Communist Party USA sees 'membership surge' over last decade: spokesperson

The Communist Party USA has reported a surge in membership over the past several years, particularly since Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.

In an interview with Communist Party USA (CPUSA) Co-Chair Joe Sims posted to the organization’s YouTube channel, CPUSA member and co-chair of the New York Young Communist League Brooklyn Crawford asked Sims about how the communist party had “experienced a bit of a membership surge in the last couple years.” She noted that the increase began during the first Trump presidency and following Sanders’ unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. 

The video, titled “We’re so back,” stated in its caption that the Communist Party USA has recruited 20,000 members over the last several years. Sims explained that younger members were increasingly willing to publicly identify themselves as members of the Communist Party.

“We’ve always seen the young generation as the spark of the revolutionary movement, and that’s where the energy comes from. That’s where the motion is. We celebrate that and we want to encourage it,” Sims said.

“We say who we are and what we are and nobody, you know, gets upset,” Sims said. “We have to organize the party in that tradition and in that spirit.”

"And another part of that is bringing the younger comrades into our leadership,” he added.

Despite the party’s reported membership growth, communism remains unpopular among much of the American public. However, attitudes toward communism and its perceived threat to the US appear to have shifted over time.

According to an Economist/YouGov poll published last month, 66 percent of Americans said they believe communists posed at least some threat to the country. 18 percent described communists as a major threat, 25 percent said they were a moderate threat, and 23 percent said they pose a minor threat.