New York State Socialists in Office
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- NYC-DSA
- Mid-Hudson Valley DSA
New York State Socialists in Office | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Legislature(s) | New York State Legislature |
| Member parties |
|
| National affiliation | Democratic Socialists of America |
| Leader | Collective leadership |
| Representation | 9 / 213 New York State Assembly 6 / 150 New York State Senate 3 / 63 |
| Ideology | Democratic socialism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Website | https://www.newyorksocialistsinoffice.com |
The New York State Socialists in Office are a bloc within the New York State Legislature consisting of legislators who are members of, and endorsed by, the Democratic Socialists of America.[1] They currently hold 9 seats across the New York State Assembly (6 seats) and New York State Senate (3 seats), 8 of whom are members of NYC-DSA, and 1 being a member of Mid-Hudson Valley DSA, Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha.[2]
Members of the Socialists in Office bloc are expected to attend weekly committee meetings to strategize and coordinate together, on immediate concerns as well as long-term projects.[3] The committee includes not only DSA-endorsed elected officials and their key staffers, but also nonelected members of DSA leadership, such as representatives of issue-specific working groups. Elected legislators who are members of DSA, but were not endorsed by DSA during their election campaigns, are allowed to apply for post-election admittance to the committee.[4]
While serving in the New York State Assembly, Zohran Mamdani, then a member of the committee, credited it as the reason for several legislative accomplishments. He described the coordination and structure of the committee as helping members withstand pressure to betray their principles, calling it "the only answer" to "the coercion, the control, and the consequences that are meted out" in "legislative chambers that are built to corrupt the most well-intentioned, the most capable, and the most talented among us."[5]
