Kshama Sawant | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Sawant in 2016 | |
| Member of the Seattle City Council | |
| In office January 1, 2014 – January 2, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Conlin |
| Succeeded by | Joy Hollingsworth |
| Constituency | Position 2 (2014–2016) 3rd district (2016–2024) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 17, 1973 Pune, India |
| Political party | Revolutionary Workers |
| Other political affiliations | Socialist Alternative (until 2024) Democratic Socialists of America (since 2021) |
| Spouses | Vivek Sawant (before 2016)Calvin Priest (m. 2016) |
| Education | University of Mumbai (BS) North Carolina State University (MA, PhD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Government website |
Kshama Sawant (/kʃʌmɑː sɑːˈwʌnt/; born October 17, 1973)[1] is an Indian-American politician and economist who served on the Seattle City Council from 2014 to 2024. She was a member of Socialist Alternative, the first and only member of the party to date to be elected to public office.
A former software engineer, Sawant became an economics instructor in Seattle after immigrating to the United States from her native India.[2] She ran unsuccessfully for the Washington House of Representatives in 2012 before winning her seat on the Seattle City Council in 2013. She was the first socialist to win a citywide election in Seattle since Anna Louise Strong was elected to the school board in 1916.[3][4] Sawant narrowly survived a December 7, 2021 recall election for her position on the council by a margin of 310 votes, or 0.76%. It was the first held in Seattle since 1975.
In January 2023, Sawant announced that she would not seek re-election, and would instead promote the Socialist Alternative campaign Workers Strike Back to unionize workers.[5] In 2024 Sawant announced she had left Socialist Alternative and formed her own party Revolutionary Workers.[6]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
dissertationwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Scigliano, Eric (November 6, 2013). "Disenchantment and dismay - unless you're Kshama Sawant". Crosscut. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Connelly, Joel (November 14, 2013). "Socialist Sawant wins City Council seat". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on November 17, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
- ^ Seattle elects first socialist City Council member Archived November 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. KING 5. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
- ^ Taylor, Sarah Grace; Beekman, Daniel (January 19, 2023). "Kshama Sawant will not seek reelection to Seattle City Council". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023.
- ^ https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25041448-why-were-launching-revolutionary-workers-leaving-socialist-alternative