Russell worked as a "muckraker". A muckraker was a journalist who reported about how capitalism was bad. In 1902, Russell's first book, "Such Stuff as Dreams", was published. Russell joined the Socialist Party of America in 1908. He was a member until 1917. Russell was the Socialist candidate for Governor of New York in 1910 and 1912. He was a candidate for U.S. Senator from New York in 1914. Russell's memoir "These Shifting Scenes" was published in 1915. Russell acted in the 1917 movie "The Fall of the Romanoffs". In 1928 Russell won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography "The American Orchestra and Theodore Thomas". In 1933 Russell's second memoir "Bare Hands and Stone Walls" was published. Russell was an editorial writer for social democratic magazine The New Leader.