working with blas roca and others, escalante was an early influence in the formation of the popular socialist party (originally called the communist party of cuba, though not to be confused with the party organized by the merger of the psp and 26 july movement in the 1960s). beginning in 1938, with the legalization of the psp by the cuban government of fulgencio batista, escalante was editor of "hoy", the party's official newspaper.