A Tempe City Council candidate is running on a democratic socialist platform and emphasizing affordability within the city.
The candidacy of Bobby Nichols, a public interest lawyer and ASU alumnus, reflects a nationwide trend of democratic socialists seeking public office.
Nichols, who was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America on Feb. 4, has been vocal about his position as a democratic socialist. Previously an organizer with the Phoenix-Metro Democratic Socialists of America chapter, he helped to overturn a controversial Tempe ordinance regarding special event permits.
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"We are building a movement for social change and economic change in America here at the local level," Nichols said at a campaign event on Feb. 6.
A poll conducted by Gallup found that 39% of Americans and 66% of Democrats held a favorable view of socialism in 2025. That's a 3 percentage point increase since 2010 among all Americans, but a 16 percentage point increase among Democrats.
Democratic socialists have won seats in public office across the country in recent elections. Notably, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won in 2025 after facing criticism for his democratic socialist policies.
In Arizona, democratic socialist Miranda Schubert won a seat on the Tucson City Council in 2025. Schubert has since endorsed Nichols.
Platform and positions
Nichols' platform focuses on improving affordability by lowering housing and transportation costs.
According to his campaign website, Nichols wants to increase the amount of affordable housing in Tempe by encouraging the construction of "missing-middle" and public housing. He also supports rent controls on properties owned, subsidized, financed or insured by the city.
"Housing prices are too high, and that includes both for-sale homes and rental homes," Nichols said at the campaign event.
Nichols also advocated for investment in housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.
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To reduce residents' transportation costs, Nichols said he wants to expand public transit options in Tempe and improve their reliability. He hopes to do this by increasing the coverage of the streetcar and adding more Orbit buses to city streets, while also making them more timely.
Nichols intends to finance these investments through "common-sense city tax increases on short-term rentals, transient lodgings, commercial leases, and other large-scale business activities," among other things, according to his campaign website.
Tempe community and candidate response
His ideas aren't without opposition.
Alexander Zhao, a sophomore studying political science and economics who works on City Council candidate Berdetta Hodge's campaign, said Nichols' rent control proposal is impractical due to financial and legal restraints.
Zhao also said Nichols' solutions for homelessness don't address the root causes of the issue.
"A lot of his ideas, although they aren't as radical as you may think, it wouldn't work in a council of seven people, especially when none of the others are democratic socialists," Zhao said.
Brooke St. George, another candidate for the City Council, said she agrees with many of Nichols' ideas but is "concerned about the feasibility of some of it." She said she is not against raising taxes on the wealthiest residents, but does not support an increase for the general public.
In a written statement, candidate Joe Forte called Nichols' policy proposals "counterintuitive."
Forte said increasing taxes would ultimately raise prices for Tempe consumers and deter businesses from opening in the city.
On the other hand, those who support Nichols, like Gavin Hamilton, a graduate student studying public policy, who attended the Feb. 6 campaign event, say his stance on raising taxes is admirable.
"It's very courageous to say he would consider raising taxes to fund things like public transportation or affordable housing, because ultimately government isn't about pulling in a profit, it's about delivering services to people."
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Christopher Gonzales, a graduate student studying public policy, said his personal experiences with rent hikes while living in Tempe drove him to support Nichols.
"He's the only candidate that talked about affordability," Gonzalez said. "That's what really drew me here and to really get involved with the local community."
In response to criticisms, Nichols said he could bring a new perspective to the City Council if elected. He also said his policies are popular among working-class voters despite the country's historical pushback to socialism.
"We can still have progressive policies and connect with working people about working-class issues," Nichols said.
Nichols said the recent wins for democratic socialists across the U.S. were encouraging as he runs his own campaign.
"There's a lot of movement on the local level," Nichols said. "That indicates a change in the way people are thinking about these policies, which is really encouraging for me as a democratic socialist."
Edited by Carsten Oyer, Henry Smardo, Sophia Braccio and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at spkeelin@asu.edu.
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