Fred Mazelis

Below: Fred Mazelis 2011

Fred Mazelis, May 4, 1941 -

VP candidate for Workers League (1992)
VP candidate for Socialist Equality Party (1996)

Running mate with nominee (1992): Helen Betty Halyard (b. 1950)
Running mate with nominee (1996): Jerome White (b. 1959)
Popular vote (1992): 3,050 (0.00%)
Popular vote (1996): 2,438 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1992, 1996): 0/538

The campaign (1992):

The previous election in 1988 would be the high point for this party in terms of popular votes. But as any of the activists would tell you in their third national election, it wasn't about getting votes but building a party. But the Michigan-based Trotskyite group was seeming to become self-encapsulated in the same way the Socialist Labor Party had been, and they held a special antipathy for the Socialist Workers Party.

Helen Halyard of Michigan, the VP in the 1984 election, served as the Presidential nominee. Fred Mazelis of New York, who is considered among one of the founding members of the League, was her running-mate. Mazelis started his activity as a Workers League candidate in Michigan in the 1980s.

They did not receive much press coverage, but Halyard did manage to sum up their situation in what we call the "elevator speech": "Rich people have two political parties to represent them-- Democrats and Republicans. The working class is politically disenfranchised. No matter who gets elected, they're not going to help the living standards of working people."

Unlike most of the other political parties on the Left, you would be hard pressed to find any statements from the Workers League during this era regarding civil rights for groups based on race, gender, or sexual orientation. For the Workers League it all apparently came down to the economy, building a labor party, and replacing the capitalistic system.

On the ballot in two states, they finished with 0.05% of the vote in New Jersey (placing 12th out of 13), and 0.03% in Michigan.

The campaign (1996):

The Workers League had morphed into the Socialist Equality Party in 1995 and their first Presidential nominee under the new name was Jerome "Jerry" White. Based in Michigan, this would be the first of White's four runs as the SEP nominee. Mazelis was once again the VP choice.

As usual the media all but ignored the SEP campaign. The platform included: Change the tax code to increase income tax on those earning more than $150,000 a year, create a five-year $500 billion public works program, reduce the work week to 30 hours with no loss in pay, require laid-off workers to collect regular wages until another job can be found.

Even though the SEP ticket was now on the ballot in three states instead of just two, their popular vote continued to decline: Michigan 0.04%, Minnesota and New Jersey 0.02% each. They placed dead last in Minnesota and New Jersey, and in Michigan they ranked 8 out of 9. The 1996 national vote result of 2,438 has not been surpassed to date (April 2020). It appears the SEP did not run a Presidential candidate in 2000.

Election history:
1982 - US House of Representatives (Mich.) (Workers League) - defeated
1984 - US Senate (Mich.) (Workers League) - defeated
1989 - Mayor of New York City (Workers League) - defeated

Other occupations: writer, union activist

Notes:
Winner of the 1984 race was Carl Levin.
Competitors in the 1989 race included David Dinkins (winner), Rudy Giuliani, Lenora Fulani.
Has a BS in Chemistry.

Edward Walter Bergonzi

Edward Walter Bergonzi, October 1, 1946 (New Jersey?) -

VP candidate for Workers League Party (1984)

Running mate with nominee: Edward Winn (1937-1995)
Popular vote: 3,825  (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The Workers League Party was formed in 1966. Many members had come from the Socialist Workers Party but did not share the pro-Castro views of the SWP. 1984 was the first time the League entered the arena of Presidential politics although they had run candidates for other offices in the 1970s. Most of their activity was centered in the region of the industrial Rust Belt which in 1984 was in the midst watching the industrial age being transformed into the information age, displacing thousands of workers.

The Workers League Party could be characterized as Trotskyite, international in outlook, and hard line in not working with mainstream parties. In some ways they filled the void left by the Socialist Labor Party in presenting an uncompromising Marxist (and anti-Stalinist) alternative for voters in 1984.

Presidential candidate Edward Winn was a bus mechanic for the NYC Transit Authority. VP nominee Ed Bergonzi of Chicago was only on the ballot in Minnesota and Ohio, one of three running mates for Winn although Helen Halyard appeared to be the official choice.

They called for nationalization of the banking system and redistribution of the assets in order to fight unemployment and restore cuts to social programs, 30 hour work week with 40 pay, $100 billion public works program, socialized medicine, elimination of the CIA and FBI, and US withdrawal from NATO.

The Workers League Party attained ballot status in six states. The Party earned a total of 10,801 votes in the US (0.01%). The Winn/Bergonzi combination accounted for 3,825 of those votes, 0.08% of the total in Ohio (the League's strongest showing in 1984) and 0.01% in Minnesota.

Election history: none

Other occupations: union activist, antiwar activist, teacher

Notes:
Also lived in Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Jean Tilsen Brust

Jean Tilsen Brust, August 31, 1921 (Elgin, Minn.) - November 24, 1997 (St. Paul, Minn.)

VP candidate for Independent (aka Workers League Party) (1984)

Running mate with nominee: Edward Winn (1937-1995)
Popular vote: 2,632 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The Workers League Party was formed in 1966. Many members had come from the Socialist Workers Party but did not share the pro-Castro views of the SWP. 1984 was the first time the League entered the arena of Presidential politics although they had run candidates for other offices in the 1970s. Most of their activity was centered in the region of the industrial Rust Belt which in 1984 was in the midst watching the industrial age being transformed into the information age, displacing thousands of workers.

The Workers League Party could be characterized as Trotskyite, international in outlook, and hard line in not working with mainstream parties. In some ways they filled the void left by the Socialist Labor Party in presenting an uncompromising Marxist (and anti-Stalinist) alternative for voters in 1984.

Presidential candidate Edward Winn was a bus mechanic for the NYC Transit Authority. VP nominee Jean Brust was only on the ballot in Illinois, one of three running mates for Winn although Helen Halyard appeared to be the official choice. Brust was a veteran of the Party and counted among the founding members. Winn and Brust were listed as "Independent."

They called for nationalization of the banking system and redistribution of the assets in order to fight unemployment and restore cuts to social programs, 30 hour work week with 40 pay, $100 billion public works program, socialized medicine, elimination of the CIA and FBI, and US withdrawal from NATO.

The Workers League Party attained ballot status in six states. The Party earned a total of 10,801 votes in the US (0.01%). The Winn/Brust combination in Illinois accounted for 2,632 of those votes, 0.05% of the total for that state.

Election history:
1976 - US House of Representatives (Minn.) (Workers Party) - defeated
1978 - US Senate (Minn.) (Workers Party) - defeated

Other occupations: defense plant worker (WWII), meat packinghouse worker, teacher, union activist, author

Buried: ?

Notes:
Her husband Bill Brust (1919-1991) ran as the Workers League candidate for Minnesota Governor in
 1986.
Daughter of Jewish immigrants who had fled Russia.
Had originally been a member of the Socialist Workers Party until 1964.
The Workers League was called the Workers Party on the Minnesota ballot in the 1976-1978 races.

Helen Betty Halyard

Helen Betty Halyard, November 24, 1950 -

VP candidate for Workers League (aka Workers League Party) (1984)

Running mate with nominee: Edward Winn (1937-1995)
Popular vote: 4341 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The Workers League (aka Workers League Party) was formed in 1966. Many members had come from the Socialist Workers Party but did not share the pro-Castro views of the SWP. 1984 was the first time the League entered the arena of Presidential politics although they had run candidates for other offices in the 1970s. Most of their activity was centered in the region of the industrial Rust Belt which in 1984 was in the midst of experiencing the industrial age being transformed into the information age, displacing thousands of workers.

The Workers League Party could be characterized as Trotskyite, international in outlook, and hard line in not working with mainstream parties. In some ways they filled the void left by the Socialist Labor Party in presenting an uncompromising Marxist (and anti-Stalinist) alternative for voters in 1984.

Presidential candidate Edward Winn was a bus mechanic for the NYC Transit Authority. VP nominee Helen Halyard of Hamtramck, Mich. had been a member of the Workers League since 1971. At age 33 during the 1984 campaign she was under the Constitutionally mandated age of 35 to hold the office she was seeking. As the candidates themselves would admit, the 1984 run was more about building the party than winning.

They called for nationalization of the banking system and redistribution of the assets in order to fight unemployment and restore cuts to social programs, 30 hour work week with 40 hour pay, $100 billion public works program, socialized medicine, elimination of the CIA and FBI, and US withdrawal from NATO.

The team was one of the few in US history where both nominees were African American and as such they were frequently asked to comment on the parallel Democratic Party primary Presidential run of Jesse Jackson. "We will never capitulate to any capitalistic candidates," Winn declared, "including Jesse Jackson." Al Sharpton was also included in their roster of capitalistic politicians. This was also in reaction to some other parties on the Left (e.g. Workers World Party) willing to endorse Jackson in the event he gained the nomination. Actually quite a bit of disdain was cast in the direction of the Workers World Party and the Socialist Workers Party.

The Workers League Party attained ballot status in six states, but Halyard was only listed as the VP in half of them, perhaps due to her age or the other two names were considered early filing stand-ins. The Party earned a total of 10,801 votes in the US (0.01%). The Winn/Halyard combination accounted for 4341 of those votes with the percentages being: New Jersey 0.05%, Pennsylvania 0.04%, and Michigan 0.01%.

Halyard remains active to this day in the Socialist Equality Party (the Workers League Party changed their name in the mid 1990s).

Election history:
1974 - US House of Representatives (NY) (Workers League Party) - defeated
1976 - US House of Representatives (NY) (Workers League Party) - defeated
1982 - US Senate (Mich.) (Workers League Party) - defeated
1985 - Mayor of Detroit, Mich. (Nonpartisan) - primary - defeated
1989 - Mayor of Detroit, Mich. (Nonpartisan) - primary - defeated
1992 - US President (Workers League Party) - defeated
1994 - US House of Representatives (Mich.) (Independent) - defeated
1996 - US House of Representatives (Mich.) (Socialist Equality Party) - defeated

Other occupations: Assistant National Secretary for Socialist Equality Party, Workers League Party Presidential Elector 1988

Notes:
Winner of the 1976 race was Charles Rangel.
Winner of the 1985 and 1989 races was Coleman Young.
A competitor and fellow runner up in the 1989 race was John Conyers.
Competitors in the 1996 race included John Conyers (winner) and Willie Mae Reid.
Wikipedia and some other secondary sources state Halyard was the 1988 Workers League VP
 nominee but primary sources all show Barry Porster as the 1988 VP.