Victoria Ann Murdock, August 30, 1948 -
VP candidate for Peace and Freedom Party (aka Internationalist Workers Party) (1988)
Running mate with nominee: Herbert G. Lewin (1914-2010)
Popular vote: 10,148 (0.01%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
1988 was Herbert Lewin's second Presidential run.
In the 1988 election the Peace and Freedom Party seemed to be in a bit of disarray as it tried to fend off a takeover attempt by the New Alliance Party. The PFP appeared to have been seriously split and a third of the delegates walked out of the convention in Oakland. This was a rare election where the PFP did not appear on the Presidential ballot in California. NAP leader Lenora Fulani and Internationalist Workers Party figure Herb Lewin both claimed the nomination but when they filed with the California Secretary of State the election officials refused to recognize either one as the legitimate Presidential selection.
Lewin claimed victory but Fulani said she was nominated at a "parallel convention" in a nearby hotel.
It seems the PFP party officials made the request not to list either one on the ballot. Party chair and 1980 presidential nominee Maureen Smith told the press the nomination process "never got off on a legal start" since so many delegates were not credentialed.
Old time Trotskyite and retired machinist Herb Lewin of Pennsylvania acted as if he was the PFP nominee anyway. Lewin had lost the Liberty Union Party primary in Vermont, and also the non-binding California primary for the Peace and Freedom Party. He had a history with the Socialist Workers Party but by 1984 had been selected by the ultra-obscure Internationalist Workers Party to be their first President candidate. Their method was to work within existing Leftist political parties.
During the campaign Lewin criticized the New Alliance and Workers World parties for being too cozy with the Democrats.
He was on the ballot in three states as the PFP Presidential candidate: New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Also as a registered write-in in California. Vikki Murdock was his running-mate the first two states, Emma Wong Mar the VP in Vermont and California. It isn't clear between Murdock or Mar who was serving as the official nominee and who was the stand-in, or indeed if that situation even existed. Both VPs were based in California. Some news reports did vaguely indicate Mar was the actual Party selection. She described herself to the media as "an independent Socialist."
Murdock was also running for US Congress in California's 32nd District as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party in 1988 where she earned 2.35% of the vote.
Nationally Lewin earned 10,367 popular votes (0.01%) mostly from New Jersey. The Lewin/Murdock ticket received 0.32% of the vote in New Jersey actually placing third [!] and 0.05 in Rhode Island.
Election history:
1986 - California Assembly (Pace and Freedom Party) - defeated
1988 - US House of Representatives (Calif.) (Peace and Freedom Party) - defeated
1990 - US House of Representatives (Calif.) (Peace and Freedom Party) - primary - defeated
Other occupations: anthropology student, temporary postal clerk,
Notes:
Raised in Long Beach, attended Paramount High School and California State University-Long Beach.
