By a Comrade

This article is written by a DSA member and does not formally represent the views of MADSA as a whole or its subgroups. 

Welcome to Vol. 5 of the monthly round-up! The content in this publication overlaps significantly with our DSA newsletter and monthly General Membership Meetings. To sign up for the newsletter or check out an upcoming General Membership Meeting, visit: https://madison-dsa.org/events/

MADSA Adds a New Branch

The chapter reported at our December General Membership Meeting that MADSA has nearly doubled in size since October 2024 – from 368 members then, to 643 members now! In last month’s round-up, I shared a bit about how this growth is impacting the internal policies and structure of our organization. This month, I’m pleased to share another example of structural changes, as our chapter voted to add a new branch – the Southern Dane County Branch! 

This branch will still be a part of MADSA, but will have the power to host their own meetings and to coordinate local efforts to support the chapter’s goals. They will host regular meetings around Fitchburg/Verona to increase accessibility for current MADSA members and potential new joiners. They plan to work with MADSA’s existing committees and working groups, while also acting as an organizing hub for people who live in more suburban and rural parts of Southern Dane County, with a strong emphasis on electoral, organizing, and educational initiatives. 

Our Electoral Work is Expanding

The nation has witnessed an increase in candidates running openly as socialists – often very successfully! With this development, we’ve seen more and more candidates on the local level. To meet the evolving political landscape, MADSA’s Electoral Working Group has updated our candidate endorsement process and published corresponding materials. The WG has added an endorsement deadline for 2026 elections, clarified the number of signatures required on endorsement petitions, and clarified interview questions for candidates. They also developed a sample questionnaire to demonstrate what types of answers candidates will need to provide during the process.

MADSA Endorses Candidate Bobby Gronert

The first candidate endorsed with this updated process is Bobby Gronert running for Common Council District 8! Bobby is a UW-Madison student and a member of the university’s YDSA chapter. His student-led campaign aims to work on affordable housing issues, tenants’ rights, and challenging fascism via local policies. Bobby was successfully endorsed by MADSA on December 13th, and the endorsement resolution included a pledge of 20-80 hours per month of volunteer support from the December date through election day, April 7, 2026. Bobby’s campaign is exciting news for the city of Madison, and it means new ties developing between UW’s YDSA and our MADSA chapter.

The chapter expects to work on endorsement considerations for the following candidates this season:

• Heidi Wegleitner, re-running for County Board District 2, and re-applying for MADSA endorsement;
• Juliana Bennett and Zoe Sullivan running for State Assembly District 76;
• Francesca Hong running for Wisconsin governor. 

New Working Group Chartered: Platform/Program Development

Lastly in this area, members at the December GMM approved a new working group dedicated to developing a clear platform for our chapter. The goal of the working group, slated to last 4 months, is to create a “comprehensive chapter program and/or platform” based on research and discussions with chapter members and with the broader Madison community. This will provide a more solid basis for organizing work, deciding on political endorsements, developing and supporting leadership in the chapter, and more. 

Additional Organizing

Some chapter members have been supporting the Starbucks union strike in November and December. Members signed up for picketing shifts and showed out with signs and warm coffee in the cold winter weather. 

Starbucks Workers United began striking on November 13th nationwide, and continue to do so in many locations, including State Street in Madison. If you’d like to support striking workers, here are some actions you can take:

• Boycott all Starbucks locations and products while the workers are striking; talk to people around you about joining the boycott – check out and sign the “No Contract, No Coffee” pledge;
• Turn people away from non-striking / non-union Starbucks locations in the area;
• Show up to the picket line and participate;
• Bring treats (especially hot drinks) to the picket line for morale!

MADSA also hosted some talks and discussions this month, including:

• A members-only debate on electoralism – what is the extent to which socialists should be engaging in electoral politics within our current capitalist system? What are the costs and benefits around the increase in electoral work this year?
• Hosting a guest speaker from Brazil’s PSOL, who gave a talk on internationalism and resisting fascism;
• Strategy discussion on supporting immigrants’ safety in Madison;
• Check-in discussion on MADSA’s coalition work around housing issues and the Homeless Justice Initiative; 
• Planning around the 2026 Chapter Convention;
• Internal debate on several bylaws as the chapter continues to grow.

We also shared our Madison DSA Wrapped with highlights from this year!

Social Events

We continue hosting recurring social events, including New Member Orientations, DSA 101, Coffee with Comrades, and the Rosebuddies program. Comrades also rang in the new year with a members-only New Year’s Eve party.

Protest Song of the Month

For a December protest song, I share The Homeless Wassail. Wassailing is an old English tradition of Pagan/non-Christian origin that now takes place during the countdown to Christmas. It originally involved the blessing of fruit-producing trees – especially in apple orchards – by singing, drinking, and making merriment. It changed over time to include house-visiting, and eventually the Christmas caroling we know today. The linked song highlights the deep pain, inequity, and injustice that continue in our communities.

And that concludes our monthly round-up!