MMDSA Candidate Questionaire - Memphis Midsouth DSA

Your submitted responses will be shared with the members of the Memphis-Midsouth Democratic Socialists of America (MMDSA) Executive and Membership Committees. If the Executive Committee votes to recommend you for endorsement and a full-chapter vote, your responses to the questionnaire may be used to answer questions posed by the chapter members in deliberations at a general meeting. Responses will not be shared publicly.

Candidate Information

Full Name

Pronouns

Phone Number

Zip Code

Please include all of your social media handles that have been active in the last five (5) years

Have you been a member in good standing with Memphis MidSouth DSA for at least 6 months?

What was your DSA join date?

If you have not been a Member in Good Standing with the Memphis-Midsouth DSA for at least six (6) months, you may continue to fill out the questionnaire and submit it to us, but please be aware that your questionnaire will not be officially considered until your qualification status has been decided by the chapter's Executive Committee.

Please email memphisdsa@protonmail.com to learn more about the process of obtaining extraordinary qualification status.

Personal Background

Are you a native Memphian? Have you lived anywhere else? How did you or your family find your way to Memphis?

Please share some background about your education and work history

Are you a union member?

What union are you a member of? When did you join?

Do you actively identify as a socialist or democratic socialist?

Please share the details about your political awakening. When did you begin to identify with socialism? What were the circumstances that led you to begin publicly organizing as a socialist?

Please share some background about your work as an organizer. How long have you been an organizer? What committees have you organized with at MMDSA? What other organizations have you organized with? What organizing projects have you worked on?

Please share any background you may have electorally. Have you served in public office before? Have you worked on campaigns or staffed/interned for elected representatives before? If so, please share your insights - the good, the bad, the ugly, the surprising, etc.

Electoral Information

For what elected position are you running?

Why are you running for this position?

Do you have a credible plan to win your race? Please share as much detail as you can about your current strategy to win - who is your coalition, who are you running against, how many votes will you need to win, how do you plan to get voters to the polls, etc.

Policy Platform

If you had to define one paramount issue your campaign seeks to address, what would that be? Why is it your paramount issue?

Please name three signature policies you will be running on. How will you deliver on these policies should you be elected?

What are your views on policing, the "criminal justice" system, and the carceral state in the Memphis-Midsouth region, and how will you interact with those forces should you be elected? What policies or actions would you support or propose to address the issues within those institutions?

"Crime" is often cited as a leading issue amongst voters in the Memphis-Midsouth region. What are your views on “the crime problem,” and what policies or actions would you support or propose to address the issue of "violent crime" and its perception?

What are your views on housing inequality in the Memphis-Midsouth region, and what are some policies or actions you would support or propose to address this issue?

What are your views on public health, medical debt, and access to healthcare in the Memphis-Midsouth region? What are some policies or actions you would support or propose to address these issues?

Since its inception, Memphis has been a community burdened by racism, inequality and injustice. How will you address this issue as an elected official and as an organizer?

How will you fight to protect the rights and lives of immigrants and undocumented people if elected to office?

How will you fight for reproductive rights if elected to office?

How will you fight to defend the rights of the LGBTQ+ community if elected to office?

Please share your views on the current state of public education, charter schools, and school vouchers. What policies or actions would you support or propose to improve access to high quality public school education for all students in the Memphis-Midsouth region?

As an elected representative, how will you improve the strength and integrity of labor unions in the Memphis-Midsouth region? What are some policies or actions you would propose to increase union membership and solidarity across labor unions in our community?

What policies or actions would you support or propose to revitalize the public transit system in Memphis and make the city more accessible to bicycles and pedestrians?

What policies or actions would you support or propose to combat climate change locally, protect the Memphis Sand Aquifer, and promote environmental justice in Memphis and the Midsouth?

As a public figure, will you commit to naming Israel as an apartheid ethnostate, condemning their actions against the Palestinian people as a genocide, and supporting boycott/divestment/sanction (BDS) policies against the state of Israel? What are some other actions or policies you would support or propose to strengthen solidarity with the Palestinian people?

If elected to office as a vocal socialist, the likelihood of a capital strike cannot be ignored. How would you propose preempting or mitigating a capital strike as an elected official and as an organizer?