Marxist Unity Group-New York City statement on the Jamaal Bowman endorsement
NYC-DSA has been approached for a last minute endorsement of Jamaal Bowman for the Democratic primary in the 16th Congressional district. There are mere weeks left to go before the June 25 election, leaving no time for NYC-DSA’s usual multi-step endorsement process. Given the organizational strife caused by Bowman’s vote to support Iron Dome funding as a DSA-endorsed congressperson in 2021, a fresh wave of debate has erupted within the chapter and DSA. Members of NYC-DSA have been discussing the strategic considerations around the endorsement. One concern rises to the top above all others—how do we avoid repeating history?
Marxist Unity Group NYC implores fellow DSA members to condition any possible endorsement of Jamaal Bowman on pledges to support DSA and its political and organizational principles. Firstly, we ask that he pledge public support of the BDS movement and that a firm line be drawn against funding Israel’s Iron Dome and providing other economic aid. In addition, we ask that Bowman work to establish a “Federal Socialists in Office” slate with other DSA endorsees in Congress and to build unity of program through bloc voting, cross-endorsing our candidates, and using his office to grow DSA.
Unfortunately, Bowman has not made either of these pledges to the chapter thus far. Moreover, it does not appear that chapter leadership is interested in asking these important questions as we prepare to vote. The questionnaire sent to Bowman by the leadership of NYC-DSA is completely inappropriate for any Congressional endorsement, let alone for the catalyst of the fiercest political debate in DSA of the last few years. Certainly, this represents a lack of vision on the part of Bowman, who does not appear to have made any of the above pledges in his responses. More importantly, it reflects on the drafters themselves, who did not seem to be invested in pointing Bowman towards answering these questions. Declining to ask even the mildest direct question how his previous actions have impacted DSA and what relationship he will have with DSA in the future does a disservice to us all. These questions are even more important given the irregular and rushed endorsement process.
This is a failure of the leadership of NYC-DSA. This process has given us an opportunity to present our expectations for a relationship with a Congressional candidate. Unfortunately, the biggest questions about Bowman's future conduct still remain unanswered. While we hope that the candidate forum will offer some opportunity to correct these silences, the format of the town hall leaves little room for serious discussion of these points.
To wield power, we need to fight to organize our elected officials according to revolutionary strategic principles. It will be up to members to ask at the candidate forum about the three things MUG members in NYC think are essential to earn a chapter endorsement. NYC-DSA members need to know if Bowman can:
Publicly commit to DSA’s democratically decided support of the BDS movement and not vote for military or economic aid to Israel,
Agree to form a Federal Socialists in Office bloc and a Congressional Socialist Caucus with other allied legislators, and
Articulate how his previous actions have impacted DSA and explain how he wishes to sustain our relationship going forward.
As the Bowman campaign reaches out at the conclusion of a close race, we should be seizing this opportunity to set expectations for how to be a socialist in Congress. Conflict is not prevented by refusing to ask necessary questions. A multi-tendency organization requires people with different political perspectives to work together on shared goals. More ideologically narrow organizations find unity by limiting their membership. In DSA we must find our unity through open political discussion and the democratic process. We cannot hesitate to ask the tough questions—to fail to do so prevents members from being able to weigh their options and cast an informed vote. We must prove that we learned something from the past. We must openly discuss expectations and conditions before endorsement.
