Detroit DSA is excited to announce Mike McDermott’s re-election win and our endorsements of two socialist candidates for State House: Layla Taha and Dylan Wegela!
Detroit DSA congratulates endorsed councilmember Mike McDermott on his resounding first-place finish in his re-election to Westland City Council. Mike’s win proves that our socialist beliefs are a winning platform in working class communities - these results are an indisputable mandate for bold policy action now to build the better world we know is possible.
Layla Taha is our candidate for the special election in State House District 25 (Westland and Wayne), filling a vacancy created by Kevin Coleman’s win in this year’s Westland Mayoral election. We’re proud to be backing a longtime organizer and advocate with deep roots in the community, and we know that her focus on healthcare, environmental justice, and a union-powered economy built by and for the working class is a winning ticket. Layla, as Rashida Tlaib’s Program Manager, helped demonstrate what a socialist organizer-in-office looks like by putting on Rashida’s first workplace organizing training event co-hosted with our chapter through Rashida’s office.
Donate to Layla's Campaign Here
Dylan Wegela is running for re-election in State House District 26 (Westland, Garden City, Inkster, Romulus), and he’s already built up a record of unflinching resolve as a socialist in office. Since being first elected in 2022, he’s taken a lone, principled stand and blocked establishment Democrats’ scheme to hand over taxpayer money to billion dollar corporations despite immense pressure and pathetic bullying attempts from Democratic leadership and Governor Whitmer. Recently, he’s released statements backing DSA’s line of calling for a ceasefire in Palestine and condemning the censure of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
Prior to returning home to Michigan, Dylan was a rank-and-file union leader in the 2018 statewide Arizona teachers’ strike that was part of the nationwide “Red For Ed” teacher strike wave. The strike won more than $400million to fund public education and led to Dylan being elected president of his union local.
From fighting big corporations in Lansing to bosses in Arizona, Dylan is the real deal as a rank-and-file union strike leader turned socialist organizer-in-office - and we’re going to send him back to the State House no matter who tries to stop us.
Donate to Dylan's Campaign Here
In taking on these critical electoral fights, we’re not just winning these individual districts - we’re building a bloc of committed socialists who can stand behind Rashida and organize the working class to fight corporations and bosses. By building up layered power in Westland with socialists at every level of government, we’re creating a hotbed for socialist organizing that can grow our movement.