The following American politicians are members of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) who have held elected office in the United States. The CPUSA used to field candidates under its own banner, or under the banner of a third party, such as the Nonpartisan League.
Federal officials[edit]
As of 2023[update], no Communist Party member has been elected to office in the federal government.
State officials[edit]
As of 2023[update], one Communist Party member has been elected to office in a state government.
Upper houses[edit]
Former (1)[edit]
| Name | District | State | Office | Term Start | Term End | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles E. Taylor | unk | Montana | Senate | January 5, 1925 | March 13, 1929 | ran as Montana Farmer-Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist | [1][2][3] |
Local officials[edit]
As of 2023[update], six Communist Party members have been elected to a mayor's office or city council office.
Mayors[edit]
Former (1)[edit]
| Name | State | Area | Office | District | Term Start | Term End | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Emil Nygard | Minnesota | Crosby | Mayor[a] | At-Large | January 3, 1933 | January 2, 1934 | [4] |
City and county councils[edit]
Current (1)[edit]
| Name | State | Area | Office | District | Term Start | Term End | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denise Winebrenner Edwards | Pennsylvania | Wilkinsburg | Borough Council | Ward 3 | January 2018 | January 2024 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but also open Communist Party member | [5] |
Former (5)[edit]
| Name | State | Area | Office | District | Term Start | Term End | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wahsayah Whitebird | Wisconsin | Ashland | City Council | Ward 6 | April 17, 2019 | April 2021 | [6] | |
| Denise Winebrenner Edwards | Pennsylvania | Wilkinsburg | Borough Council | Ward 3 | January 1998 | January 2010 | ran as Democratic Party candidate, but also open Communist Party member | [7][8] |
| Kenny Jones | Missouri | St. Louis | Board of Aldermen | Ward 22 | 1983 | 2002 | [9] | |
| Benjamin J. Davis Jr. | New York | New York City | City Council | At-large | March 1, 1943 | December 31, 1949 | ||
| Peter Cacchione | New York | New York City | City Council | At-large | January 1, 1942 | November 6, 1947 |
Other local officials[edit]
Former (1)[edit]
| Name | State | Area | Office | District | Term Start | Term End | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodney Salisbury | Montana | Sheridan County | Sheriff | At-Large | 1922 | 1928 | ran as Montana Farmer-Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist | [2] |
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Called "President of the Village Council".
References[edit]
- ^ "Charles E. Taylor". Ballotpedia.
- ^ a b "The Communists of Sheridan County". Montana Senior News. 2019-12-01.
- ^ Dyson, Lowell K. (1972). "The Red Peasant International in America". The Journal of American History. 58 (4): 958–973. doi:10.2307/1917853. ISSN 0021-8723. JSTOR 1917853.
- ^ Kreighbaum, Hillier (December 16, 1932). "Communist Mayor-Elect of Crosby, Minn., Tells of Plans". The Bakersfield Californian. Bakersfield, CA. p. 7. Retrieved December 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Borough Council". Wilkinsburg Borough Council.
- ^ Johnson, Earchiel (2019-05-07). "Native American communist topples incumbent council president in Wisconsin town". People's World. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ Pecinovsky, Tony (2020-05-08). "100 years of CPUSA: A critical reply to "Jacobin"". Communist Party USA.
And in 1997, Denise Winebrenner Edwards was elected to the Wilkinsburg, PA, city council.
- ^ "Ballot Access News -- December 5, 1997". www.ballot-access.org. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
On November 4, Denise Winebrenner Edwards was elected to the Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania borough council. Although she was a Democratic Party nominee, she is also a leader of the Communist Party, a fact which was well known during the campaign.
- ^ Pecinovsky, Tony (2020-05-08). "100 years of CPUSA: A critical reply to "Jacobin"". Communist Party USA. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
In 1983, the African American Communist Kenny Jones became the alderman of the 22nd Ward in St. Louis (...)