In June, Chokwe Lumumba, Jr. was elected mayor of Jackson, Mississippi on a platform that promised to make it the "most radical city on the planet;" this week, Randall Woodfin creamed incumbent opponent William Bell in the mayoral race for Birmingham, Alabama, with a platform that promised free community college for Birmingham high-school grads, expanded pre-K, and more money for public transit and job training.
Both candidates were supported by Our Revolution, a Sander-ist activist group that represents the left wing of the Democratic party.
Next up is the November mayoral race in Atlanta, between Democratic establishment favorite Kasim Reed (whose scandal-haunted tenure received an enthusiastic endorsement from Dem establishment hero Kamala Harris) and a slate of candidates that includes Sanders/Our Revolution-backed radical Vincent Fort, who is riding on a tide of progressive policies enacted by the city with his campaigning, from a $15 minimum wage to limited marijuana decriminalization.
Should Fort succeed, the largest cities in Mississippi, Alabama, and Atlanta will be run by mayors running from anti-establishment to downright radical — all within the span of six months of elections.
POPULISTS ARE ON THE MARCH IN THE SOUTH: BERNIE-BACKED INSURGENT RANDALL WOODFIN DEFEATS BIRMINGHAM’S INCUMBENT MAYOR [Zaid Jilani/The Intercept]
(Image: NatalieMaynor, CC-BY)
