Denver has elected a socialist city councilwoman who is calling for the “communal ownership” of land, according to the results of the city’s June 4 runoff.
Self-described “social worker, youth educator, policy expert and fifth-generation native of northeast Denver” Candi CdeBaca beat incumbent city council president Albus Brooks by nearly five points (52.4 percent to 47.6, not including military and overseas ballots) in the June 4 runoff election.
While runoff results at such a local level would not normally make national news, CdeBaca’s victory is piquing interest thanks to her previous far-left positions.
During a “Denver Decides” panel in April, CdeBaca floated her desire to make “communal ownership” of land a reality.
“I don’t believe our current economic system actually works,” she said, describing capitalism as “extractive” and towing the socialist line that capitalism effectively thrives and operates via exploitation.
“I think that we’re in late-phase capitalism, and we know it doesn’t work and we have to move into something new, and I believe in community ownership of land, labor, resources, and distribution of those resources,” she said.
“And whatever that morphs into is, I think, what will serve community the best, and I’m excited to usher it in by any means necessary,” she added.
CdeBaca, who has been compared to Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), celebrated her victory on Facebook.
“The Eastside taught me really early what ‘real’ really means. Don’t talk about it, BE about it,” she wrote. “I knew in my heart if community who knew this principle still existed in the Eastside, they would see me and recognize real.”