Red Star Newsletter - November 2025
Hello from Red Star! Curious about what we’ve been up to? Read on to find out!
Red Star on the Ballot
The New Orleans municipal primary election was held October 11th and featured four New Orleans DSA endorsed candidates on the ballot. Red Star member and independent socialist candidate Bob Murrell finished 3rd in the District A jungle primary with over three thousand votes, missing out on the top-two runoff election November 15th. No independent candidate has received as many votes in a New Orleans City Council District race since the 1954 Home Rule Charter established the five districts. Out of 77 precincts, Murrell was able to secure 1st place in six precincts and 2nd place in nine precincts, all of them Democratic-majority. Murrell was the only candidate in the race who did not make the runoff that secured a first place finish in a precinct.
In January, the New Orleans chapter passed a City Council strategy to run candidates on a shared platform as open socialists with the goals of recruiting 100 new members and engaging 80% of members in good standing. The chapter gained 90 new members during the campaign and contacted 61% of MIGS (majority by Murrell himself, who also serves as the Membership Chair for the chapter). At least 7 campaign volunteers joined or renewed their DSA membership and many more joined DSA after meeting or following Murrell on social media.
The election cycle culminated in a large push by corporate interests to avoid a runoff election for the mayor’s race to elect oil and gas heiress Helena Moreno outright and defeat progressive and leftist candidates down the ballot. The election featured an unexpectedly high turnout, particularly from white conservative precincts in District A, and secured an outright victory for the white mayoral front-runner as well as victories of over 60% for all but one incumbent on the ballot. This reactionary surge in a southern liberal electorate is one to monitor, and we are grateful for the unabashed revolutionary messaging of cadre candidates like Bob Murrell committed to growing DSA and openly advocating for socialism to defeat fascism.
NPC Voting Participation
The 25-26 NPC’s voting participation was recently announced, highlighting Red Star’s continued commitment towards good governance and leadership within DSA. Special kudos to NPC member John L with the highest participation rate, missing only a single vote. Red Star’s NPC members had a combined 91.11% vote participation rate.
Gerrymandering for Good? - Red Star in Socialist Forum
In a piece for Socialist Forum, Red Star and California DSA members Andrew T. and Ian H. voice their dissent from California DSA’s decision to endorse Proposition 50. They argue that the measure is less about countering Republican gerrymandering and more a political maneuver by Governor Gavin Newsom to consolidate his power in California and build a foundation for a potential 2028 presidential run. As they write,
[If] DSA wants to credibly demand an expanded democracy, our demand cannot be for “fair” electoral maps under capitalism, an idea which itself is based on very narrow liberal assumptions of political rights. It must be for a new kind of political system entirely — one in which workers control their workplaces, communities, and governments directly, not one in which capitalists shuffle district lines to their advantage.
The authors also raise concerns about the fundamental flaws that California DSA operates under, expanding upon Red Star NPC member Hazel W.’s Reflections on California DSA in DemLeft earlier this year.
To discuss the full piece, you can head over to the DSA Discussion forums topic here.
Stars in Cuba!
Red Star members Megan R. and John L. participated in the DSA Cuba delegation where they delivered supplies to the Calixto Garcia Hospital and an elementary school in Havana. They learned about the situation of Cubans behind the blockade and visited the Latin American School of Medicine. Alongside learning about the Cuban ministry Cenesex, a ministry for women, queer and trans Cubans. It was amazing being in a society that oozed solidarity and seeing how the Cuban revolution changed people’s lives. It was also interesting seeing some of the outcomes of the BRICS association for the island and optimism for the future as a result of it. While the situation is absolutely worsening behind the horrific blockade the US government is placing on them opportunities for DSA to support the Cuban people and learn more are abundant. Please be on the lookout for the DSA Cuba reportback that’s coming out soon.
Red Star in the Spotlight: Our Members Share their Socialist Analysis
Since our last newsletter, Red Star members have been actively engaging with the broader Left, contributing vital socialist perspectives on a range of critical issues in various media outlets.
- Anlin W. (Red Star & DSA International Committee) was featured in an interview for Wave Media on China's role as a leader in green energy and sustainable development, [Watch Here]
- Megan R. (DSA Co-Chair and Red Star member) was interviewed by Sweden's Flamman during a delegation to their Left Party, discussing international solidarity and the challenges of building a socialist movement. [Read Here]
- John L. (Red Star NPC member) joined fellow DSA members Jorge R. and Luisa M. for a livestream on Red Nation, exploring the state of socialist organizing in DSA. [Watch Here]
- Sudip B. was a featured guest on the LeftPOC podcast for an in-depth "Afterhours" conversation with host Wendi Muse. [Listen Here]
We’re proud of our members for raising the profile of our work within DSA and sharing their political analyses across media and around the world!
Recipe Korner - Bacalhau Em Queijo
Hello! Welcome back to the recipe korner, this time we have a recipe from the editor herself, Evelyn B.
Latin America has always been a massive inspiration to me in the grand project of building socialism, so today I am including a Brazilian recipe: Bacalhau Em Quijo, or Cod In Cheese Sauce.
Ingredients (this makes around 5-6 servings, feel free to reduce as needed)
6 cod filets, ½-inch thick
Salt
Ground black pepper
A couple pinches of paprika
Grapeseed Oil (any high smoke point oil will work though)
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 ½ tablespoons of all-purpose flour
3 cups warm milk
A pinch of ground nutmeg
2 ½ cups blend of shredded cheese (for this I used Chihuahua cheese because it is what I had on hand)
Halved cherry tomatoes
1 jalapeno, sliced
Parsley or cilantro chopped to garnish
Prep
Pat the cod filets dry and season with salt, black pepper, and paprika. We’re gonna sear these in a skillet with the oil for about 3-4 minutes per side. Once these are seared you can set them off on a plate to the side. Next we’re gonna melt the butter in an oven safe pan and then stir in the flour for about 45 seconds to a minute. Then we’ll pour in the milk, whisking it in well, and cook that for about 7 minutes until its thick! Add the nutmeg, more black pepper, and some more salt. Then we’ll stir in ~2 cups of our shredded cheese and mix well until you have a nice thick consistency. At this point we’re gonna set our oven to broil high, add the cod, tomatoes, and jalapeno slices on top of the cheese sauce we just made and then put her in the oven to broil for about 5 minutes or until the top of the cheese sauce forms a brown crust! Serve it warm and enjoy!
Solidariedade!
