Wes Pelletier, a longtime member of the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (Maine DSA) was elected to the Portland City Council on Tuesday, making him the second democratic socialist who will be serving on the city’s nine-member policymaking body.

Pelletier’s win in Portland’s 2nd District came after a ranked-choice runoff against second-place Nancy English. Having received a plurality of the votes in the first round of voting, Pelletier eventually clinched the tabulation over English with 53.1 percent, according to unofficial results published by the city.

He will join District 5 City Councilor Kate Sykes, the former co-chair of Maine DSA, as the second democratic socialist on the Portland City Council.

The national DSA put out a statement on X Wednesday congratulating Pelletier on his victory.

“A former chapter co-chair, Wes has been a member of DSA for close to a decade where he has fought to bolster rent control in Portland to take on an unprecedented housing crisis,” the DSA wrote.

According to Pelletier’s campaign site, he has served in various roles in the Maine DSA since 2018.

Maine DSA has been behind several initiatives related to rent control and minimum wage referenda in recent elections.

In November of last year, former Portland Mayor Kate Snyder described the influence of the Maine DSA on the city’s political landscape as “very real, and very powerful.”

“I think the national platform of the Democratic Socialists of America has really taken hold in Portland, Maine,” Snyder told WGAN Morning News host Matt Gagnon. “And there are many people who are very receptive to the message and who have taken on that mantle, and who are moving that national agenda forward in our small city.”