Interview by Micah Uetricht

We’re quickly moving into election season, and miracle of miracles, many candidates are actually good. The rise of the Democratic Socialists of America in the wake of Bernie Sanders’s first campaign has already led to socialist electoral victories around the country, from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York to the six socialist city council members in Chicago.

This election cycle, more democratic socialists are running, like House candidate Heidi Sloan in Texas (who we recently interviewed). Another such candidate: Cathy Kunkel, who’s running for Congress in West Virginia’s second district.

Kunkel is an energy analyst and activist in West Virginia. She’s also a contributor to Jacobin, whose half-dozen articles on West Virginia and Puerto Rico you can read here. In an interview with Jacobin managing editor Micah Uetricht for our podcast The Vast Majority, Kunkel talks about how she came to West Virginia, her work in the state as well as in Puerto Rico, and why her political vision can succeed in a “red state” like West Virginia.

You can listen to the episode here, and subscribe to all of our podcasts at Jacobin Radio here. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.