Barbara Garson

Barbara Garson, July 7, 1941 (New York, NY) -

VP candidate for Socialist Party of the United States of America (aka Socialist Party USA aka Socialist Party aka Liberty Union Party aka Independent) (1992)

Running mate with nominee: John Quinn Brisben (1934-2012)
Popular vote: 1,689 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In 1992 the Socialist Party nominated J. Quinn Brisben for President. He had previously been the VP nominee for the Party in 1976.

Brisben predicted bad economic times for the years ahead. Reforming the health care system was a topic he highlighted.

Brisben's speeches had some very quotable lines:

The major parties are simply pawns to the military industrial complex. They accept huge campaign donations, figure out who they need to do favors for and come up with the most electable candidate.

This presidential Gong Show does nothing to serve the people's interest.

First we need to start freeing our minds by not watching any commercial TV. I can assure you that you don't need anything they advertise.

More Greens are becoming Reds as they realize they're not going to get much sympathy for the spotted owl if they can't save the job of the lumberman.

Once involved in socialism, people are often surprised at how popular many of our ideas really are. We stand for universal health care, women's rights, national day care and housing and jobs for everyone.

One good thing about running as a socialist, you can prepare your concession speech months in advance.

We would be better off with a parliamentary system as the British have because our electoral system is a disaster waiting to happen.

I'll probably end up losing more elections than Basil Rathbone lost sword fights ... This campaign is an educational effort. That's a left-wingy way to say we're going to lose but it's worth it anyway.

Early in the campaign Brisben was arrested in Orlando, Fla. for raising his cane at a law enforcement officer he felt was mishandling someone in a wheelchair. He was literally raising cane.

Brisben's VP was William D. "Bill" Edwards, the Party's first African American national nominee. The Bay Area-based Edwards was a labor organizer, former longshoreman, and anti-Apartheid activist. Sometimes the media called him "Edward D. Williams."

Unfortunately Edwards, who was 72, died on Aug. 5, 1992. By the end of the month the VP position was filled by Barbara Garson. She was already something of a public figure through her anti-war play MacBird! (which I enjoyed very much at the time it was released).

As Garson explained in a piece written late Oct. 1992:

Late this summer, I found a message on my answering machine saying that the vice presidential candidate of the Socialist Party had died. Could I help get his obituary into the papers? ("And by the way, you wouldn't want to run for vice president, would you?")

I'm a proud, though inactive, member of the Socialist Party and I agree with the platform. Still, I hesitated to become a candidate. Could I withstand the media scrutiny?

When asked by C-SPAN what she would do if elected Vice-President, Garson replied, "I'd demand a recount!"

Although the Liberty Union Party in Vermont endorsed the ticket, they did not achieve ballot status there. They were also endorsed by Dr. Benjamin Spock and singer Pete Seeger.

On Election Day, Edwards was still on the ballot in Tennessee. The Brisben/Garson appeared in the District of Columbia (probably) with 0.08% of the vote, Wisconsin 0.05%, and Utah 0.02% (placing 13 out of 13). Brisben was also write-in candidate in a dozen states.

Election history: none

Other occupations: coffee house worker, playwright, author.

Notes:
Third party figure Austin Burton aka Chief Burning Wood (1976) said Garson's MacBird! inspired
 him to invent the name from this line:
"MacBird shall never, never be undone/
 Till burning wood doth come to Washington."
Washington State trivia triple alert: First, Garson worked in the Shelter Half in Tacoma, Wash. ca. 1969, an anti-war coffee house where soldiers from nearby Fort Lewis could hang out. Second, the above-mentioned Burton was born in Washington State. Third, when I was college I played the McGovern role in a radio drama broadcast on KAOS-FM. The author, another student had written a play spinning off of  MacBird! but instead the topic was Nixon.

William Davis Edwards

William Davis Edwards, February 25, 1920 (Mississippi) - August 5, 1992 (San Francisco, Calif.)

VP candidate for Independent (aka Socialist Party of the United States of America aka Socialist Party USA aka Socialist Party) (1992)

Running mate with nominee: John Quinn Brisben (1934-2012)
Popular vote: 1,372 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In 1992 the Socialist Party nominated J. Quinn Brisben for President. He had previously been the VP nominee for the Party in 1976.

Brisben predicted bad economic times for the years ahead. Reforming the health care system was a topic he highlighted.

Brisben's speeches had some very quotable lines:

The major parties are simply pawns to the military industrial complex. They accept huge campaign donations, figure out who they need to do favors for and come up with the most electable candidate.

This presidential Gong Show does nothing to serve the people's interest.

First we need to start freeing our minds by not watching any commercial TV. I can assure you that you don't need anything they advertise.

More Greens are becoming Reds as they realize they're not going to get much sympathy for the spotted owl if they can't save the job of the lumberman.

Once involved in socialism, people are often surprised at how popular many of our ideas really are. We stand for universal health care, women's rights, national day care and housing and jobs for everyone.

One good thing about running as a socialist, you can prepare your concession speech months in advance.

We would be better off with a parliamentary system as the British have because our electoral system is a disaster waiting to happen.

I'll probably end up losing more elections than Basil Rathbone lost sword fights ... This campaign is an educational effort. That's a left-wingy way to say we're going to lose but it's worth it anyway.

Early in the campaign Brisben was arrested in Orlando, Fla. for raising his cane at a law enforcement officer he felt was mishandling someone in a wheelchair. He was literally raising cane.

Brisben's VP was William D. "Bill" Edwards, the Party's first African American national nominee. The Bay Area-based Edwards was a labor organizer, former longshoreman, and anti-Apartheid activist. Sometimes the media called him "Edward D. Williams."

Unfortunately Edwards, who was 72, died on Aug. 5, 1992. By the end of the month the VP position was filled by Barbara Garson.

In spite of the fact he was deceased, Edwards remained on the ballot in Tennessee, where the ticket won 0.07% and placed 5th out of 14. The write-in Brisben/Edwards team was also counted in Florida.

Election history: none

Other occupations: US Army (WWII), farmer, longshoreman, merchant marine

Notes:
Was living in California by 1940.

Willie Mae Reid

Willie Mae Reid, March 27, 1939 (Memphis, Tenn.?) -

VP candidate for Socialist Workers Party (aka Independent) (1976, 1992)

Running mate with nominee (1976): Peter Miguel Camejo Guanche (1939-2008)
Running mate with nominee (1992): James Warren (b ca1952)
Popular vote (1976): 90,986 (0.11%)
Popular vote (1992): 2789 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1976 and 1992): 0/538

The campaign (1976):

The 1976 Socialist Workers Party ticket named Peter Camejo for President and Willie Mae Reid for VP. Camejo had a special focus and experience in tapping into student unrest on college campuses and Reid was an activist in Chicago for African American and women's civil rights. Both of them reminded progressive voters that just because the Vietnam War had ended and Nixon had resigned there remained a multitude of social and economic problems to solve.

Reid spent time campaigning in Australia and New Zealand, connecting with allied political movements.

The student political activity that had helped several Leftist third parties enjoy a spike in popular votes in the 1960s and early 1970s was already cresting. Those that remained in the battlefield seemed to be growing smaller in number but also more militant, which in turn created more divisions within the Party. Camejo himself was expelled from the SWP by the next Presidential election. There is a considerable body of literature attempting to understand and define the subsequent decline of the SWP with descriptions of inner-Party authoritarianism being a common thread.

1976 remains as the year of the highest number of popular votes ever garnered by the SWP in a Presidential election. On the ballot in 27 states and Washington, DC they placed 7th nationally and outpolled all of the other traditional Leftist third parties. Their best showings were in Virginia 1.05%, New Mexico 0.59%, Mississippi 0.36%, District of Columbia and Massachusetts both 0.32%, and Indiana 0.26%.

Both Camejo and Reid would reappear on Presidential tickets.

The campaign (1992)

James "Mac" Warren, the SWP's 1992 Presidential candidate had a few things in common with Willie Mae Reid including that he was a Chicago-based African American who had run against a member of the Daley family for Mayor. Also, Warren and Reid had previously been on Presidential tickets. Warren was the SWP nominee in 1988.

Warren's running mate in the now much more depleted SWP was Estelle DeBates, a staff writer for The Militant, a SWP organ. DeBates was 32 years old, younger than the minimum age mandated by the Constitution for Vice-President. On this basis there were some states that would not allow her name on the ballot, so Willie Mae Reid was chosen to act as a stand-in VP in those jurisdictions. By 1992 Reid was living in Houston, Tex., possibly having moved there as part of the SWP's 1980s activist relocation program-- not unlike missionary work.

Reid was the official running mate in Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, Tennessee (her native state), Utah, and Wisconsin. She was considered the write-in SWP VP in Delaware and Ohio. The Warren/Reid team finished strongest in Utah with 0.04%. Warren's total popular vote with both running mates was 23,612 (0.02%).

Other occupations: author, garment worker, office worker, computer programmer, hospital kitchen worker

Election history:
1974 - US House of Representatives (Ill.) (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
1975 - Mayor of Chicago, Ill. (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
1985 - Mayor of Houston, Tex. (Nonpartisan) - defeated
1990 - US House of Representatives (Tex.) (Independent) - defeated
1991 - Mayor of Houston, Tex. (Nonpartisan) - defeated
1996 - US House of Representatives (Mich.) (Independent) - defeated

Notes:
Opponents in the 1975 race included Richard Daley (winner) and write-in J. Quinn Brisben. Daley
 had been the running mate with Pigasus in the Youth International Party in 1968 and Brisben would
 be the Socialist Party USA VP in 1976, so the 1975 Chicago Mayoral election had three third party
 vice-presidential candidates in competition. Pretty groovy, eh?
Winner of the 1996 race was John Conyers.
Joined the SWP in 1971.
Some sources give her year of birth as 1937.
Moved to Chicago in 1960.

John Quinn Brisben

 Chicago 1975

John Quinn Brisben, September 6, 1934 (Enid, Okla.) – April 17, 2012 (Chicago, Ill.)

VP candidate for Socialist Party of the United States of America (aka Socialist Party USA aka Socialist Party aka Democratic Socialist Party) (1976)

Running mate with nominee: Frank P. Zeidler (1912-2006)
Popular vote: 6,015 (0.01%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The last time the Socialist Party of America ran a candidate for President was twenty earlier in 1956. In the subsequent two decades the Party experienced some serious divisions over policies including the Vietnam War, the Soviet Union, and collaboration with the Democratic Party. In 1972-1973 the Party basically split in two and in very simplistic terms the Right-wing called themselves Social Democrats USA and by 1973 the Left wing had formed the Socialist Party of the United States of America which they considered to be the true "reconstituted" version of the Party as envisioned by Eugene Debs. A third splinter group was also created in this time frame-- destined to evolve into the Democratic Socialists of America which embraced the concept of working within the major party system.

The Socialist Party USA nominated SPA veteran Frank Zeidler for President and J. Quinn Brisben for VP. Zeidler had real credentials having served as Mayor of Milwaukee, Wis. as a Socialist 1948-1960. Brisben was more of a frontline activist, having been arrested several times in acts of civil disobedience. He joined the SPA in 1959. He was 6 foot 3 inches, 300 pounds, bearded, and usually wore a Stetson and Western garb creating a striking hard-to-ignore character.

One source says the new Socialist Party USA considered partnering with the People's Party in 1976 but declined because they were concerned about being overshadowed plus the latter party was considered a bit too radical for them.

Zeidler/Brisben made it to the ballot in seven states and were recorded write-ins in three others. Just to confuse matters, in Wisconsin they were on the ballot as part of the "Democratic Socialist Party."

Over 2/3 of their vote came from Wisconsin, and most of that from Zeidler's home turf in the Milwaukee area. In the Badger State they finished 5th with 0.20%. In New Mexico they had a 0.06% vote and in Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington it was a 0.02% result. In North Dakota, where they were indeed on the ballot, they received 38 votes.

The Socialists chose to return to the voting booth during the Age of Disco when most people were trying to numb themselves after a decade and a half of political turmoil. But the Party re-started a grassroots effort that has lasted to this day. Brisben would go on to be the 1992 Presidential nominee.

Other occupations: farm worker, factory hand, taxicab driver, comedian, radio announcer, high school and middle school teacher, union representative, novelist, poet, essayist, civil rights activist

Election history:
1975 - Mayor of Chicago (Socialist Party of the United States of America) - defeated
1992 - US President (Socialist Party of the United States of America) - defeated

Buried: ?

Notes:
The 1975 election was a write-in effort.
Collaborated on projects with Studs Terkel.
"There are institutions that will probably always resist socialization. As the famous Wisconsin Socialist Victor Berger once said about a place that he knew well: 'No one wants to socialize the corner saloon.'"--J. Quinn Brisben.
Due to his large size, beard, and manner of dress he was sometimes mistaken for Col. Sanders or
 Orson Welles later in life.