN-08 | Minnesota | House of Representatives | January 3, 1937 | January 3, 1939 | ran as Farmer–Labor Party candidate, future Communist | [4][5] |
State officials
As of 2026[update], eleven Communist Party members have been elected to office in a state government.
Upper houses
Former (1)
| Name | District | State | Office | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles E. Taylor | Sheridan County | Montana | Senate | January 1, 1923 | January 5, 1931 | ran as Montana Farmer-Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist | [6][7][8] |
Lower houses
Former (10)
| Name | District | State | Office | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William J. Pennock | 35th | Washington | House of Representatives | January 9, 1939 | January 13, 1947 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist | [9][10] |
| Kathryn Fogg | 31st | Washington | House of Representatives | January 9, 1939 | January 13, 1941 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist | [11][12] |
| Ellsworth C. Wills | 34th | Washington | House of Representatives | January 9, 1939 | January 13, 1941 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist | [11] |
| H. C. Armstrong | 33rd | Washington | House of Representatives | January 11, 1937 | January 10, 1949 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist | [11][12] |
| A. C. Miller | 41st | North Dakota | House of Representatives | January 6, 1925 | January 4, 1927 | ran as Nonpartisan League candidate, open Workers Party member | [13][14] |
| Robert Larson | Sheridan County | Montana | House of Representatives | January 5, 1925 | January 7, 1929 | ran as Farmer–Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist | [15][16] |
| Clair Stoner | Sheridan County | Montana | House of Representatives | January 3, 1921 | January 5, 1925 | ran as Democratic-Republican-Nonpartisan League candidate, but not open Communist | [15][16][17] |
| William F. Dunne | Silver Bow County | Montana | House of Representatives | January 6, 1919 | January 3, 1921 | ran as Democratic-Nonpartisan League candidate, future Communist | [18] |
| Benjamin Gitlow | 3rd Bronx | New York | State Assembly | January 1, 1918 | December 31, 1918 | ran as Socialist Party candidate, future Communist | [19] |
| Seymour Stedman | 13th | Illinois | House of Representatives | January 8, 1913 | January 6, 1915 | ran as Socialist Party candidate, future Communist | [20] |
Local officials
As of 2026[update], twenty-four Communist Party members have been elected to a mayor's, city council, or other office.
Mayors
Former (2)
City and county councils
Current (2)
| Name | State | Area | Office | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hannah Shvets | New York | Ithaca | Common Council | Ward 5 | January 2026 | January 2030 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, open Communist Party member | [23][24] |
| Daniel Carson | Maine | Bangor | City Council | At-large | January 2026 | January 2029 | nonpartisan election | [23][25] |
Former (14)
| Name | State | Area | Office | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Semok | Montana | Columbia Falls | City Council | At-Large | January 2026 | July 2026 | nonpartisan election | [26][27][28] |
| Denise Winebrenner Edwards | Pennsylvania | Wilkinsburg | Borough Council | Ward 3 | January 2018 | January 2024 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but also open Communist Party member | [29] |
| Wahsayah Whitebird | Wisconsin | Ashland | City Council | Ward 6 | April 17, 2019 | April 17, 2021 | [30] | |
| Denise Winebrenner Edwards | Pennsylvania | Wilkinsburg | Borough Council | Ward 3 | January 1998 | January 2010 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but also open Communist Party member | [31][32] |
| Kenny Jones | Missouri | St. Louis | Board of Aldermen | Ward 22 | 1983 | 2002 | [33] | |
| Benjamin J. Davis Jr. | New York | New York City | City Council | Manhattan At-large | January 1, 1944 | November 29, 1949 | ||
| Peter Cacchione | New York | New York City | City Council | Brooklyn At-large | January 1, 1942 | November 6, 1947 | first open member of the Communist Party elected to public office in the state of New York | [34] |
| Hugh De Lacy | Washington | Seattle | City Council | At-large | June 7, 1937 | May 28, 1940 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist | [3] |
| Frank Mucci | Illinois | Taylor Springs | Village Board | 1934 | 1938 | [35][36][37] | ||
| Frank Panscik | Illinois | Taylor Springs | Village Board | 1934 | 1936 | [35][36][38] | ||
| Frank Prickett | Illinois | Taylor Springs | Village Board | 1934 | 1935 | [35][36][38] | ||
| Andy Psak | Illinois | Taylor Springs | Village Board | 1934 | [38] | |||
| Andy Gricevich | Illinois | Benld | City Council | 1934 | [39][40] | |||
| Peter Smilovich | Minnesota | Trommald | Village Council | c. 1932 | [1] | |||
| John Buksa Jr. | Ohio | Yorkville | City Council | c. 1931 | c. 1941 | ran as Independent candidate, open Communist Party member | [41][42][43] |
Other local officials
Current (1)
| Name | State | Area | Office | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luisa de Paula Santos | Massachusetts | Cambridge | School Committee | At-large | January 2026 | January 2028 | nonpartisan election | [44][45] |
Former (3)
| Name | State | Area | Office | District | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve McKiddy | Kentucky | Carpenter | School Board | 1932 | [46][47] | |||
| Rodney Salisbury | Montana | Sheridan County | Sheriff | At-Large | 1922 | 1928 | ran as Montana Farmer-Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist | [7] |
| Hans Rasmussen | Montana | Sheridan County | Surveyor | At-Large | 1922 | 1928 | ran as Montana Farmer-Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist | [16] |
See also
- Other lists:
- History of the socialist movement in the United States
- History of the Communist Party USA
- Kshama Sawant, a former Seattle City Councilmember and member of Socialist Alternative, a Trotskyist political party
- Lee J. Carter, a former Virginia State Delegate who identifies as a communist
- Sammie Abbott, a self-described Marxist who was elected Mayor of Takoma Park, Maryland in 1980
- Jesse Gray, a New York State Assemblyman who supported some Communists in elections and was alleged to have organized the CPUSA in Harlem
- Washington State Senators N. P. Atkinson, Ernest Thor Olson and Thomas C. Rabbitt, and Washington State Representatives Emma Taylor Harman, George S. Hurley, Michael B. Smith and Pearl Thrasher, state legislators who, like Pennock, were named as party members, but were never proven to be
- Lenus Westman, a former member of the Communist Party who was elected to the Washington State Senate but was denied his seat
- Si Gerson, who became the first Communist to hold any appointed office in New York City when he was appointed Confidential Examiner to the Borough President of Manhattan in 1938
- Anna Louise Strong, a Seattle School Board member who supported the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China
- George W. Albright, a Reconstruction era Mississippi State Senator who abandoned the Republican Party and praised the Communist Party for nominating a black man, James W. Ford, for Vice President
- Joseph Weydemeyer, an early associate of Karl Marx who was elected St. Louis County Auditor in 1865
- August Willich, an early associate of Karl Marx who was elected Hamilton County Auditor in 1866
Notes
- Called "President of the Village Council".
