Democratic Socialist Makes History in New Britain

Zohran Mamdani brought an international spotlight to democratic socialism in public office among the “blue wave” across the United States. In New Britain, we shared in that kind of victory here in New Britain on November 4th.

New Britain Democrats had a total victory on election night, securing as many seats in as many elected offices as legally possible, rejecting a legacy of Republican mayorship. Along with that wave, came a democratic socialist victory for the first time in the 21st century, locking in a Democratic supermajority on New Britain’s Common Council.

In New Britain, the legislative body is divided into five districts, called “Wards”. Each ward has three Alderpersons representing them with minority party representation in effect. One of the three Alderpersons must be elected from a different political party line than the other two.

Until Tuesday, expectations of Ward 1 were for a Republican victory, with each Democrat competing for third place. The two Democratic candidates wound up earning the most votes of any candidate running not only for this year, but they are the highest vote getters in this century among ward candidates.

Nathan “Nate” Simpson became New Britain’s first elected socialist since 1899. Endorsed by the Democratic Party, the Working Families Party, and Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America, Simpson placed second among 21 candidates for the city council, cruising to an upset victory and adding almost 50% to his votes compared to his run in 2023. He credits his victory to a season with heightened political interest, a strong field campaign, a message that was easy to digest, a strong voting record, and union support.

“We’re building towards an outcome where New Britain working people voices get to lead in real time. Unfortunately, not everyone was on that wavelength.” Simpson said.

During the campaign, political agitators targeted Simpson. The Connecticut Republican State Central Committee issued an attack mailer, mislabeling his political affiliations and misspelling his last name.

“It was uncalled for out-of-town Republicans to spend thousands of dollars to spread lies about me. Instead of providing a plan of improving the city, they spent their money on tearing others down in a city they can’t even vote in.” he said. “Ironically, they used one of the greatest socialist programs ever invented: the United States Postal Service.” Nate noted.

Simpson urged residents to step in and support local officials because “What our community gets out of public office over the next two years depends on what we put into it. That means tuning and participating in boards, commissions, town committees, and becoming more involved in making New Britain serve its residents’ needs.”