Laura Ellen Garza, ca1958 (New York, NY) -
VP candidate for Socialist Workers Party (aka Socialist Workers Campaign aka Independent) (1996)
Running mate with nominee: James Edward Harris Jr. (b. 1948)
Popular vote: 8,477 (0.01%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
1996 was the first of several subsequent runs for the Presidency by James Harris, a meatpacker in Atlanta. His running-mate was Laura Garza, a writer in New York for the The Militant, official organ of the Socialist Workers Party.
By the time Garza was nominated as VP, she had already run for office numerous times in at least four different states. After 1996 a couple states were added to her resume as a candidate, which has to be something of a record for third party running-mates. How much of this moving around was her own personal circumstance vs. a well-known activist relocation policy of the SWP is not known. Houston, Tex. seemed to be a special SWP target. Garza ran for Mayor there in 1999, as did SWP 1976 and 1992 VP Willie Mae Reid in 1985 and 1991.
Their platform included free health care, support of Gay marriage, expansion of Affirmative Action, raising the minimum wage, a removal of US troops from the Mideast and former Yugoslavia, upholding Native American treaties, creating a massive public works program, and as always they strongly confirmed themselves as one of the most ardent Castroist political parties on the US ballot.
SWP political candidates are not exactly noted for being your typical gladhander politicians who attempt to persuade the voters by turning on the sugar-coated charm. In the era of the 1990s there was a definite unsmiling seriousness in delivering the message. Harris addressed this SWP style to a Chicago reporter, "What people want politicians to say is, 'Things are bad, but they're going to get better. Vote for me and I'll set you free.' We don't say that. We say, 'Things are bad, and they're only going to get worse.'"
The Harris/Garza ticket made the ballot in 10 states + DC and had recorded write-ins in five more. They were usually at or near the bottom where they appeared. Their best showings were: District of Columbia 0.14%, Vermont 0.08%, and New Jersey 0.06%. Although their 8,463 popular votes was their most dismal showing since 1956, the 1996 results would not be surpassed until 2016. Century 21 was not going to be kind to the SWP at least in the electoral scene.
Election history:
1980 - US House of Representatives (Tex.) (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
1982 - Mayor of Newark, NJ (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
1991 - St. Paul (Minn.) City Council (Socialist Workers Party) - withdrew
1993 - Mayor of Miami, Fla. (Nonpartisan) - primary - defeated
1994 - US House of Representatives (Fla.) (Independent) - defeated
1998 - Governor of Texas (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
1999 - Mayor of Houston, Tex. (Nonpartsan) - defeated
2003 - Boston (Mass.) City Councillor (Nonpartisan) - primary - defeated
2004 - Massachusetts State House (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
2005 - Boston (Mass.) City Councillor (Nonpartisan) - primary - defeated
2006 - US House of Representatives (Mass.) (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
2008 - US House of Representatives (Mass.) (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
2009 - Boston (Mass.) City Councillor (Nonpartisan) - primary - defeated
2018 - Governor of California (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
2019 - Los Angeles (Calif.) Unified School District (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
Other occupations: garment worker, writer, union activist
Notes:
Ran as a write-in in the 1999, 2008, 2019 elections and perhaps in 1982 as well.
Also known as Laura E. Garza Halstead.
Winner of the 1998 election was George W. Bush.
