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Working Class Party

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Working Class Party
AbbreviationWCP
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
IdeologyProgressivism
Socialism
Political positionLeft-wing
US House of Representatives
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US Senate
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Michigan House of Representatives
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Michigan Senate
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Michigan statewide offices
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Website
workingclassfight.com

The Working Class Party (WCP) is a left-wing political party in the United States, based in Detroit, Michigan. WCP first gained ballot access in 2016. WCP supports progressive, pro-labor and socialist policies and candidates.

The party was created by Trotskyist newspaper The Spark and its supporters,[1] which continues to endorse the party.[2]

History

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From 2011 to 2013, The Spark conducted a campaign to encourage the working class to organize independent of the Democratic Party.[citation needed] In 2014, five people active in that campaign ran for office as Independent candidates.[3][4] Four candidates lost. David Roehrig won his campaign for Wayne County Community College Trustee, due to his only opponent (the Democratic incumbent) being disqualified before the election.[5]

Michigan has harsh ballot access laws. In 2016, several dozen WCP volunteers turned in more than 50,000 signatures, above the required 31,566, which enabled WCP candidates to appear as party candidates on Michigan ballots.[6][7]

Ideology

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The WCP argues that no working class party exists, because both the Democrats and the Republicans are controlled by the bosses.[8] In the WCP's party program, it supports a living wage tied to inflation and full employment through reductions in working time.[9] The WCP holds that the working class "won't change our situation with an election", but can "use this election to say there are [...] tens of thousands of people[ ]who agree with this program for the crisis".[9]

Election results

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The WCP has fielded electoral candidates in the United States for local, state, and federal offices. WCP candidates usually run as official WCP candidates on their own ballot line.

No WCP candidate has yet won a contested election, however one WCP candidate won an uncontested election for the Wayne County Community College Board in 2014.

As of November 2022, the party has ballot access in Illinois, Maryland and Michigan.[10] As of December 2020, 2,102 voters were affiliated with the WCP in Maryland.[11]

Congressional elections

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Year Candidate Chamber State District Votes % Result Notes Ref
2024 Ed Hershey House Illinois 4th [12]
2024 Simone R. Coleman House Michigan 13th [12]
2024 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th [12]
2024 Andrea L. Kirby House Michigan 10th [12]
2024 Jim Walkowicz House Michigan 9th [12]
2024 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 8th [12]
2024 Louis Palus House Michigan 3rd [12]
2024 Liz Hakola House Michigan 1st [12]
2024 Juan Rey House California 37th 8,910
10.3%
 Advanced to general election Nonpartisan blanket primary [13]
2022 Simone R. Coleman House Michigan 13th 8,811
3.8%
 Lost [14]
2022 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 8,046
2.9%
 Lost [14]
2022 Andrea L. Kirby House Michigan 10th 5,905
1.8%
 Lost [14]
2022 Jim Walkowicz House Michigan 9th 6,570
1.8%
 Lost [14]
2022 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 8th 9,077
2.7%
 Lost [14]
2022 Louis Palus House Michigan 3rd 4,192
1.3%
 Lost [14]
2022 Liz Hakola House Michigan 1st 5,480
1.4%
 Lost [14]
2022 Ed Hershey House Illinois 4th 4,503
3.4%
 Lost [15][16]
2020 Philip Kolody House Michigan 14th 2,534
0.7%
 Lost [17]
2020 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 5,284
1.8%
 Lost [17]
2020 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 11,147
2.9%
 Lost [17]
2020 Andrea Kirby House Michigan 9th 8,970
2.2%
 Lost [17]
2020 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 5th 8,180
2.3%
 Lost [17]
2018 Philip Kolody House Michigan 14th 4,761
1.8%
 Lost [18]
2018 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 22,186
11.3%
 Lost [18]
2018 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 6,712
2.3%
 Lost [18]
2018 Andrea Kirby House Michigan 9th 6,797
2.2%
 Lost [18]
2018 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 5th 12,646
4.6%
 Lost [18]
2018 Juan Rey House California 29th 944
1.4%
 Lost Nonpartisan blanket primary [19][20]
2016 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 8,835
3.4%
 Lost [21]
2016 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 9,183
2.8%
 Lost [21]
2014 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 5,039
2.4%
 Lost [22]
2014 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 3,466
2.1%
 Lost [22]

Statewide elections

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Year Candidate Office State District Votes % Result Notes Ref
2024 Suzanne Roehrig Wayne State University Board of Governors Michigan At-Large [12]
2024 Mary Ann Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large [12]
2022 Mary Anne Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 135,442
1.6%
 Lost [14]
2022 David Harding Governor Maryland At-Large 17,154
0.86%
 Lost [23]
2020 Mary Anne Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 147,345
1.4%
 Lost [17]
2020 Hali McEachern Board of Education Michigan At-Large 82,700
0.8%
 Lost [17]
2018 Mary Anne Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 125,693
1.7%
 Lost [18]
2018 Logan Smith Board of Education Michigan At-Large 91,077
1.3%
 Lost [18]
2016 Mary Anne Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 224,392
2.66%
 Lost enough votes for WCP to keep ballot access in 2018 elections[24][25] [21]

State legislature elections

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Year Candidate Office State District Votes % Result Notes Ref
2024 Linda Green Harris House Michigan 16th district [12]
2024 Hashim Malik Bakari House Michigan 13th district [12]
2024 Logan Ausherman House Michigan 8th district [12]
2024 Linda Rayburn House Michigan 7th district [12]
2024 Larry Darnell Betts House Michigan 3rd district [12]
2024 Mark DaSacco House Michigan 2nd district [12]
2022 Kimberly Givens Senate Michigan 6th district 3,396
3.1%
 Lost [14]
2022 Linda Rayburn Senate Michigan 3rd district 10,214
14.3%
 Lost [14]
2022 Larry Darnell Betts Senate Michigan 2nd district 1,636
2.6%
 Lost [14]
2020 Louis Palus House Michigan 75th district 1,234
3.0%
 Lost [17]
2020 Larry Darnell Betts House Michigan 15th district 970
2.4%
 Lost [17]
2020 Simone R. Coleman House Michigan 14th district 1,937
4.7%
 Lost [17]
2020 Kimberly Givens House Michigan 7th district 1,224
3.5%
 Lost [17]
2020 Linda Rayburn House Michigan 4th district 1,023
3.3%
 Lost [17]
2018 Louis Palus Senate Michigan 29th district 1,445
1.2%
 Lost [18]
2018 Thomas Repasky Senate Michigan 18th district 2,954
2.3%
 Lost [18]
2018 Larry Betts Senate Michigan 5th district 3,944
4.4%
 Lost [18]
2018 Hali McEachern Senate Michigan 3rd district 2,095
2.9%
 Lost [18]

Local elections

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Year Candidate Office Area District Votes % Result Notes Ref
2020 David Harding Mayor Baltimore, MD At-Large 3,973
1.7%
 Lost [26]
2016 David Harding Baltimore City Council Baltimore 14th district 1,426
8.3%
 Lost [27][28]
2015 Ed Hershey City Council Chicago 25th ward 614
8.2%
 Lost [29]
2014 Mary Anne Hering School Board Dearborn, MI At-Large 5,153
9.93%
 Lost 3 seats to be filled [30]
2014 Kenneth Jannot School Board Dearborn, MI At-Large 2,431
4.69%
 Lost 3 seats to be filled [30]
2014 David A. Roehrig Community College Board Wayne County, MI 2nd 15,661
96.5%
 Won ran unopposed [30]

Other candidates who shared many of the same ideas as the Working Class Party appeared as "non-partisan" (independent) candidates on the ballot in Chicago in 2015; in Baltimore in 2016 and 2020; and in Los Angeles in 2018.[31][32][33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Taylor, Tristan (9 November 2022). "What Is the Michigan Working Class Party?". Left Voice.
  2. ^ Spark, The. "To Cast a Useful Vote November 5 — The Spark #1207". The Spark. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  3. ^ Dupuis, Mary (31 October 2022). "What's the WC on the Ballot? Mary Anne Hering Explains the Working Class Party". Oakland County Times.
  4. ^ "Who are Gary Walkowicz and the Working Class Party?". World Socialist Web Site. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  5. ^ "2014 Election Results, Michigan | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  6. ^ "Working Class Party Petition in Michigan Has Enough Valid Signatures | Ballot Access News". 18 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  7. ^ Staff, Stateside (22 August 2016). "Michigan's newest political party gets certified today". www.michiganradio.org. Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  8. ^ "Gary Walkowicz: Main Speech of the WCP Convention | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  9. ^ a b "A Working Class Program To Combat the Crisis of Capitalism". Working Class Party. 2022. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "Working Class Party on the Ballot in Illinois, Maryland & Michigan | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  11. ^ "Maryland State Board of Elections Summary of Voter Registration Activity Report December 2020" (PDF). Maryland State Board of Elections. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-01-27.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Working Class Party on the Ballot in Michigan, Illinois, California, 2024 | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  13. ^ "Juan Rey: A Worker on the Ballot! | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "2022 Michigan Unofficial General Election Results - 11/08/2022". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  15. ^ "DDHQ Election Results". results.decisiondeskhq.com. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  16. ^ "Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago". chicagoelections.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "2020 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/03/2020". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018".
  19. ^ "Statement of Vote JUNE 5, 2018 STATEWIDE DIRECT PRIMARY ELECTION" (PDF).
  20. ^ "California Secretary of State, Statewide Direct Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 5, 2018 - United States Representative in Congress by District, see page 10 in the 82-congress.pdf file" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  21. ^ a b c "2016 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/08/2016". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  22. ^ a b "2014 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/04/2014". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  23. ^ "Official 2022 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  24. ^ "STATE OF MICHIGAN POLITICAL PARTY STATUS AUGUST 4, 2020 PRIMARY NOVEMBER 3, 2020 GENERAL ELECTION" (PDF). Michigan State Bureau of Elections. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  25. ^ "Political_Party_Status_482649_7.pdf" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  26. ^ "2020 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  27. ^ "2016 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  28. ^ "Baltimore City Board of Elections, 2016 General Election Results - Election Summary Report" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  29. ^ "Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago". chicagoelections.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  30. ^ a b c "November 4, 2014 General Election Results | Clerk". www.waynecounty.com. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  31. ^ "I Stand for a Working Class Fight | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-05. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  32. ^ "David Harding, Working Class Candidate". Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  33. ^ "Juan Rey: A Worker for Congress". Archived from the original on 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
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