What Socialist Politicians Can Do: An Interview with Nikil Saval

Abstract

Abstract:Nikil Saval was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 2020. Insofar as there is a typical path to American public office, Saval didn't follow it. The New York Times called him the "n+1 candidate" (after the magazine he used to co-edit); he was a reporter and essayist, and the author of Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace. He was also an organizer with UNITE HERE from 2009 to 2013, and, fatefully, his Philadelphia home became a canvassing hub for the Bernie Sanders campaign in 2016. In August, I spoke with Saval about his experiences in office, and the connection between socialist ideas and everyday politics