Salem Snow, a 29-year-old Kensington resident, will challenge three-term U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-2nd dist.) in the Democratic primary.
Snow said the living conditions in the district, particularly those caused by gentrification, pushed him to run for office. He believes gentrification has rapidly changed the area, and not for the better.
“The district’s average individual income is hovering above $20k a year,” he said in a statement. “When you add in the opioid epidemic, and the fact that developers are displacing people of color and the poor at an alarming rate, what we have is an emergency. And it’s being completely ignored by officials like Boyle, who are supposed to be representing us. But he’s too busy playing footsie with the establishment.”
Snow cited a 2018 list published on govtrack.us that showed Boyle the 64th most conservative member among 200 Democratic House members. He pointed to campaign contributions to Boyle from Goldman Sachs, Verizon and pharmaceutical companies, and vowed not to take corporate money.
“Brendan Boyle is a great talker, but actions speak louder than words” he said.
If elected, Snow would become the state’s first openly gay congressman as well as the first millennial to hold the seat. His platform focuses on the Green New Deal, Medicare for All and “Housing For All.”
A self-processed “democratic socialist,” he likens his views to those of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“I believe our people see this new vision for America I’m talking about,” he said. “I have faith that the people see past the stigma behind the word ‘socialist.’ To me, being a democratic socialist means making our tax dollars actually work for the people. It means reliably upholding women’s rights, protecting the marginalized communities, taking care of veterans and fighting for our working class. It means Medicare for All, because insurance is unaffordable and insufficient. It means ‘Housing for All,’ because we already have between three to six vacant homes for every homeless person. It means that we protect each other and fight for our neighbors. It’s about always doing what is best for all of us.”
The primary is on April 28. ••
