She’s back.

Former Seattle City Councilmember and proud socialist Kshama Sawant launched her congressional campaign for the state’s 9th District Monday morning outside the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, flanked by members of Workers Strike Back and a healthy dose of indignance at establishment democrats. 

Taking aim at 15-term incumbent Adam Smith, Sawant slammed the 9th District Democrat as a “warmonger” for his votes backing the 2002 Iraq War, his unflinching support for Israel’s assault on Gaza, being bankrolled by AIPAC, Boeing, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX—and his recent fanboying over “anti-woke” crusader Christopher Rufo, all while hand-wringing about the so-called “radical left.”

Smith has called for the arrest of “left wing” fascists who support a ceasefire in Gaza. 

“He sounds more like a Republican than republicans,” Sawant said, quoting from a social media comment about Smith. The congressman has agreed with Rufo’s stance that leftist ideas have had undue influence over America’s cultural institutions.

But Smith wasn’t the only democrat Sawant called out on Monday. She lambasted progressive darlings Washington state representative Pramila Jayapal, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even Bernie Sanders for what she sees as blind loyalty to a Democratic Party that sold out the working class long ago and never looked back.

“Everybody knows Democrats like Adam Smith, and Republicans too, are owned, lock, stock, and barrel, by Big Pharma and corporate donors. That’s why, if we want to win, we have to flip the script on both billionaire-backed parties,” Sawant said. “We need to build a militant, independent movement that fights unapologetically for working people, and lays the groundwork for a new party, not one beholden to capitalist interests. Under this system, the billionaires own everything: the wealth, the land, and yes, the politicians.

Sawant previously served on Seattle City Council for a decade (2014 - 2024), surviving a recall bid in 2021. Her platform is centered around policies she says that that same party has largely failed to deliver, including affordable housing, rent control, and universal health care. The latter of which is why her and Workers Strike Back announced that they’d be working towards a 2026 ballot measure that funds health care for Seattle residents by expanding the pre-existing Jumpstart Payroll tax on large businesses.

“This is a fighting strategy to break through the political gridlock. If we can win real victories in even one city or state, it can serve as a battering ram to force national change. That’s how Canada won its universal healthcare system—starting in just one province, Saskatchewan, before expanding it nationwide,” said Sawant. 

On the steps of the federal building, Sawant was joined by about two dozen supporters including Jonathan Rosenblum, Rizwan Samad, and Shirley Henderson. Several of her supporters who spoke Monday said they live in Adam Smith’s district, which includes South Seattle, Kent, Skyway, Auburn, parts of Bellevue, and Federal Way.

Most voiced deep frustration with Smith’s position on Gaza, citing it as a major point of disillusionment.

“This man can’t hear…Can’t see the suffering. It’s time for District 9 residents to vote against this warmonger. We are better people. We cannot support genocide, “ said Samad, who shared that he’d reached out to Smith in the past to change the congressman’s stance on Gaza to no avail. 

Rosenblum, a fellow D9 resident and vice President of the National Writer’s Union, who’s worked with Sawant since her first city council run, echoed the call for a moral reckoning in the district.

“Adam, if you are listening, this is for you. I am an active Jewish community member. Your threats will not stop me. They will not stop my Jewish friends, nor our Palestinian allies, and our allies in the broader movement. Your threats only embolden us to fight on for justice in Palestine,” said Rosenblum. 

On Monday, Sawant made clear that while she’s running to represent the 9th District, she is not interested in representing those who support Israel’s actions in Gaza. When two media members in attendance echoed right-wing talking points asking her to denounce Hamas, she dismissed the question as a distraction from the real issue: the tens of thousands of Palestinian lives lost since October 7, 2024.

But it wasn’t just Gaza that fueled supporters’ opposition to Smith. It was what they view as a broader failure by establishment Democrats to meaningfully resist the Trump administration. For Henderson, the co-owner of Squirrel Chops, Smith embodies a party more comfortable with compromise than confrontation, even in the face of rising authoritarianism.

“We are seeing a complete lack of fightback from the Democrats—who are, in fact, carrying out similar attacks themselves at the state and local levels across the country. They’re cutting state and city budgets for essential services and refusing to tax the rich to fund what working people need,” said Henderson. “Just recently, Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson, backed by a Democrat-dominated state legislature, approved millions of dollars in cuts to social services and attacks on public sector workers.”

Smith, a Ranking Member of the House of Armed Services Committee, previously faced challenges from his left in two of his last three campaigns. Most recently defeating community organizer Melissa Chaudry last November with 65% of the vote.