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The word “communism” often causes a negative reaction, with many Americans thinking of figures such as Joseph Stalin or Mao Zedong. That is probably why there are very few politicians who have run on the Communist Party ticket and won.

But, the principles of communism—such as equity in resources, access to health care, employment and housing—have been embraced by well-known civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., W.E.B DuBois and Fred Hampton.

Despite the reputation of communism, Long Beach has a candidate in the 2022 election running as a member of this party: Steven Estrada, an Army veteran, is seeking the District 1 City Council seat in the Downtown area.

We sat down with Estrada and got to know a little of how his life story helped shape his political views, and his interest in getting into local politics.