Leonard Peltier

 

Leonard Peltier, September 12, 1944 (Belcourt, N.D.) -

VP candidate for Party for Socialism and Liberation (aka Peace and Freedom Party) (2020)

Running mate with nominee: Gloria Estela La Riva (b. 1954)
Popular vote: 9,506 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

2020 was the 4th national election for the young party, and in three of those the standard bearer was Gloria La Riva. Her running-mate was Leonard Peltier.

Peltier, a Turtle Mountain Chippewa who was previously active in the American Indian Movement (AIM) had been in prison since 1977. He was convicted of aiding and abetting the 1975 shooting at point blank range of a couple of FBI agents at the Pine Ridge Reservation, SD. Peltier became a fugitive but was arrested a couple months later in Alberta. His case quickly drew controversy while gaining supporters contending he is a political prisoner and the "Free Leonard Peltier" movement was born.

In 2004 Peltier was the Presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party.

La Riva ran on a platform of 10 points, as she did in 2016--

The PSL’s 2020 Ten Point
Socialist Campaign Program

★ 1 |  Make the essentials of life into constitutional rights
The U.S. has more than enough so that all the essentials of life — food, housing, water, education, health care and a job or basic income can be guaranteed rights — rather than distributed only for profit. Create a completely free and public healthcare system. Make education free—cancel all student debt. Fully fund rebuilding of the infrastructure in transport, water and utility systems. Stop all foreclosures and evictions. End all discrimination based on ability/disability.

★ 2 |  For the Earth to live, capitalism must be replaced by a socialist system
Global warming, pollution, acidified and depleted oceans, fracking, critical drought, plastics choking the seas, nuclear weapons and waste — it is clear that capitalism and production for profit are destroying the planet and threatening all life. The crisis is already here, with the most vulnerable and oppressed areas of the U.S. and Global South bearing the brunt. Using truly sustainable energy and seizing the oil and coal companies to stop fossil fuel pollution, are urgent steps needed to reverse climate change. Ultimately, only the socialist reorganization of society can assure the future of the people and the planet.

★ 3 |  End racism, police brutality and mass incarceration-Pay reparations to the African American community
Mass incarceration and racist policing are symptomatic of the 400 years of brutal repression meted out to African-descended peoples in the U.S. and the genocide committed against the Native nations. Reparations must be paid to the African American and Native communities! More than 2.2 million people are behind bars in the largest prison complex in the world. End mass incarceration of oppressed and all working class people. Fully prosecute all acts of police brutality and violence. Free Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners!

★ 4 |  Full rights for all immigrants
Abolish all anti-immigrant laws. Stop the raids and deportations and demonization of immigrants. Shut down ICE and the concentration camps and reunite families. The government’s war on immigrants must end. The border wall must be dismantled. Amnesty and citizenship for those without documents. Full rights for all!

★ 5 |  Shut down all U.S. military bases around the world—bring all the troops, planes & ships home
U.S. foreign policy uses the pretext of national security to enforce the imperialist interests of the biggest banks and corporations. That is what is behind the endless wars and occupations. Use the $1 trillion military budget instead to provide for people’s needs here and worldwide. Abolish nuclear weapons. Stop U.S. aid to Israel. Self-determination for the Palestinian people, including the right of return. End the U.S. blockade of Cuba and sanctions against Venezuela, Iran and all countries. Independence for Puerto Rico and cancel its debt!

★ 6 |  Honor Native treaties. Free Leonard Peltier now
Both major parties have continued to allow the destruction of Native lands by mining and corporate agricultural interests in blatant disregard of indigenous sovereign rights. 33% of Native children live in poverty and many of America's poorest counties are reservations. The crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and the over-incarceration of Native peoples shows the bankruptcy of capitalism from its earliest inception in the Americas until today.
 
★ 7 |  Full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people
Fight back against anti-LGBTQ discrimination and violence. Defend marriage equality. Full equality in all matters governed by civil law, including employment, housing, healthcare and education. No to “religious exemption” laws that allow discrimination against LGBTQ people!
 
★ 8 |  Equality for women and free, safe, legal abortion on demand
Stop the attack on women’s reproductive rights and defend Roe v. Wade. Women must have the fundamental right to choose & control their own bodies. Women still earn 22 percent less than men, and the gap is even more severe for Black and Latina women. Close the wage gap and end the gender division of labor.

★ 9 |  Defend and expand our unions
Support the right of all workers to have a union. Fight back against the attacks on collective bargaining. Require employers to recognize card check union votes. Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act. Focusing on low-wage worker organizing, rebuild a fighting labor movement.

★ 10 |  Takeover the stolen wealth of the giant banks and corporations – Jail Wall St. criminals
The vast wealth of the giant banks and corporations is created by workers labor and the exploitation of the world’s diminishing natural resources. The billionaires looted and destroyed the economy. It is time to seize their assets and use those resources in the interests of the vast majority. Power must be taken out of the hands of the super rich, and Wall Street criminals must be jailed.
    
In May 2020 the ticket was also nominated by the Liberty Union Party in Vermont. LU had also selected La Riva in 2016. On the negative side one can find chatter from other Leftist groups who consider PSL to be "tankies" (i.e. Stalinists) in love with despotic regimes as well as being an undemocratic, nontransparent political party to the point of being a cult. There have been allegations for years that PSL has harbored and protected sexual predators and abusers within their ranks.

Peltier withdrew from the ticket on July 20, 2020. The Party's website ran this statement--

Leonard Peltier regretfully withdraws as vice-presidential candidate

The Gloria La Riva for President 2020 Campaign announced today that Leonard Peltier has been compelled to withdraw as our vice–presidential candidate. Leonard’s health has seriously deteriorated in recent weeks and the maximum security prison where he is confined in Florida does not have the medical facilities he requires. He urgently needs compassionate release or commutation of his sentence that has now stretched for 44 years, as well as immediate transfer to a medical facility for proper medical treatment. His legal team -- and we -- believes that all focus must be directed toward his health situation and legal matters before him.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation is deeply honored that Leonard accepted our vice-presidential nomination to run on a ticket with presidential candidate Gloria La Riva. From the start last September, Leonard, a true people’s hero, was enthusiastic about the campaign and remained so until his health and legal circumstances has forced him to withdraw.

The La Riva for President 2020 Campaign and the Party for Socialism and Liberation hold Leonard Peltier in the highest esteem and pledge to continue the struggle for his freedom and the medical attention he urgently needs.

In a message regarding his withdrawal to Gloria La Riva on July 29, 2020, Leonard wrote: 

I know this is a huge disappointment to you as it is mine, that I have to drop out of the campaign with Gloria La Riva. My medical problems are not getting any better. I need to try to get home or at least closer. If so, it would be easier to get out. So please, forgive me if I have disappointed any of you. I did not intend to. Nor was I dropping out because I did not believe in it. I'm seriously hurting. Just know I love you young people who support me. You're awesome. Thank you for your support and love.

"Doksha, Leonard Peltier”

The PSL 2020 vice-presidential candidate will be Washington DC-based long-time activist and fighter for justice Sunil Freeman.

For the second time in a row the Peace and Freedom Party in California nominated La Riva for President, soundly defeating Howie Hawkins' bid.

Ever since the 2008 election the Party's popular vote result has been steadily rising. Their combined 2020 vote was 86,239, finishing in 6th place after the Libertarian, Green, and Alliance parties. 9,506 of those votes were for the La Riva/Peltier ticket in Illinois (0.13%), Minnesota (0.04%) where his name remained in the ballot, and in Texas (0.00%) as the official write-in VP.

The La Riva/Freeman ticket saw their strongest percentages in California (0.29%), District of Columbia (0.25%), New Mexico (0.18%), Rhode Island (0.16%), Washington (0.12%), and Arkansas (0.11%).

Election history:
2004 - US President (Peace and Freedom Party) - defeated

Other occupations: welder, construction worker, auto body shop, activist, author

Notes:
Washington State trivia alert!!!-- Peltier was co-owner of an auto body shop in Seattle ca1965-1972.
 In July 2000 the Washington State Democratic Party passed a resolution in support of executive
 clemency for Peltier.

Sunil K. Freeman

 

Sunil K. Freeman, January 28, 1955 (Raleigh, N.C.) -

VP candidate for Party for Socialism and Liberation (aka Peace and Freedom Party aka Independent aka Unaffiliated aka Liberty Union Party) (2020)

Running mate with nominee: Gloria Estela La Riva (b. 1954)
Popular vote: 76,733 (0.05%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

2020 was the 4th national election for the young party, and in three of those the standard bearer was Gloria La Riva. Her running-mate was Leonard Peltier.

La Riva ran on a platform of 10 points, as she did in 2016--

The PSL’s 2020 Ten Point
Socialist Campaign Program

★ 1 |  Make the essentials of life into constitutional rights
The U.S. has more than enough so that all the essentials of life — food, housing, water, education, health care and a job or basic income can be guaranteed rights — rather than distributed only for profit. Create a completely free and public healthcare system. Make education free—cancel all student debt. Fully fund rebuilding of the infrastructure in transport, water and utility systems. Stop all foreclosures and evictions. End all discrimination based on ability/disability.

★ 2 |  For the Earth to live, capitalism must be replaced by a socialist system
Global warming, pollution, acidified and depleted oceans, fracking, critical drought, plastics choking the seas, nuclear weapons and waste — it is clear that capitalism and production for profit are destroying the planet and threatening all life. The crisis is already here, with the most vulnerable and oppressed areas of the U.S. and Global South bearing the brunt. Using truly sustainable energy and seizing the oil and coal companies to stop fossil fuel pollution, are urgent steps needed to reverse climate change. Ultimately, only the socialist reorganization of society can assure the future of the people and the planet.

★ 3 |  End racism, police brutality and mass incarceration-Pay reparations to the African American community
Mass incarceration and racist policing are symptomatic of the 400 years of brutal repression meted out to African-descended peoples in the U.S. and the genocide committed against the Native nations. Reparations must be paid to the African American and Native communities! More than 2.2 million people are behind bars in the largest prison complex in the world. End mass incarceration of oppressed and all working class people. Fully prosecute all acts of police brutality and violence. Free Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners!

★ 4 |  Full rights for all immigrants
Abolish all anti-immigrant laws. Stop the raids and deportations and demonization of immigrants. Shut down ICE and the concentration camps and reunite families. The government’s war on immigrants must end. The border wall must be dismantled. Amnesty and citizenship for those without documents. Full rights for all!

★ 5 |  Shut down all U.S. military bases around the world—bring all the troops, planes & ships home
U.S. foreign policy uses the pretext of national security to enforce the imperialist interests of the biggest banks and corporations. That is what is behind the endless wars and occupations. Use the $1 trillion military budget instead to provide for people’s needs here and worldwide. Abolish nuclear weapons. Stop U.S. aid to Israel. Self-determination for the Palestinian people, including the right of return. End the U.S. blockade of Cuba and sanctions against Venezuela, Iran and all countries. Independence for Puerto Rico and cancel its debt!

★ 6 |  Honor Native treaties. Free Leonard Peltier now
Both major parties have continued to allow the destruction of Native lands by mining and corporate agricultural interests in blatant disregard of indigenous sovereign rights. 33% of Native children live in poverty and many of America's poorest counties are reservations. The crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and the over-incarceration of Native peoples shows the bankruptcy of capitalism from its earliest inception in the Americas until today.
 
★ 7 |  Full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people
Fight back against anti-LGBTQ discrimination and violence. Defend marriage equality. Full equality in all matters governed by civil law, including employment, housing, healthcare and education. No to “religious exemption” laws that allow discrimination against LGBTQ people!
 
★ 8 |  Equality for women and free, safe, legal abortion on demand
Stop the attack on women’s reproductive rights and defend Roe v. Wade. Women must have the fundamental right to choose & control their own bodies. Women still earn 22 percent less than men, and the gap is even more severe for Black and Latina women. Close the wage gap and end the gender division of labor.

★ 9 |  Defend and expand our unions
Support the right of all workers to have a union. Fight back against the attacks on collective bargaining. Require employers to recognize card check union votes. Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act. Focusing on low-wage worker organizing, rebuild a fighting labor movement.

★ 10 |  Takeover the stolen wealth of the giant banks and corporations – Jail Wall St. criminals
The vast wealth of the giant banks and corporations is created by workers labor and the exploitation of the world’s diminishing natural resources. The billionaires looted and destroyed the economy. It is time to seize their assets and use those resources in the interests of the vast majority. Power must be taken out of the hands of the super rich, and Wall Street criminals must be jailed.
    
In May 2020 the ticket was also nominated by the Liberty Union Party in Vermont. LU had also selected La Riva in 2016. On the negative side one can find chatter from other Leftist groups who consider PSL to be "tankies" (i.e. Stalinists) in love with despotic regimes as well as being an undemocratic, nontransparent political party to the point of being a cult. There have been allegations for years that PSL has harbored and protected sexual predators and abusers within their ranks.

Peltier withdrew from the ticket on July 20, 2020 citing ill health. He was replaced by Sunil Freeman. Freeman's biography was provided on the campaign website--

Sunil Freeman is a lifelong activist and cultural worker. He is the child of parents who met as workers at the refugee camp in Kurukshetra during the time of India's independence and partition. Growing up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C., Sunil, along with his family, were active participants in the mass anti-Vietnam War movement, formative experiences that brought Sunil into solidarity with all the movements of the oppressed sweeping the world during that time.

Sunil, a poet and essayist, has contributed to and edited major literary journals. He joined the PSL in 2005 after becoming an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition in the anti-Iraq War movement. Sunil has participated in and organized dozens of events in opposition to US wars abroad, against the US blockade of Cuba, and against criminal sanctions levied by the US against a range of countries.

Sunil is also a disability rights activist working to make all aspects of society accessible to all. Sunil currently resides in Maryland and continues to be active in social justice issues of all kinds.

For the second time in a row the Peace and Freedom Party in California nominated La Riva for President, soundly defeating Howie Hawkins' bid.

Ever since the 2008 election the Party's popular vote result has been steadily rising. Their combined 2020 vote was 86,239, finishing in 6th place after the Libertarian, Green, and Alliance parties. 9,506 of those votes were for the La Riva/Peltier ticket in Illinois (0.13%) and Minnesota (0.04%) where his name remained in the ballot, and in Texas (0.00%) as the official write-in VP.

The La Riva/Freeman ticket saw their strongest percentages in California (0.29%), District of Columbia (0.25%), New Mexico (0.18%), Rhode Island (0.16%), Washington (0.12%), and Arkansas (0.11%).

Election history: none

Other occupations: poet, author, Assistant Director of the Writer's Center

Notes:
Freeman's father was an American Quaker, his mother born a citizen of India.

Dawn Neptune Adams

 

Dawn Neptune Adams, 1974 -

VP candidate for Progressive Party (aka Independent aka Progressive Party of Oregon aka Green Party of the United States and Independent Green Party) (2020)

Running mate with nominee: Dario David Hunter (b. 1983)
Popular vote: 5,408 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Dario Hunter of Youngstown, Ohio initially filed with the FEC for US President on Feb. 18, 2019 as a member of the Green Party.

On Mar. 8, 2020 Hunter changed his FEC filing to reflect his campaign HQ had relocated to Walnut, Calif. and his running-mate was Darlene Elias of Massachusetts. In his quest for the nomination he placed second in the primaries with 20.5% behind Howie Hawkins (35.06%) and also finished as a formidable runner-up at the Green convention, July 9-11, 2020.

On July 16, 2020, having been unsuccessful in obtaining the nomination of the Green Party, Hunter changed his party designation to Independent in his FEC filing and continued his campaign. In the process he and Elias had been highly critical of the Green Party's leadership and what he contended was an unfair selection method biased in favor of eventual nominee Howie Hawkins.

On Aug. 15, 2020 his filing was amended yet again to reflect his VP was now Dawn Neptune Adams and they were running under the Progressive Party label. The reasons for the switch in running-mates was not given.

Hunter's autobiography from the campaign website--

Born April 21, 1983 in Livingston, New Jersey USA.

Raised in Jersey City and in Newark, New Jersey.

I was born in New Jersey to an African-American mother and a Persian father. We were a working poor family and for us life was a constant struggle to make ends meet. I held on to my goals, getting into Princeton and through three law degrees. I know what it’s like to come from a hard life, but I also know what it’s like to make good on little more than faith and hard work.

I've previously taught as a high school English teacher, served as a K-8 school administrator and as a community college instructor. I enjoy giving back through education and I believe that it is the key to our advancement as a country, just as it has been key to my own personal upliftment. I formerly practiced law in Canada and more recently as an international environmental lawyer at a firm in Haifa.

In Youngstown, OH, I served as a member of the Youngstown Board of Education (2016-2020), fighting the predatory effort of the State of Ohio to take over our district and trap our children in a CEO-run corporate failure. I fought to ban fracking and successfully took on local and state governments in court to uphold the public's right to public records.

Raised at the intersection of multiple cultural experiences, I have taken a very liberal and open-minded approach to spiritual leadership - converting to Judaism and becoming the first born-Muslim ordained as a rabbi. I was previously the campus rabbi for the College of Wooster (Wooster, OH) as well as a pulpit rabbi to a local congregation in Youngstown, Ohio.

Adams also had a biography on the campaign website--

Dawn Neptune Adams is a member of the Penobscot Nation and a journalist with Sunlight Media Collective. Her grassroots environmental activism began with protecting Indigenous Sacred sites in Huntington Beach, CA in 1998 and continues into the present with Indigenous advocacy at Penobscot Tribal, local, state, and national levels.

An activist for Indigenous rights, Dawn’s personal childhood story of Indigenous child removal was featured in the Emmy-winning documentary Dawnland.

Dawn is a Racial Justice Consultant to the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, an active member of Racial Equity & Justice of Bangor, and a former Indigenous Peoples' Policy Advisor for the Hunter/Elias 2020 Presidential campaign. Dawn is directly involved in politics for change, serving as the Wabanaki Liason to the Maine Independent Green Party as well as the current Vice Presidential Candidate to the Dario Hunter 2020 Presidential campaign.

When not battling polluters, plutocrats, and patriarchy, Dawn spends her time raising a pre-teen and building fine furniture. She dreams of a day when we can all eat Salmon from the Penobscot River and live together in peace.

Their platform in summarized form--

Employment

Together we will fight for the human right to food, water, housing and essential utilities.

We will fight for the right to a living wage job with wages indexed to cost of living and inflation (but never less than $15/hr).

Under the REAL Green New Deal there will be full employment – with public works jobs and green jobs.

We will protect workers rights and protect unions - ending firings without just cause.

We will achieve equal pay and equal rights for women, finally passing the Equal Rights Amendment.

Education

There will be tuition free education from grade school through to college.

And we will overcome the educational racism that plagues our schools, subjecting children of color to lessened educational opportunities and the racism of lowered expectations.

We will fight to keep local voice and choice in education – and keep privatization out of our educational system. Our children are not to be used as pawns for corporate profit.

Environment

We will secure clean air, water and soil for future generations and end the environmental racism that plagues minority communities with pollution. We will transition away from fossil fuels, ending their harmful extraction.

And we will set clear achievable goals to transition to 100% renewable energy.

Economy

Bought and paid for Republican and Democratic leaders will tell you that some banks are ‘too big to fail.’ There is no such thing. Break them up. And make corporations and rich pay their fair share. Corporations are not people - and we will no longer allow their interests to outrank the public good.

We shall give grants to green businesses and support community coops in minority communities.

We will democratize monetary policy, giving the public control of the money supply and the creation of credit.

Healthcare

There will be single payer health care for all Americans (i.e. Medicare for All), with no copays, deductibles or restrictions against pre-existing illness.

We will end racism in healthcare that causes a lack of resources and access for minority communities.

Immigration

We will halt the unwarranted deportations and detentions, night raids and the abusive separation of undocumented immigrant families.

We will create a path to citizenship for immigrants that is reasonable, achievable and appreciates the value immigrants bring to our country.

Democracy

Through ranked choice voting, proportional representation and open debates we will seek to perfect the revolution this country's founders started by bringing real democracy and real choice to America’s voters. We will remove the ballot access barriers put in place by the Republicans and Democrats (and their corporate masters).

Equal Rights

We will bring an end to the senseless killing of people of color by law enforcement – supporting the efforts of Black Lives Matter.

We will affirm tribal sovereignty, affirm all treaties, and restore tribal lands to our indigenous peoples – protecting their sacred sites and fighting racism.

Through targeted legislation, we will protect the rights and the lives of LGBTQIA+ persons.

We will stand up against colonialism in Puerto Rico, supporting Puerto Rico's self determination and independence.

We will fight for reparations for Americans of African descent who have been subjected to centuries of slavery and discrimination.

Policing/Prisons/Justice

We will end the war on drugs that feeds into our shameful system of mass incarceration – the new plantation system for African-Americans and people of color.

In response to the ongoing genocide by police, we will demilitarize, defund, disestablish and devolve power to local communities in law enforcement.

We will establish community oversight of public safety and end the quotas for enforcement actions that create a for profit law enforcement model.

We will end the abusive surveillance, spying and violation of our free speech that has occurred under Republican and Democratic administrations alike.

We will protect whistleblowers and publishers like Julian Assange from malicious prosecution with federal level legal protections.

Military/Wars

We will end the war budget and stop funding interventionist activities and wars, closing over 700 military bases abroad. And we will stop aiding and abetting human rights abusers around the world – such as Saudi Arabia and Israel.

We will fund instead a Department of Peace. Our best defense is the pursuit of diplomacy, a strong educational system (i.e. a well educated public) and a strong infrastructure.

And yet we will ensure the quality of veterans' health programs, and honor our military by dealing with the ongoing impact of the military sexual crime crisis outside of the broken military judicial system.

Hunter/Adams could be found on the ballots in Oregon (0.21%) and Colorado (0.01%). They were also registered as write-ins in at least half a dozen states, some of them under the Green Party designation. Nationally they finished in 15th place. Oregon gave them the lion's share of their popular vote.

Election history: none

Other occupations: activist, filmmaker, journalist

Notes:
aka Donna May Adams.

Angela Nicole Walker

 

Angela Nicole Walker, January 19, 1974 (Milwaukee, Wis.) -

VP candidate for Socialist Party of the United States of America (aka Socialist Party USA aka Natural Law Party) (2016)
VP candidate for Socialist Party of the United States of America (aka Socialist Party USA aka Green Party of the United States aka Legal Marijuana Now Party aka DC Statehood/Green Party aka Green Rainbow Party aka Pacific Green Party aka Independent aka Mountain Party) (2020)

Running mate with nominee (2016): Emidio Soltysik (1974-2020)
Running mate with nominee (2020): Howard Gresham Hawkins (b. 1952)
Popular vote (2016): 2,689 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2020): 405,622 (0.26%)
Electoral vote (2016, 2020): 0/538

The campaign (2016):

The Socialist Party USA nominated Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik of Los Angeles and Angela Nicole Walker of Milwaukee in Oct. 2015 as their Presidential ticket for the 2016 election.

The SPUSA found itself, at least early in the election season, campaigning against Bernie Sanders more than the status quo candidates. Soltysik told the press, "He has had a long history of support for war and he has also had a healthy support for Israel, which we tend to see as an apartheid state. Some things he has done and advocated for are completely incompatible with a responsible socialist program."

The quite lengthy SPUSA 2016 platform had this preamble--

The Socialist Party USA stands for the abolition of every form of domination and exploitation, whether based on social class, gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, sexual orientation, or other characteristics.

We are committed to the transformation of capitalism through the creation of a democratic socialist society based on compassion, empathy, and respect as well as the development of new social structures.  Socialism will establish a new social and economic order in which workers and community members will take responsibility for and control of their interpersonal relationships, their neighborhoods, their local government, and the production and distribution of all goods and services.

For these reasons we call for social ownership and democratic control of productive resources, for a guarantee to all of the right to participate in societal production, and to a fair share of society’s product, in accordance with individual needs.

As we pursue a socialist transformation of society, we join with others in making radical demands on the existing system: demands that challenge the basic assumptions of a capitalist market economy while pointing the way to a new society. Although reforms will not in themselves bring about socialism, the fight for them will advance the cause by demonstrating the inherent limitations and injustice of the capitalist system. As we build the socialist movement, we organize around a platform committed to our common and interdependent struggles and aspirations.

When the Los Angeles Times asked Soltysik what he would do if elected he responded, "We would have to fire ourselves on the first day. You can't do that job without becoming a war criminal."

Soltysik/Walker were on the ballot in Colorado (0.01%) and Michigan (0.05%), the latter under the Natural Law Party banner. The were registered as write-ins in 8 additional states. In the event of their victory Walker would have assumed the Presidency upon the death of Soltysik June 28, 2020.

The campaign (2020):

If you followed the activities of national third political parties during the 2020 election, you could not avoid Howie Hawkins. Although his history was with the Green Party, he launched an aggressive effort to unite several progressive organizations and was partially successful. His running-mate in all cases was Angela Walker.

Hawkins, of Syracuse, N.Y., filed with the FEC as a Green Party candidate on May 14, 2019.

Hawkins/Walker won the nomination of the Socialist Party USA in Oct. 2019. On July 11, 2020, Hawkins/Walker received the Green Party nomination in their Age of COVID online convention. In Aug. 2020 Hawkins/Walker were nominated (some sources say "endorsed") by the Legal Marijuana Now Party. In the case of the Legal Marijuana Now Party, Rudy Reyes became the Presidential nominee of the Legal Marijuana Now Party ca. Mar. 2020 when Presidential nominee Mark Elworth Jr stepped down to run for US Congress as a Democrat in Nebraska. After winning the primary Elworth switched back to the LMNP and resumed his top spot on the ticket while Reyes once again became the VP. In August 2020 the LMNP dropped their ticket entirely and backed Hawkins. Socialist Alternative endorsed the Hawkins/Walker campaign later in the season.

Solidarity initially supported Hawkins/Walker, but then rescinded their backing after a poll of their members.

The Green Party nomination process was not without controversy. Dario Hunter, who was a rival for the nomination, decided to continue campaigning to the general election. The Alaska Green Party broke ranks with the national party and nominated a ticket of Jesse Ventura/Cynthia McKinney who were also registered write-ins in California.

The Rhode Island Green Party refused to name a candidate for fear of throwing the election to Trump. Democrats were successful in preventing ballot access for Hawkins/Walker in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Hawkins also attempted, and failed, to gain the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party creating some political bad blood between himself and winner Gloria La Riva in the process.

Unlike 2016, when the Trump administration was simply a dystopian concept, by 2020 it was a reality that had polarized the country. Many progressive voters felt that Trump's incompetence and impotence in the face of a national emergency, coupled with his authoritarian white nationalist style, made even the most centrist Democrat seem acceptable by comparison. With Sen. Sanders himself putting some energy into the Biden electioneering, Hawkins would find it a difficult task to recruit new voters.

Even so, Hawkins/Walker finished an impressive 4th place nationally. On the ballot in 29 states + DC and registered as write-ins in a dozen more they were within the potential of receiving enough votes from the Electoral College to win. On the printed ballots they were chiefly identified as Green Party candidates. Their strongest results: Maine (1%), Hawaii (0.67%), Maryland (0.52%), Massachusetts and Illinois (0.51% each), Oregon and District of Columbia (0.50% each). The three close states where they could have been potential spoilers-- Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin-- were all carried by Biden. In all three Hawkins/Walker were not on the ballot but were registered as write-ins.  

On Nov. 9, 2020, Hawkins filed with the FEC for the 2024 Presidential election under the category of "Other."

Election history:
2014 - Milwaukee County Sheriff (Wis.) (Independent) - defeated

Other occupations: bus driver, dump truck driver, union organizer

Notes:
During the 2020 election cycle I had been in contact with Walker and the campaign's PR man, Kevin Zeese. We reached the point where Walker agreed to an interview and she was sent a list of questions. But then Zeese suddenly died and that apparently stopped everything.

Howard Gresham Hawkins

 

Howard Gresham Hawkins, December 8, 1952 (San Francisco, Calif.) -

VP candidate for Green Party of the United States (2012, 2016)

Running mate with nominee (2012, 2016): Jill Ellen Stein (b. 1950)
Popular vote (2012): 30,222 (0.02%)
Popular vote (2016): 102,160 (0.07%)
Electoral vote (2012, 2016): 0/538

The campaign (2012):

The 2012 Green Party Presidential nomination was won by Massachusetts physician Jill Stein, a perennial Green Party candidate for various offices in the Bay State during the previous decade. From 2005-2011 she had been twice elected to the Lexington, Mass. town council, her only public office prior to running for the White House.

The cornerstone of Stein's campaign was the Green New Deal, a phrase that goes back to the early 21st century, was picked up and expanded on by the Green Party, and then later co-opted by progressive Democrats. The Party's 2012 Green New Deal not only called for assertive environmental measures but also included several social issues such as full employment, strict tariffs, support labor unions, upgrade the nation's infrastructure, tuition-free education, a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions, phase out dependence on oil-coal-nuclear power, repeal the Patriot Act, Statehood for DC, legalize marijuana.

Although Stein might have appeared radical to mainstream voters, she looked totally moderate when compared to her running-mate, controversial Philadelphia-based activist Cheri Honkala. The Green Party VP had a Dickens style hardluck upbringing and later survived as a homeless single mother living in her car. In her struggle she evolved into an unorthodox and in-your-face advocate on behalf of those living on the margins of society. Her method of operation was confrontational, probably giving her the record for number of arrests related to civil disobedience for 2012 nominees. Honkala's efforts worked in terms of generating attention for her cause. Back when magazines had more clout than they do today, Ms. Magazine named Honkala "Woman of the Year" in 2001, and Mother Jones bestowed the "Hellraiser of the Month" honor to her in April 2005.

Stein and Honkala were arrested more than once during the campaign in the course of protesting issues like foreclosures and being excluded from the Obama-Romney debates. Incarceration was considered just part of the election process.

In Wisconsin Stein's running-mate was Ben Manski, in Illinois it was Howie Hawkins.

A year earlier Hawkins had finished with 47.94% of the vote for the Common Council of Syracuse, N.Y., which was his highest popular result to date in his long electioneering career. Hawkins was a veteran environmental and anti-war activist dating back to the Vietnam War era, not seeking elected office until the 1990s, but then he made up for lost time becoming one of the most perennial of modern third party candidates.

Their 4th place result of nearly half a million votes was the best showing for the Green Party since 2000. On the ballot in 37 states + DC and write-ins in 5, there were no states where they could be accused, as they were in 2000, of being a spoiler. The Stein/Honkala ticket finished strongest in Maine (1.14%), Oregon (1.18%), Alaska (0.97%), Arkansas (0.87%), District of Columbia (0.84%, where they placed third), Hawaii (0.73%), Washington and Idaho (0.67% each), West Virginia and California (0.66% each), Massachusetts (0.65%).

Stein finished in 4th place nationally and in Illinois as well, with the Stein/Hawkins ticket landing 0.58% of the vote in that state.

The campaign (2016):

Jill Stein was nominated as the Green Party standard bearer for the second time in 2016. Her official running-mate was Ajamu Baraka.

Stein's direction had veered a bit since 2012. In the 2016 election some critical observers felt she was starting to demonstrate what critics call "conspirituality," where New Age followers and the more cultish Trump adherents overlap in their denial of science and embracing a multitude of conspiracy theories. For example, the belief that Big Pharma controls the government regulatory agencies and vaccinations are harmful. Although Stein did not go full anti-vaxxer, she was accused by critics of pandering to that demographic through the use of linguistic "dog whistles." Critics also contended she used the same method in suggesting Wi-Fi causes brain damage and that the 9/11 attack deserved more investigation.

Although even skeptics agreed the Greens seemed to be more reality based when it came to environmental science, they pointed out their medical science was quite another thing (which is ironic considering Stein is a doctor), as demonstrated on the Green webpage--

Greens support a wide-range of health care services, not just traditional medicine which too often emphasizes “a medical arms race” that relies upon high-tech intervention, surgical techniques and costly pharmaceuticals. Chronic conditions are often best cured by alternative medicine. We support the teaching, funding and practice of holistic health approaches and as appropriate, the use of complementary and alternative therapies such as herbal medicines, homeopathy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine and other healing approaches.

The rise and fall of the Bernie Sanders campaign left a good sized number of voters without a home. The Green Party was able to seize upon this opportunity. The Greens disdained Sanders' method of working within a major party, and felt everything the Democrats co-opted from them, such as the Green New Deal, became watered down after it had been essentially mainstreamed (hmm, interesting accidental aquatic wordplay there). Stein also did not seem to care if Trump emerged the winner in 2016--

The answer to neofascism is stopping neoliberalism. Putting another Clinton in the White House will fan the flames of this right-wing extremism. We have known that for a long time ever since Nazi Germany. We are going to stand up to Donald Trump and to stand up to Hillary Clinton!

Stein told the media she would step aside if Sanders was willing to run for President in the Green Party. She felt Clinton could do more damage if elected because she was competent where Trump was clearly in over his head.

The fact her running-mate Baraka was outspoken about his embrace of certain conspiracy theories did not help with the Greens escaping the "woo" image that took off like a rocket with Cynthia McKinney in 2008 and was now solidifying in 2016. I'll get to Baraka when I cover 2016.

For some reason Howie Hawkins once again ended up as a stand-in VP, this time in Minnesota, Vermont, and Washington. He was quoted by Politico during the Green convention with a statement that turned out to be prophetic--

The biggest threat to the Democrats isn't losing votes to the Greens ... Working class whites say, well, the Democrats don't have all that much for us. And Trump sounds like he's mad at the system. So they throw a protest vote to him ... the African-American, Latino, Asian working class. Barack Obama got them out twice, but he didn't do a lot for them, and he's not on the ticket this time.

Stein finished in 4th place with 1,457,288 votes (1.06%), the second highest result in the history of the Party. Of that, the Stein/Hawkins ticket tally was 102,160 votes: Minnesota 1.26%, Washington 1.76%, and Vermont 2.11%.

Some pundits point to Stein's percentages in Wisconsin (1.04%), Pennsylvania (0.81%), and Michigan (1.07%)-- all swing states that voted for Trump who won by margins below the Green total-- and accuse her of being a spoiler as they accused Nader in 2000. However, in all three states the Libertarians had considerably higher percentages than the Greens, placing third, which complicates the "spoiler equation." If anything, a case could be made both third parties drew away a significant number of "Protest Voters" who otherwise would have voted for Trump and he won those states in spite of that.

Election history:
1996 - US House of Representatives (NY) (Green Party) - disqualified from ballot
1997 - Mayor of Syracuse, N.Y. (Green Party) - defeated
1998 - Comptroller of New York (Green Party) - defeated
2000 - US House of Representatives (NY) (Green Party) - defeated
2002 - Comptroller of New York (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2004 - US House of Representatives (NY) (Peace and Justice Party) - defeated
2005 - Mayor of Syracuse, N.Y. (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2006 - US Senate (N.Y.) (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2007 - Common Council of Syracuse, N.Y. (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2008 - Green Party of the United States nomination for US President - defeated
2008 - US House of Representatives (NY) (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2009 - Common Council of Syracuse, N.Y. (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2010 - Governor of New York (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2011 - Common Council of Syracuse, N.Y. (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2013 - Common Council of Syracuse, N.Y. (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2014 - Governor of New York (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2015 - City Auditor of Syracuse, N.Y. (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2017 - Mayor of Syracuse, N.Y. (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2018 - Governor of New York (Green Party of the United States) - defeated
2020 - Peace and Freedom Party nomination for US President - defeated
2020 - US President (Green Party of the United States/Socialist Party of the United States of America/Legal Marijuana Now Party) - defeated
2024 - US President - pending

Other occupations: US Marine Corps, Teamster, construction, UPS worker, union activist, co-founder of the Green Party of the United States, co-founder of the Clamshell Alliance, member of the Industrial Workers of the World

Notes:
Opponents in 2006 included Hillary Clinton (winner), Róger Calero, and Bill Van Auken.
Opponents in 2010 included Andrew Cuomo (winner) and Jimmy McMillan.
Winner of the 2014 and 2018 elections was Andrew Cuomo.
Joined the Socialist Party in 1973. Campaigned for Bernie Sanders as part of the Liberty Union Party.
Stein was inducted into the Encyclopedia of American Loons in 2020.
Full disclosure: In 2012 I voted Obama. In 2016 I supported Sanders in the primary but voted Clinton in the general.