List of Communist Party USA members who have held office in the United States

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This is a list of American politicians who are members of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and who have held elected office in the United States. CPUSA has run candidates on an explicit Communist ticket, on tickets of third parties (such as the Nonpartisan League), and on Democratic tickets. See also: List of Communist Party USA election results.

History

In a 1934 Daily Worker article, the Communist Party claimed that "party candidates" had won office in a dozen communities, including two mayors (Emil Nygard of Crosby, Minnesota and Bill Young of Platte Township, Michigan) and several councilmen.[1] By 1964 however, the party claimed only three "party candidates": New York City Councilmen Peter V. Cacchione and Benjamin J. Davis Jr., and "a mayor in a Montana community no longer recalled."[2]

Federal officials

As of 2025, two Communist Party members have been elected to office in the federal government.

Lower houses

Former (2)

Name District State Office Term start Term end Notes Ref
Hugh De Lacy WA-01 Washington House of Representatives January 3, 1945 January 3, 1947 ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist [3]
John Bernard MN-08 Minnesota House of Representatives January 3, 1937 January 3, 1939 ran as Farmer–Labor Party candidate, future Communist [4][5]

State officials

As of 2025, eleven Communist Party members have been elected to office in a state government.

Upper houses

Former (1)

Name District State Office Term start Term end Notes Ref
Charles E. Taylor Sheridan County Montana Senate January 1, 1923 January 5, 1931 ran as Montana Farmer-Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist [6][7][8]

Lower houses

Former (10)

Name District State Office Term start Term end Notes Ref
William J. Pennock 35th Washington House of Representatives January 9, 1939 January 13, 1947 ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist [9][10]
Kathryn Fogg 31st Washington House of Representatives January 9, 1939 January 13, 1941 ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist [11][12]
Ellsworth C. Wills 34th Washington House of Representatives January 9, 1939 January 13, 1941 ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist [11]
H. C. Armstrong 33rd Washington House of Representatives January 11, 1937 January 10, 1949 ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist [11][12]
A. C. Miller 41st North Dakota House of Representatives January 6, 1925 January 4, 1927 ran as Nonpartisan League candidate, open Workers Party member [13][14]
Robert Larson Sheridan County Montana House of Representatives January 5, 1925 January 7, 1929 ran as Farmer–Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist [15][16]
Clair Stoner Sheridan County Montana House of Representatives January 3, 1921 January 5, 1925 ran as Democratic-Republican-Nonpartisan League candidate, but not open Communist [15][16][17]
William F. Dunne Silver Bow County Montana House of Representatives January 6, 1919 January 3, 1921 ran as Democratic-Nonpartisan League candidate, future Communist [18]
Benjamin Gitlow 3rd Bronx New York State Assembly January 1, 1918 December 31, 1918 ran as Socialist Party candidate, future Communist [19]
Seymour Stedman 13th Illinois House of Representatives January 8, 1913 January 6, 1915 ran as Socialist Party candidate, future Communist [20]

Local officials

As of 2025, twenty-one Communist Party members have been elected to a mayor's, city council, or other office.

Mayors

Former (2)

Name State Area Office District Term start Term end Notes Ref
Bill Young Michigan Platte Mayor At-Large 1934 [1][21]
Karl Emil Nygard Minnesota Crosby Mayor[a] At-Large January 3, 1933 January 2, 1934 [22]

City and county councils

Current (2)

Name State Area Office District Term start Term end Notes Ref
Hannah Shvets New York Ithaca Common Council Ward 5 January 2026 January 2030 ran as Democratic Party candidate, open Communist Party member [23][24]
Daniel Carson Maine Bangor City Council At-large January 2026 January 2029 ran as independent candidate, open Communist Party member [23][25]

Former (13)

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 [26]
Wahsayah Whitebird Wisconsin Ashland City Council Ward 6 April 17, 2019 April 2021 [27]
Denise Winebrenner Edwards Pennsylvania Wilkinsburg Borough Council Ward 3 January 1998 January 2010 ran as Democratic Party candidate, but also open Communist Party member [28][29]
Kenny Jones Missouri St. Louis Board of Aldermen Ward 22 1983 2002 [30]
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
Hugh De Lacy Washington Seattle City Council At-large June 7, 1937 May 28, 1940 ran as Democratic Party candidate, but not open Communist [3]
Frank Mucci Illinois Taylor Springs Village Board 1934 1938 [31][32][33]
Frank Panscik Illinois Taylor Springs Village Board 1934 1936 [31][32][34]
Frank Prickett Illinois Taylor Springs Village Board 1934 1935 [31][32][34]
Andy Psak Illinois Taylor Springs Village Board 1934 [34]
Andy Gricevich Illinois Benld City Council 1934 [35][36]
Peter Smilovich Minnesota Trommald Village Council c. 1932 [1]
John Buksa Jr. Ohio Yorkville City Council c. 1931 c. 1941 ran as Independent candidate, open Communist Party member [37][38][39]

Other local officials

Current (1)

Name State Area Office District Term start Term end Notes Ref
Luisa de Paula Santos Massachusetts Cambridge School Committee At-large January 2026 January 2028 ran as Independent candidate, open Communist Party member [40][41]

Former (3)

Name State Area Office District Term start Term end Notes Ref
Steve McKiddy Kentucky Carpenter School Board 1932 [42][43]
Rodney Salisbury Montana Sheridan County Sheriff At-Large 1922 1928 ran as Montana Farmer-Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist [7]
Hans Rasmussen Montana Sheridan County Surveyor At-Large 1922 1928 ran as Montana Farmer-Labor Party candidate, but not open Communist [16]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Called "President of the Village Council".

References

  1. ^ a b c "COMMUNIST VICTORIES AT POLLS SPUR ELECTION EFFORTS". Daily Worker. New York. September 27, 1934. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "Benjamin J. Davis, 60, Is Dead; Secretary of Communist Party; Former City Councilman Was"One of 11 Reds Convicted for Conspiracy in '49". The New York Times. New York. August 24, 1964. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Harvey Klehr, The Heyday of American Communism: The Depression Decade. New York: Basic Books, 1984; pg. 256.
  4. ^ https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/B000411
  5. ^ Haynes, John Earl (1984). Dubious Alliance: The Making of Minnesota's DFL Party. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9780816613243.
  6. ^ "Charles E. Taylor". Ballotpedia.
  7. ^ a b "The Communists of Sheridan County". Montana Senior News. December 1, 2019.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Pension Society Head Admits Lie". Associated Press. July 30, 1953. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  10. ^ Black, Gordon; Salter, Daren; Gregory, James. "Who's Who in the Communist Party of Washington State". depts.washington.edu. University of Washington. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Countryman, Vern (1951). Un-American Activities in the State of Washington. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. pp. 44–48. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Phipps, Jennifer. "Washington Commonwealth Federation & Washington Pension Union". depts.washington.edu. University of Washington. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  13. ^ "North Dakota's Communist Legislator". The Workers Monthly. Vol. IV, no. 6. April 1925. pp. 272–273. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  14. ^ "CONVENTION MAY ADOPT A COMPLETE PLATFORM". The Bismarck Tribune. Bismarck. December 18, 1925. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Waldron, Ellis (1958). An Atlas of Montana Politics Since 1864. Missoula: Montana State University Press. pp. 180, 190, 202, 214, 224. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c McDonald, Verlaine Stoner (2010). The Red Corner: The Rise and Fall of Communism in Northeastern Montana. Montana Historical Society. pp. 51, 68–69, 73–74, 93, 99, 102, 119–120, 161–162, 173–174. ISBN 978-0-9759196-7-5.
  17. ^ Manning, Richard (2009). Rewilding the West: Restoration in a Prairie Landscape. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-5202565-8-3. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  18. ^ Pedersen, Vernon L. (Summer 2017). "The Most Dangerous Man in Montana: Corruption, Communism, and Bill Dunne". Montana The Magazine of Western History. 67 (2): 43–61. JSTOR 26322816.
  19. ^ Gitlow, Benjamin (1940). I Confess: The Truth About American Communism. E. P. Dutton & Co. pp. 4 (background), 5–6 (family), 283 (Nov 1925), 284–287 (Dec 11 1925), 523 (1928–1929). Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  20. ^ Howard, Milton (November 29, 1942). "Running Mate of Debs, Now He's a Communist". The Worker. New York. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  21. ^ "RED MAYOR". The Producers News. Plentywood. April 27, 1934. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ a b Atkins, C.J. "Communist Party members run for office, strengthening communities and building coalitions". People's World. Longview Publishing Inc. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  24. ^ "First of the City and Last of the State: Benjamin Nichols and Ithaca's Flirtations with Socialism". Cosmonaut. Archived from the original on October 1, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  25. ^ Rupertus, Annie (October 1, 2025). "City Council candidate wants Bangor to invest in housing and public services". bangordailynews.com. Bangor: Bangor Daily News. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  26. ^ "Borough Council". Wilkinsburg Borough Council.
  27. ^ Johnson, Earchiel (May 7, 2019). "Native American communist topples incumbent council president in Wisconsin town". People's World. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  28. ^ Pecinovsky, Tony (May 8, 2020). "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.
  29. ^ "Ballot Access News -- December 5, 1997". www.ballot-access.org. Retrieved August 2, 2020. 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.
  30. ^ Pecinovsky, Tony (May 8, 2020). "100 years of CPUSA: A critical reply to "Jacobin"". Communist Party USA. Retrieved August 2, 2020. In 1983, the African American Communist Kenny Jones became the alderman of the 22nd Ward in St. Louis (...)
  31. ^ a b c "Support Fight On Syndicalism". Daily Worker. New York. February 7, 1935. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  32. ^ a b c Mucci, Frank (April 23, 1935). "Taylor Springs Workers Back Communists". Daily Worker. New York. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  33. ^ Reinhardt, George (February 6, 1955). "Coal Miner, War Hero, Communist". The Worker. New York. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  34. ^ a b c "Three C. P. Members Elected To Office by Illinois Miners". Daily Worker. New York. April 30, 1934. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  35. ^ "Communists Win in City Elections". Daily Worker. New York. April 28, 1934. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  36. ^ "CORRECTION". Daily Worker. New York. May 8, 1934. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  37. ^ "Communist Councilman Buksa Spurs Jobless Relief Fight". Daily Worker. New York. January 16, 1932. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  38. ^ Myers, George S. (1934). Ohio Roster of Municipal and Township Officers and Members of Boards of Education 1934-1935. Cleveland: Consolidated Press & Printing Co. p. 182. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  39. ^ Griffith, Earl (1940). Ohio Roster of Municipal and Township Officers and Members of Boards of Education 1940-1941. Cleveland: Consolidated Press & Printing Co. p. 219. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  40. ^ "Exclusive | Communist Party wins big in local elections after 40-year break | New York Post". November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  41. ^ Meduri, Matt (November 20, 2025). "Communism in the U.S." Messenger Papers. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  42. ^ "4 COMMUNIST NOMINEES IN KY. ELECTED". Daily Worker. New York. July 15, 1932. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  43. ^ "FOUR COMMUNISTS ARE ELECTED IN KENTUCKY". St. Louis Argus. St. Louis. July 22, 1932. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
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