Dungeons, dragons and democratic socialists: a leftist fundraiser in Hollywood

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Democratic socialists won a decisive victory in Hollywood recently, albeit on a political battlefield few politicians have tread.Dressed in witch hats and long green robes, and bathed in spooky red light, six far-left candidates in the Los Angeles municipal elections June 2 played an election-themed Dungeons & Dragons game at the Fonda Theatre before 400 people.The event, starring candidates endorsed by the L.A.chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, raised $30,000 in campaign contributions — small change compared to the millions of dollars hauled in at the star-studded fundraisers Los Angeles is famous for.

But this event was less about hauling in cash than about engaging D&D aficionados with the DSA’s progressive politics.“It was exciting to introduce our slate of candidates to a wider audience,” said Leslie Chang, co-chair of the socialist group’s Los Angeles chapter.

Kamy Akhavan, managing director of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, said the unconventional nature of the event creates community between voters and their candidates, getting them invested in the race and making them more likely to donate, vote and get their friends and family involved.“The people who participate in this experience are not just passively writing a check to a candidate.

Those people have become activated to become more engaged in the campaign,” Akhavan said.Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop roleplaying game where players create fantasy characters and roll dice to determine whether their actions, like a sword attack or a persuasive argument, are successful against their foes.

It’s also tied in tightly with the leftist movement, attending DSA members said, fulfilling the ideological patterns of coming up with ways to save the world as a small group of individuals fighting powers bigger than themselves.Some of the candidates’ fantasy characters w...