Socialist Action (United States)

Last updated
Socialist Action
Secretary-General Jeff Mackler
Founded1983 (1983)
NewspaperSocialist Action [1]
Youth wing Youth for Socialist Action [2]
Ideology Trotskyism
Political position Far-left
International affiliation Fourth International [3]
Members in elected offices0
Website
socialistaction.org

Socialist Action is a Trotskyist political party in the United States. SAct formed in 1983, when its members were expelled from the Socialist Workers Party.

Contents

SAct describes itself as a revolutionary socialist party fighting for true democracy, because capitalist states "cannot be used as tools of the working class, but have to be smashed". [4]

Notable members include Jeff Mackler.

History

Origins

In 1983, the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) expelled two groups: First, the Fourth Internationalist Tendency (FIT). Second, the group that would coalesce around the Socialist Action (SAct) newspaper. SAct argued that they were expelled for defending Trotskyist ideas of Permanent Revolution, class independence, and continued support for the Fourth International. [5] The first issue of its newspaper contained no listing of an editorial board. [6]

Subsequent history

In 1985, SAct split in two. Those who split created Socialist Unity (SU). [6] In 1986, SU merged with Workers Power and the International Socialists to form Solidarity. [7]

After the split, SAct reorganized as a Trotskyist party. [6] [8] SAct planned a Central America solidarity conference. [8]

In 2004, SAct won the right to refuse to disclose its campaign donors, because of demonstrable government harassment of socialist candidates, as did Communist Party USA, Freedom Socialist Party, and Socialist Workers Party. [9]

In 1992, during the Gulf War, SAct was active in the San Francisco Bay Area antiwar movement through the National Campaign Against the War in the Middle East, which competed with the Workers World Party-led Coalition Against a Vietnam War in the Middle East. [10]

In 2019, a minority faction was expelled or resigned membership from Socialist Action and re-established as Socialist Resurgence. [11]

Election results

Socialist Action (SA) has fielded electoral candidates in the United States for local, state, and federal offices.

One SA member, Adam Ritscher, won an uncontested election. [12] No SA member has won a contested election.

Presidential elections

YearPresidential candidateVice presidential candidatePopular votes %Electoral votesResultBallot accessNotesRef
2020 Jeff Mackler Heather Bradford0
0.00%
0Lost
0 / 538
SA failed to achieve ballot access or official write-in access in any state [13] [14]
2016 Jeff Mackler Karen Schraufnagel15
0.00%
0Lost
0 / 538
SA only obtained official write-in access in New York [15] [16]

In 2020, SAct again nominated Mackler. [13] SAct again gained no ballot access or write-in status in any state.

In 2016, SAct nominated their first presidential ticket, selecting national secretary Jeff Mackler for president and Karen Schraufnagel for vice-president. [15] However, SAct got no ballot access or write-in status in any state, and thus received zero votes.

Congressional elections

YearCandidateChamberStateDistrictVotes %ResultNotesRef
2018 Fred Linck Senate Connecticut At-Large70
0.01%
Lostwrite-in candidate [17] [18] [19]
2010 Christopher Hutchinson House Connecticut CT-1 955
0.4%
Lostwrite-in candidate [20] [21]
2006 Jeff Mackler Senate California At-Large108
0.00%
Lostwrite-in candidate [22] [23]

In 2018, SA member and Iraq War veteran [17] Fred Linck hoped to run as Socialist Action candidate for United States Senate in Connecticut. The party submitted over 11,000 signatures to the Connecticut Secretary of State, but too many were disqualified for Linck to be placed on the November ballot. Linck asserted that local officials incorrectly invalidated signatures. [24] Despite being left off the ballot, Linck continued to run for office as an official write-in candidate, and ultimately received 70 votes, or 0.01%. [18]

Local elections

YearCandidateOfficeAreaStateDistrictVotes %ResultNotesRef
2006Adam RitscherBoard of Supervisors Douglas County Wisconsin 6th42
100%
WonUncontested election [12] [25]

In 1988, SA member Sylvia Weinstein ran for San Francisco Board of Education, in which she won 21,000 votes. Weinstein also ran in 1985 and 1986. [26]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "paper". socialistaction.org. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Youth for Socialist Action". wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "Organizations | Fourth International". Fourth International . Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  4. ↑ "What We Stand For". Socialist Action.
  5. ↑ "SA Open Letter to the Socialist Workers Party". Socialist Action. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Alexander, Robert (1991). International Trotskyism, 1929-1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 891.
  7. ↑ Evans, Leslie (2010). Outsider's Reverie: A Memoir. Boryana Books.
  8. 1 2 Klehr, Harvey (1988). Far Left of Center: The American Radical Left Today. Transaction Publishers. pp. 68–69.
  9. ↑ "FREEDOM SOCIALISTS WIN DISCLOSURE CASE". Ballot Access News. August 1, 2004. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016.
  10. ↑ Epstein, Barbara (Spring 1992). "The antiwar movement during the Gulf War". Social Justice. 19 (47): 115–137.
  11. ↑ "Anatomy of a Split in Socialist Action". Socialist Action. 23 October 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Ballot Access News -- June 1, 2006". www.ballot-access.org. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  13. 1 2 "Jeff Mackler for U.S. president in 2020: Socialist Action campaigns for socialism". Socialist Action. July 6, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Federal Elections 2020" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. October 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 4, 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Vote Socialist Action in 2016! Jeff Mackler for U.S. President!". Socialist Action. 2016-06-23. Archived from the original on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  16. ↑ "Federal Elections 2016" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. December 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  17. 1 2 Rathi, Richard (May 14, 2006). "HARD HAT, HARD HEAD, MARINE SAVED". Hartford Courant.
  18. 1 2 "Public Reporting". ctemspublic.pcctg.net. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  19. ↑ "Federal Elections 2018" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. October 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Socialist Action CT". mysite. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Secretary of the State Denise W. Merrill" (PDF). ct.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  22. ↑ Grant, Amy (September 24, 2006). "News From the Jeff Mackler for U.S. Senate Campaign". SocialistAction.org. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Federal Elections 2006" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. October 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 4, 2023.
  24. ↑ Krasselt, Kaitlyn (October 8, 2018). "Socialist Senate candidate: Ballot signatures wrongly disqualified". CTPost.
  25. ↑ "April 4, 2006 Election Results -- City" (PDF). Douglas County, Wisconsin. June 2, 2006. Archived from the original on June 23, 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ↑ "Sylvia Weinstein, 1926-2001". Socialist Action. 11 September 2001. Archived from the original on 7 August 2002. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
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