Interview with 2014 SP California State Assembly Candidate Mimi Soltysik

7 April 2014

By Jen McClellan
The Socialist 

"JEN MCCLELLAN: What does it mean to be running as a socialist? (What do you hope to accomplish?)

MIMI SOLTYSIK: Initially we (as in the L.A. Local and the Ventura Local folks that frequently participate in the L.A. Local affairs) wanted to use the campaign as another way to talk to the community about democratic socialism. We’re using the campaign to bring new members into the local and to help with local projects. We initially had to consider “can we even get on the ballot?” And now that we’re on the ballot, it gives us another round of opportunities to get down with the community about democratic socialism, to hear from them about what they face, what their feelings are about their working conditions, education, the environment, and things like that. It has enabled us to broaden a dialog with the community, and we are learning a lot.

JEN MCCLELLAN: Have you ever done anything like this before?

MIMI SOLTYSIK: I worked with the Socialist Party’s presidential campaign in 2012 but I wasn’t the candidate. That experience was more about looking at things on a macro level because that was a national campaign. This feels a bit more intimate because the people that we have these discussions with, engage with, and establish these relationships with, tend to be neighbors; so it is a bit different.

JEN MCCLELLAN: So this campaign is more about the experience and less focused on winning?

MIMI SOLTYSIK: We’re just trying to add another contribution toward the advance of the socialist movement. We try to use every tool we can to do that, and that can include an electoral campaign. We understand that we’re not going to fight toe-to-toe with our big-moneyed Democratic Party and GOP challengers who are going to outspend us 200 to 1. We may use some more unorthodox tactics, perhaps guerrilla tactics to narrow the gap. We are certainly being realistic about what we’re up against and who the challengers are.  I was really inspired by Pat Noble’s campaign in 2012, and at the end of the day, if we can learn some new things locally, and develop closer relationships with the community, that’s fantastic!

JEN MCCLELLAN: I’ve noticed since I have begun telling people (co-workers, professors, fellow students, members of other leftist groups) the SPUSA is running a candidate it seems they’ve begun taking us more seriously. Why do you think that is?

MIMI SOLTYSIK: So many people have a familiarity with the electoral process, and this is another reason we chose to run an electoral campaign. This is a language that is widely understood, in my opinion. So part of it is involving ourselves in a relationship that people are already comfortable and familiar with. Flatly rejecting electoral politics is, to me, somewhat like saying, “I don’t care about going to where people are at.” It would be like choosing to pull yourself out of touch with what people know. So it makes sense to me that people would take socialism or the SPUSA more seriously when we talk about something they’re more familiar with. There’s a built in dialogue because they understand the language of an election. . . ."

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