During the 1970s, De Luca became a member of the Italian Communist Party (PCI), at the time led by Enrico Berlinguer. In 1975, after having been head of the party's provincial organization, he was appointed as provincial secretary, leading the federation for a decade. In those years, he was jokingly nicknamed "O Professore" (Neapolitan for "The Professor") because of his job as a philosophy teacher.Figli, compagna e politica, se per De Luca la famiglia è potere Due to his impetuous and strong style, De Luca was also nicknamed "Pol Pot", just like the Cambodian communist dictator.Lo sceriffo di Salerno. Biografia non autorizzata di Vincenzo De Luca
