This is from Merriam Webster Online.
Avowed communist does not mean that a person is an officially registered member of the Communist Party.
OK. Do you have evidence she “supported or believed in the principles of Communism (Marxism-Leninism),” which is of course the most extreme variant of Socialism, leftism and Marxism?
The problem here is that I think we need to use words precisely. Not all leftists are Communists. Leftism, like conservatism, exists on a spectrum. Only the most extreme leftists are actually Communists. As can be seen by the extermination campaigns waged by Communists whenever they gained power against any leftists even slightly less extreme.