The Party for Socialism and Liberation ran two candidates for office in California in the June 3 primary, on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket. Frank Lara challenged warmongering Nancy Pelosi in the 12th Congressional District of San Francisco. His campaign’s central demands were: “San Francisco for the People, Not for the Rich,” and “Fund People’s Needs, Not War.”
Nathalie Hrizi ran for state Insurance Commissioner on a program of “Free, Quality Healthcare for All,” and “Abolish the Insurance Companies.” All the campaign materials for both prominently highlighted, “Vote Socialist!”
With primary results still coming in, it is clear that more than 250,000 people did just that. Hrizi has received more than 210,000 votes—over 5.4 percent of the vote. In San Francisco, she received more than 10,000 votes, or 8.9 percent.
With over 2,100 votes or 1.9 percent, Frank Lara came in fifth in a field of eight—despite being outspent by almost all the other candidates.
Cindy Sheehan, Peace and Freedom Party candidate for Governor, has received over 50,000 votes, 1.2 percent of the statewide vote, and finished seventh out of 15 candidates. Peace and Freedom candidates also ran for a number of other offices in the state.
Both campaigns were dynamic people’s campaigns despite having vastly inferior resources to the capitalist candidates. After a petitioning phase that ended in February, the campaign hit the streets every weekend to reach out to workers and students to promote socialist ideas and advocate for the needs of people not the rich. The campaigns distributed tens of thousands of palm cards, statements and posters. We also joined the protests for Justice for Alejandro Nieto and Healthcare for All! as well as speakouts and demonstrations against gentrification in San Francisco. All in all, the electoral candidates—competing in a capitalist election designed to promote that system—succeeded in speaking out for the working class on a range of issues.
The bilingual Mission district based newspaper Tecolote featured Frank Lara’s campaign in an excellent interview about the need to build a people’s movement. The Los Angeles Times endorsement article, while endorsing the incumbent David Jones, wrote: “If you’re as eager as Hrizi is to replace private insurance policies with state-provided coverage and substitute socialism for capitalism, she’s your candidate.” (LA Times Editorial, May 9, 2014)
*The reactionary impact of ‘top two’ Prop 14*
A central issue this June was the effects of Proposition 14 and the institution of a top-two primary in California. Only the top two vote getters in the primary continue on to the general election in November. Prop 14 narrowly passed in 2010, sold to the voters on the promise that “everyone will be able to vote in the primary now.”
Previously, each of the ballot qualified parties including Peace and Freedom, held its own primary, with the winners advancing to the November general election. Under Prop 14, all candidates are thrown into one primary, forced to pay thousands of dollars in filing fees or thousands of petition signatures just to qualify for the June primary.
For the candidates supported by the capitalist banks and corporations, the filing fees are no issue. But for “third party” and independent candidates these constitute an often insurmountable obstacle.
In reality, rather than the promised expansion of democracy, Prop 14 has meant a major diminishing of the already very limited access to the state’s present electoral system. Instead of several candidates in the general election representing a wide spectrum of political platforms, there are now just two. Due to the corrupt system of redistricting that the two big capitalist parties have worked out between themselves, the “top-two” in several districts will be two Democrats or two Republicans.
It is, moreover, a well-documented fact that the electorate which comes out to vote in the primaries – which often receive little media attention – is far older, richer, whiter and more conservative than those who vote in the general election. But under the “top-two” system, it is that diminishing and more conservative slice of the population that continues to have a disproportionate voice in determining who advances to November.
The 2014 primary election saw the lowest voter turnout – just over 21 percent of those registered – in state history. In Los Angeles County, by far the largest in the state, fewer than 14% of voters went to the polls or mailed in ballots.
Despite the reactionary and anti-democratic character of the capitalist election system, the PSL runs candidates where and when we can, because the elections are a means to reach hundreds of thousands and millions of people with our message of the need for socialism.
We are proud of our 2014 candidates and all those who helped bring that vital message to people across California.
