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Gabriel Sanchez recently took on a Lockheed-backed candidate in the Democratic primary (Courtesy of Gabriel Sanchez's campaign)

The Anti-War Socialist Who Won Over a Lockheed Town

Gabriel Sanchez speaks about Georgia, Tex-Mex, and representing a district built on defense jobs.

Words: Laicie Heeley
Date:

When 27-year-old Gabriel Sanchez won his Democratic primary in Smyrna, Georgia — home to a massive Lockheed Martin plant — few expected an outspoken anti-war socialist to carry a district built on defense jobs. But Sanchez has managed to do just that, working to push for better benefits, wages, and labor rights across the state. In this episode, we look at how he’s building bridges between anti-war ideals and pro-labor politics — and what his unlikely success might mean for the future of organizing in defense towns.

We reached out to Lockheed Martin for comment before publication, and asked questions about the company’s stance on Sanchez’s legislative goals. The company responded with this statement: “We value our state and national elected officials and the support provided to the Marietta site and the C-130, an aircraft that has created economic growth and provided humanitarian and critical assistance around the globe. We also enjoy a strong partnership with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers as the largest employer of union-represented workers in Cobb County.”

Guest:

Gabriel Sanchez, Georgia State Representative

Additional Resources:

Jonathan Chang and Meghna Chakrabarti, “’The last supper’: How a 1993 Pentagon dinner reshaped the defense industry,” WBUR’s On Point

Taylor Barnes, “Meet the democratic socialist winning in a Lockheed town,” Inkstick Media

Michelle Baruchman, “Only socialist in legislature beat expectations,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution (paywall)

Author bio

Laicie Heeley

Editor in Chief

Laicie Heeley is the founding CEO of Inkstick Media, where she serves as Editor in Chief of the foreign policy magazine Inkstick and Executive Producer and Host of the PRX- and Inkstick-produced podcast, Things That Go Boom. Heeley’s reporting has appeared on public radio stations across America and the BBC, where she’s explored global security issues including domestic terrorism, disinformation, nuclear weapons, and climate change. Prior to launching Inkstick, Heeley was a Fellow with the Stimson Center’s Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense program and Policy Director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Her publications include work on sanctions, diplomacy, and nuclear arms control and nonproliferation, along with the first full accounting of US counterterrorism spending after 9/11.

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