Socialist Electoral Work in 2026 Organizing Conference
Following up on our recent statement 2026 - A Call for Independent Socialist Candidates in Massachusetts, the Workers Party of Massachusetts will be hosting a Socialist Electoral Work in 2026 Organizing Conference on October 26, 2025 to begin planning our campaigns and laying the groundwork for a possible socialist electoral alliance as we go forward.
This organizing conference will be open to all Workers Party members and supporters who want to participate in and support these campaigns. We are also inviting socialist organizations and individuals who share our perspectives on the importance of independent socialist political action to attend this conference to discuss concrete ways to engage with Workers Party campaigns and to get the resources needed to put your own candidate on the ballot.
Due to space considerations we are asking all attendees to register to attend this conference. Please visit this link and get in touch if you have any additional questions.
https://workerspartyma.nationbuilder.com/socialist_electoral_work_in_2026_organizing_conference
This conference is co-sponsored by Workers World Party Boston. If your organization would like to co-sponsor this conference please contact us.
V29ya2Vyc1BhcnR5TUEgfCBnbWFpbCAhIGNvbQ== or call/text (617) 297-7239
The Workers Party of Massachusetts has issued a statement calling for independent socialist candidates in 2026 and we are hosting an organizing conference to plan this work. More details will be announced soon.
https://workerspartyma.nationbuilder.com/2026_a2026_-_a_call_for_independent_socialist_candidates_in_massachusetts_call_for_independent_socialist_candidates_in_massachusetts
WORKERS PARTY OF MASSACHUSETTS
2026 - A Call for Independent Socialist Candidates in Massachusetts
The working class is under attack
Since returning to the White House Donald Trump has intensified the war against the working class. Cities are under military occupation, migrant workers are being terrorized by ICE thugs, government workers are being stripped of union representation, LGBTQ people are facing increased discrimination, efforts to promote diverse workplaces and educational institutions are being dismantled, homeless people are being further criminalized, social programs are being slashed, environmental and other regulatory protections are being rolled back, and tariffs are raising prices for workers who are already struggling to get by.
But these attacks on the working class didn’t start with Trump and he isn't doing this alone. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are organizations built to uphold the capitalist system of exploitation. The Democrats may occasionally put forward a candidate with progressive sounding rhetoric but the majority of them are partners with Trump and the Republicans in the bipartisan project of managing the most vicious imperialist power in the world . For decades both of these parties have worked together to fund ICE and other expansions of the police state. Biden and the Democrats funded and facilitated the Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza that Trump is continuing to support. Democrats and Republicans are both tied to Wall St. and the military industrial complex and both parties receive blood money for their support of US imperialism. Neither of these capitalist parties can provide the working class with solutions to the systemic problems we face because both parties are the system and the problem.
We need a Workers Party to fight back
The capitalist class already has two political parties that fight hard to protect the interests of the rich. It’s time for us to build a party of our own that can fight for the working class - a party that rejects capitalism and fights for a socialist future with the working class in political power. We need a Workers Party that is organized in working class communities across Massachusetts - a party that can intervene in election campaigns to expose the true nature of the system and build power in the streets.Until the working class develops a party of our own we will continue to be used and betrayed by parties that rule against our interests.
There is an urgent need, a material basis, and a desire among the working class for a Workers Party of our own. Polling data consistently shows that a majority of the US population is not happy with Trump and does not support his policies. The Democrats are even less popular than Trump and have no credibility with the working class. Most voters want choices besides the Democrats and Republicans and the horrors of capitalism continue to make socialism increasingly popular.
Building a Workers Party at the ballot box and in the streets
Since 2020 the Workers Party of Massachusetts has taken concrete steps to build a serious political party that puts forward working class socialist candidates for political office while participating in mass movements in the streets. Our members and supporters established a Massachusetts political designation which allows people to choose the Workers Party when they register to vote. We have also created a Workers Party Political Action Committee to raise funds and support our endorsed candidates. Our candidates have received thousands of votes as outspoken socialists in several elections since 2020 for the offices of State Representative, State Senator, and State Auditor.
Members of the Workers Party of Massachusetts are also engaged in a wide variety of mass movements and non-electoral organizing activities related to issues that affect the working class. We do not see electoral activity as a substitute for movements in the streets but as a means to unify and amplify these movements. The regular timing of elections provides a platform and constant opportunities to talk about what we want and how we organize to get it.
Socialist consciousness and political organization in working class communities
Despite the popularity of socialism and the growth in membership of socialist organizations in the United States, our movement’s concrete political impact in working class communities is still too small. There are vast working class suburbs and small cities in Massachusetts where the material conditions call for socialist politics and it is way past time that we answer this call by taking responsibility for organizing the working class into a political force that fights for our own interests. The working class is everywhere; we need working class organizations everywhere.
Running independent socialist candidates can help to break our political isolation and create local organizations in working class communities that last beyond election campaigns. Having candidates for office gives socialist groups a reason to go to new places and talk to new people. Elections provide the best opportunity for small political groups to deliver a socialist perspective to an audience of thousands or millions. Independent working class political activity is a bridge that can connect the socialist movement with the masses of workers who would otherwise be left to choose between politicians who represent our oppressors.
Limits of electoral activity
The Workers Party of Massachusetts does not believe that we can vote our way to socialism and we are realistic about the limitations of reforms won at the ballot box but we do see electoral activity as an important arena of struggle that can be utilized as a platform to reach the working class. Only the working class in political power guided by socialist principles can defeat the capitalist ruling class and their miserable system of exploitation. In order to win political power we need to use every opportunity to raise working class consciousness and build socialist organizations. Independent socialist electoral activity is the most direct route to achieve both of those goals.
A call for independent socialist candidates in 2026
A main goal of the Workers Party of Massachusetts is to spread revolutionary socialist politics into working class communities outside the reach of existing organizations by making use of the platform provided by electoral politics. The Workers Party invites all socialist organizations and individuals to adopt this outward looking approach and we encourage everyone to put this approach into action by running candidates for the Massachusetts Legislature in the 2026 elections. Nomination papers for candidates will be available in early February. It takes 150 signatures to get on the ballot as a candidate for State Representative and 300 signatures for the State Senate. The time to start planning is now.
Beyond just calling for candidates, the Workers Party of Massachusetts is willing to offer any assistance and share our experiences to help get other socialists on the ballot, navigate campaign finance laws, and make use of voter lists for outreach. We would also like to explore any possibility of cooperation between campaigns that could lay the groundwork for a broader socialist electoral alliance and plan on hosting a conference focused on socialist electoral work in the Fall of 2026.
Our entire movement would gain from the experience of having a variety of approaches to independent socialist electoral activity and we can learn from each other as we move forward together. We ask all socialist organizations and individuals to seriously consider participating in this effort to offer working class alternatives to the parties of capitalism at the ballot box. If you are interested in running as a Workers Party candidate, are part of a socialist organization that is considering running candidates, or are an unaffiliated individual who is interested in running as an independent socialist candidate we ask you to get in touch to start discussing potential ways to collaborate.
Contact the Workers Party of Massachusetts to get involved or for more information:
WorkersPartyMA.org
V29ya2Vyc1BhcnR5TUEgfCBHbWFpbCAhIGNvbQ== (617)297-7239
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