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Peace and Freedom Party
Socialist political party in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a socialist political party in the United States which operates mostly in California.[2] It was formed in 1966 from anti–Vietnam War and pro–civil rights movements.
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PFP operates both as an organization unto itself and an umbrella organization in which socialist organizations compete to win PFP's ballot access.[4]
Notable past and present members include Bob Avakian, Emmy Lou Packard, Byron Randall, and (briefly) Murray Rothbard.
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Organization
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Members
In January 2000, PFP had 75,277 registered voters.[5] In February 2005, PFP had 67,238 registered voters.[6] In January 2010, PFP had 55,036 registered voters.[7] In January 2016, PFP had 75,579 registered voters.[8]
In February 2019, PFP had 76,784 registered voters.[9] In February 2021, PFP had 105,535 registered voters.[10] In January 2024, PFP had 133,914 registered voters.[1]
Preference primaries
Like many minor parties, PFP holds a non-binding "preference primary" for President. The PFP presidential candidate is ultimately selected by the PFP State Convention, at which only State Executive Committee (SEC)[a] members can vote.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] The SEC is directly elected through write-ins in the California primary system[17] every two years.[18] The SEC had about 130 members in 2024[16] and 90 in 2008.[17]
Since January 2001, California has had a "modified" closed primary system in which political parties can determine whether or not to allow voters who are not affiliated with any party, or No Party Preference, are allowed to participate in the party's primary. Since the 2004 primaries, PFP has never allowed "independent" voters to vote in their party's primaries.[19]
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Ideology
PFP is a socialist party "committed to feminism, [...] democracy, ecology, and racial equality",[20] PFP strongly supports environmentalism, aboriginal rights, LGBT rights, abortion rights, public healthcare, public education, and subsidized housing. PFP is Anti-Zionist.[21]
History
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Founding
After the 1967 Century City anti-Vietnam War march on June 23, 1967, anti-war and civil rights supporters began collecting petitions for the Peace and Freedom Party. PFP's founders opposed the Democratic Party's support for the war in Vietnam and saw the Democrats as failing to effectively support the civil rights movement.[22]: 761 [23]: 121 [24]
On January 2, 1968, PFP organizers submitted 105,100 signatures to receive party status in California.[22]: 761 PFP has had ballot access in California since 1968, except between 1998 and 2002.[23]: 128 In 2003, PFP became the first party in the history of California to regain its ballot status.[25]
In 1968, PFP suffered a minor split: Dick Gregory and others split to create the Freedom and Peace Party (FPP), for which Gregory ran in the 1968 United States presidential election.[26] The FPP collapsed after the 1968 election.
In 1971, progressives nationwide organized the People's Party. In 1972 and 1976, PFP endorsed the PP's candidates. After the PP dissolved in 1977, PFP continued in California.[4]
In the 2006 California elections, two statewide Peace and Freedom Party candidates received more than the required vote, thus ensuring the party's ballot status for another four years (Elizabeth Cervantes Barron received 212,383 votes, 2.5% of the total, for Controller;[27][non-primary source needed] and Tom Condit received 187,618 votes, 2.2% of the total, for Insurance Commissioner).[28][non-primary source needed]
California's 2018 gubernatorial primary had statewide office candidates registered in the party. In the race for Insurance Commissioner, Peace and Freedom candidate Nathalie Hrizi received 316,149 votes, 5.0% of the total.[29][non-primary source needed]
Election results
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The PFP has fielded over 200 electoral candidates in the United States for local, state, and federal offices. PFP candidates usually run as official PFP candidates on their own ballot line.
No PFP candidate has yet won a contested election.[23]: 121
Presidential elections
Convention votes:
In 2016, both PFP's California state chair and Green candidate Jill Stein requested that the California Secretary of State allow Stein to be placed on the PFP party ballot, but this was rejected.[56] Instead, PFP nominated Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate Gloria La Riva.[34]
In 2012, Rocky Anderson won a plurality of delegates in PFP's non-binding preference primary, after failing to win enough votes to place his Justice Party on the ballot. However, Anderson failed to win representatives on the PFP's Central Committee, and withdrew 1 week before the convention.[14] Instead, PFP backed Party for Socialism and Liberation's preferred candidate Roseanne Barr.[13]
In 2008, PFP endorsed Independent Ralph Nader in his presidential campaign.[57][58] Nader obtained enough signatures to appear on the ballot in Iowa and Utah as the Peace and Freedom Party candidate. This was the first expansion of the party beyond California since the 1970s.[59] However, PFP did not obtain enough votes to guarantee ballot access in Iowa or Utah in subsequent elections.
In 2000, PFP did not qualify for the ballot in California.[53]
In 1988, three factions within PFP — the Internationalist Workers Party, New Alliance Party, and Socialist Party USA plus Communist Party USA — sought the party's ballot line. They could not agree, and split the convention, which resulted in the Secretary of State voiding the PFP ballot line for the year.[23]: 126–128 [53][12]
Congressional elections
Statewide elections
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National conventions
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See also
Notes
- 2020: "Ballot access" above includes all states where La Riva was not a write-in; ie, where they were a listed PSL, PFP, or LUP candidate.
- 2016: "Ballot access" above includes all states where La Riva was not a write-in; ie, where they were a listed PSL, PFP, or LUP candidate.
- The Freedom and Peace Party, which had split from the Peace and Freedom Party, nominated Dick Gregory for President and Mark Lane for Vice President. It received 47,149 votes.
- In 2016, Kahn also ran for the Reform Party presidential primary.
- In 2012, PSL supported Peta Lindsay, who was too young to qualify for the ballot. Roseanne Barr was nominally independent, but was tactically supported by the Party for Socialism and Liberation.[13]
- In addition to running in the regularly scheduled election, Parker also ran as a write-in candidate in the special election for the same exact seat, but for a term to expire on January 3, 2023. Parker received 9,951 votes, or 0.1 percent, as a write-in candidate in the special election race.
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References
External links
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