Not the parent commenter, but I'd consider that to be a key part of democracy, the right of political association. I'd consider firing someone for belonging to

Not the parent commenter, but I'd consider that to be a key part of democracy, the right of political association. I'd consider firing someone for belonging to a particular political party the exact moral equivalent of firing someone for belonging to a particular religious denomination or ethnic group. As far as I know, in USA the employment discrimination laws draw a distinction between these classes (ethnicity and religion are protected classes, politics is not), however, my local laws and my personal moral compass puts them in the same basket; I'd consider someone being fired because they're, for example, a card-carrying member of the local radical communist party to be equivalent of firing someone because they're Jehovah’s Witness or have sexual practices of which the local church disapproves. They should be able to run as a candidate for that party in some elections while not having their employment threatened for that - this is needed to prevent e.g. the owner of a town-dominating factory from suppressing political opposition to the current elected town officials.