Her socialism stems in part from her observations of the poverty and caste system in India, but she didn't become a socialist until she moved to Seattle in 2006 and joined Socialist Alternative, an anti-capitalist, democratic-socialist party. Sawant advocated for Seattle's $15 minimum wage and — as an ally to the #BlackLivesMatter movement — has demanded full police accountability. She also brought social activism into electoral politics. As the Occupy movement faded out, she continued the struggle on a different battleground, by running for Seattle City Council. Sawant is also a proponent of marriage equality and abortion access, and has made some explicit remarks about her identity as an Indian American socialist that work to dismantle the model minority myth.