Workers Party of Massachusetts (WPM)

Background

The Workers Party of Massachusetts (WPM) is a political party in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. ² It promotes the abolition of capitalism and calls for a revolution against the United States government, arguing that America is “the most violent imperialist power in world history.”  ³ WPM materials also claim that the American system of government “was created to enrich capitalists and slaveowners and those fundamental principles guide the institutions of today.” ³

Although the WPM is avowedly socialist, it is not formally affiliated with the Socialist Party USA or the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), two of the most prominent socialist political organizations in the United States. ^{4 5}

Political Views

While the WPM is a registered political party in Massachusetts that fields candidates for public office, its primary focus is on achieving political power through revolution outside the American electoral process. ¹  Its party program states, “We must never fool ourselves into thinking the current system will simply allow us to vote socialism into existence,” and calls instead for focusing on “the streets, where the most important decisions of history are settled.” ¹

To advance the cause of socialist revolution, the WPM has called for all immigrants to have the right to vote in American elections regardless of citizenship or immigration status, reducing the voting age to 16, seizure through eminent domain of businesses to “prevent capital flight,” government-funded abortion on demand, single-payer health care, the abolition of the police, government-funded child care for all, the elimination of school choice, and other socialist and radical left-wing positions. ¹

WPM supports BDS Boston and the broader Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement to delegitimize the state of Israel. ⁶ WPM statements refer to Israeli responses to the October 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel as “genocide,” and to Palestinians killed in the conflict as “martyrs.” ^{7 8}

Candidates and Elections

The WPM was founded in 2020. Its first statewide candidate to make the ballot was Dominic Giannone III, who received 2.2 percent of votes and finished fourth in a five-way race for State Auditor in 2022. ^{9 10} Giannone, who had also run as a Workers Party candidate for state representative in 2020, had run as a Communist Party member for a local council seat in 2013. ^{10 11 12 13}