Niles William Niemuth, 1988 -
VP candidate for Socialist Equality Party (aka Socialism Equality Anti-War) (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Jerome White (b. 1959)
Popular vote: 471 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
2016 would be Jerry White's fourth run as the Presidential candidate of the Socialist Equality Party, having previously campaigned in 1996, 2008, and 2012.
The Apr. 22, 2016 SEP press release described running-mate Niles Niemuth--
Niles Niemuth, 28, was raised in a working-class family in Wisconsin and became a member of the SEP during the 2011 mass protests against budget cuts imposed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Niles joined the staff of the WSWS after completing his master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, where he specialized in African-American history. Niemuth has written extensively on US social conditions, working-class struggles and the government’s assault on democratic rights.
The same announcement offered critical views of Clinton and Trump, but more energy was spent assailing Sen. Sanders, with an additional swipe at the Green Party--
The widespread popular support for the campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is largely based on his identification as a “democratic socialist.” His unexpected string of victories in state primaries shows that there is an enormous desire among workers and young people for an alternative to capitalism. The scale of his support has exploded the official narrative of American politics, according to which no one claiming to be “socialist” can get a hearing.
However, Sanders has demonstrated by his long political career that he is neither a socialist nor an opponent of the political establishment. Even when a nominal “independent,” he collaborated with the Democrats and staunchly supported the Obama administration. He defends capitalism and American imperialism, and he promotes economic nationalism, seeking to scapegoat workers in Mexico, China and other countries for the loss of jobs in the US.
Sanders’ central role is to utilize his bogus credentials as a “socialist” to waylay popular hostility among workers and young people to the two-party system and divert it back into the safe channels of the Democratic Party. The experience of the Obama administration, which came to power promising “hope” and “change,” has exposed the role of the Democratic Party as an instrument of the corporate and financial elite. With the assistance of the unions and an array of upper middle-class pseudo-left groups, the Democrats have perfected the practice of combining empty demagogy and various forms of racial, gender and identity politics with a thoroughly right-wing and pro-war policy.
If Sanders were to run an “independent” campaign—as urged by some of his political backers—this would not change the character of his campaign. His program is based on defense of the capitalist system and opposition to a political movement of the working class.
The same applies to the nominally “independent” campaign of the Green Party. The Green Party is a capitalist party that functions as an external pressure group on the Democrats. When Green parties have participated in governments—most notably in Germany—they have invariably backed the policy of the ruling class, including attacks on workers at home and support for imperialist war abroad.
While presenting a survey of unusual Presidential candidates, writer Lisa Pham made this comment regarding the 2016 SEP ticket--
Jerry White is running as a member of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), and actually has a pretty comprehensive website. I’m not just saying this as a liberal-minded, communist college student. White actually offers comprehensive explanations of his positions backed by figures and charts and other official-looking things. While this may be good for anyone who really seeks to understand who he is as a candidate, it doesn’t help with the “everyone is crazy” theme of my article. So we’re going to move on.
White/Niemuth were on the ballot in Louisiana and registered write-ins in half a dozen more states. In Louisiana they finished 13 out of 13 with 0.02% of the vote. The Party's popular vote result peaked in 1988 and had been steadily dwindling ever since and now they landed in the 3-digit range.
Although listed on the Louisiana ballot as a resident of Wisconsin, by Sept. 2016 Niemuth was registered to vote in Michigan, where White also lived. But the residency potential problem of two candidates from the same state was overshadowed by the fact Niemuth was under the age of 35, which was mandated by the Constitution.
Election history:
2018 - US House of Representatives (Mich.) (Socialist Equality Party) - defeated
Other occupations: door factory worker, writer, activist, webmaster
Notes:
Looks like Niemuth lives in Hamtramck, Mich., the same home as Matt Feazell's Cynicalman.
