In June, India Walton, the Democratic Socialist candidate for mayor of Buffalo, New York, shocked the establishment when she beat four-term incumbent Democratic Mayor Byron Brown in the city’s primary. With no other candidate on the general election ballot this coming November, Walton should become the first woman—and the first Black woman—in Buffalo’s history to serve as mayor.

The Buffalo News published a profile on Walton on Monday that illuminated not only how hard Walton has worked to accomplish the shocking defeat of Brown in June’s primary, but the hard work she has had to do just to feed her family while running for office. According to the News, Walton lost her job at the Fruit Belt Community Land Trust after they found out she was running for office. As a result, Walton had to feed her family, pay her rent, and run her campaign with loans from her mother and “gig economy” work. “From time to time, I drive DoorDash. I’ve got to feed my children.”

According to Walton, her occasional DoorDash deliveries led to a mixture of shock and happiness from customers who recognized her as someone who was running for mayor. But in the end, what she wants is a government that works for people like her. Buffalo, like the rest of the country, is filled with people like India Walton, trying to make ends meet. She has synthesized the Democratic Socialist message very well, trying her best to thwart the right-wing (and too frequently not-so-right-wing) propaganda that any use of the word “socialism” means some mythical authoritarian South American country that Americans mostly know from 1980s action films. "I’m a Democrat – have been all my life. And ‘socialist’ just means your government should work for you.“

Walton’s sole position on the upcoming ballot is being challenged by Brown, who tried unsuccessfully to create a new party line that he could run on in November. Instead, Brown has started a write-in campaign. Some establishment Democratic officials have remained mum, not endorsing Walton while also not putting themselves out there in support of Brown. On Thursday, Sen. Chuck Schumer made headlines when he posted a full endorsement of Walton.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, stumped for Walton at an event this past weekend, according to CNN. Many of the people who are lining up behind Walton are rumored to be in consideration for the Empire State’s upcoming gubernatorial elections. Right now, former Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is the governor after Andrew Cuomo was forced to resign in disgrace following mounting accusations of inappropriate behavior towards women throughout the years, which became too politically toxic for the old bully to overcome. Hochul has not made any statement regarding her party’s nominee for mayor of Buffalo. Considering how conservative Hochul has been in the past, she may simply hope that the conservatives she has courted during her career will help her in her own upcoming elections.

The media machine has run with a variety of stories about Walton that attempt to paint her as an irresponsible person, but for many of her supporters, these stories really speak to the inequalities and the hardships that millions of Americans have been experiencing for years. These include having her car impounded after accruing more than $600 worth of unpaid parking tickets. She was reportedly charged with food stamp fraud in 2003 when she was about 21 years old. Walton first became a mother when she was 14 years old. She is now a mother of four. 

For most people, unless you somehow pulled millions of dollars in “food stamp fraud,” you’re someone who got picked on for either a mistake or something that shouldn’t be considered criminal. 

The government said that Walton owed them $295 worth of food stamps. Walton told Eyewitness News: “In hindsight, I would have been more proactive about reporting my income in a more timely manner, but this is not something that is uncommon. I think most people who have received any type of government assistance knows that there are overpayments, there are underpayments, and you know, it was paid back.”

I will tell you this: Underpayments hurt citizens more than they hurt the government, and having to pay back “overpayments” also hurts citizens more than it hurts the government. If you’re receiving government assistance, it’s because you really need it. But the pushback Walton is receiving is no surprise to the 39-year-old: “I won the Democratic primary. I won because I worked hard. I won because people are ready for change. I won because Democrats turned out and voted for me. But we have corporate Democrats who are so desperate to cling to what little power they have left and stave off the progressive wing of our party.”

I don’t think any of the folks criticizing Walton have ever had a gig economy job. I hope  that means something to voters in this day and age.