Judith Hollander Mage, February 3, 1935 (New York, NY?) -
VP candidate for Peace and Freedom Party (1968)
Running mate with nominee: Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998)
Popular vote: 217 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Driven chiefly by Californians, the Peace and Freedom Party was organized in the mid-1960s and went national in an attempt to link together various contingents of the Left. At their Presidential nominating convention Aug. 17-18, 1968 in Ann Arbor, Mich. where Eldridge Cleaver was selected over Dick Gregory, a schism had already become obvious. Gregory would go on to outpoll Cleaver on Election Day.
Cleaver, the author of Soul on Ice and the Minister of Information for the Black Panther Party, had little patience for the serious bickering that took place at the convention. When it came time to nominate a Vice-Presidential candidate, Cleaver suggested Youth International Party activist Jerry Rubin-- an idea that went nowhere as many considered Rubin to be too erratic, uncontrollable, and part of the Far Right of the Far Left. As the convention wrestled over this and other issues, Cleaver walked out in frustration and the matter was eventually left up to each state to select his running mate.
A member of the Socialist Workers Party took notes at this event and concluded:
Some Generalizations 1) The P&F movement is in a state of serious disarray. 2) The "coalition" with the Panthers had been badly shaken. 3) If Cleaver doesn't extricate himself from this mess soon he will rapidly and thoroughly discredit himself in the eyes of black militants inside and outside the BPP.
In April 1968, prior to being nominated, Cleaver was involved in a police shootout. Shortly after the election he felt obliged to jump bail and flee to Cuba.
The New York Peace and Freedom Party nominated Cleaver and Doug F. Dowd as his running mate with the understanding Dowd would be a "stand-in." The sequence of events is not clear, but within the month the State of New York invalidated the Party's place on the Presidential ballot by virtue of the fact Cleaver was below the age of 35. Shortly before or after this took place, Dowd's name was replaced by that of Judith Mage, who at age 33 was also too young to meet the Constitutional requirement. Subsequent efforts to at least have the PFP Electors listed with a blank slate went nowhere.
Mage was a former member of the Socialist Workers Party who became well known in 1965-1968 as one of the leaders of a crippling strike held by the 7000+ member Social Service Employees Union in New York. At some point her political activity landed her behind bars for a spell. Mayor Lindsay called her circle, "a small irresponsible group that caused trouble for everybody." But it was an era of huge multiple strikes to hit New York City as the political climate was shifting.
The hopelessness of attaining a spot in the New York ballot did not prevent Mage from campaigning. On Oct. 7, 1968, Democratic VP candidate Sen. Edmund S. Muskie encountered the most energetic heckling of his campaign while attempting to give a speech in Syracuse, NY. The chief instigator was named as the megaphone-wielding Judith Mage, who the newspapers said challenged Muskie to a spontaneous debate as VP to VP but the Senator declined.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Mage was apparently considered Cleaver's VP in Arizona. The Grand Canyon State did not list VP candidates on the ballot, but other sources give Mage as the running mate in that jurisdiction. Their very distant 5th place finish of 217 votes amounted to 0.04% of the popular vote there, but they still outpolled the Socialist Workers and Socialist Labor parties.
Election history: none
Other occupations: welfare caseworker, President of the Social Service Employees Union, local family planning educator for Planned Parenthood, community activist
Notes:
Sometimes listed as Judith M. Mage.
Currently registered as a Democrat and still active for progressive causes in her community in upstate
NY.
Attended Antioch and was active with the SWP there with her then-husband Shane Mage.
