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Socialist Equality Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman | David North |
| Secretary | Joseph Kishore |
| Founded | September 1964; 61 years ago (September 1964) |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
| International affiliation | International Committee of the Fourth International |
| Members in elected offices | 0 |
| Website | |
| socialequality | |
TheSocialist Equality Party (SEP) is an AmericanTrotskyist political party. SEP first formed in 1964 as theAmerican Committee for the Fourth International, created by expelled members of theSocialist Workers Party. SEP and its previous forms were associated with theInternational Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), a Trotskyistpolitical international.
SEP describes itself as arevolutionary socialist party, with a core belief that capitalism can never be reformed[1] and only "a revolutionary movement that has as its aim the establishment of workers' power" can win socialism.[2]
Notable members includeDavid North,Jerry White, andJoseph Kishore.
In the 1950s, most Trotskyists in theUnited States were members of theSocialist Workers Party (SWP), which was part of theFourth International's (FI) tendencyInternational Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI).[3]
In 1958, SWP adopted a policy of "regroupment": Pursuit of former members of Stalinistcommunist parties, who had been disillusioned by theSecret Speech.[3]: 844–845
In 1961,Tim Wohlforth,James Robertson, and other SWP members who opposed regroupment created a tendency within the SWP, theRevolutionary Tendency (RT). RT saw the SWP as shifting toward the FI's other tendency, theInternational Secretariat of the Fourth International (ISFI), led byMichel Pablo. RT opposed "Pabloite" politics[3]: 864–865 and Pablo's "entryism sui generis" plan, in which Trotskyists would maintain separate parties but personally enter into communist and social democratic parties. RT developed links with theSocialist Labour League in Britain, led byGerry Healy.[3]: 917 Lyndon LaRouche was briefly an RT member.[3]: 945
In 1962, the RT split: Robertson's majority kept the name. Wohlforth's minority renamed itself the Reorganized Minority Tendency (RMT).[3]: 866
In 1963, in preparation for merging the ICFI with the ISFI, Wohlforth was removed from the SWP's Political Committee.[3]: 924
In November 1963, the SWP expelled Robertson and the RT, who created theSpartacist League. Robertson's appeal was denied in April 1964.[3]: 917–918
In September 1964, the SWP expelled Wohlforth and the RMT, who created the American Committee for the Fourth International (ACFI) and launched the biweeklyBulletin of International Socialism.[3]: 866, 917–918, 924 [4] ACFI maintained connections with Gerry Healy and the (non-merged portions of the) ICFI, which they considered the legitimate Trotskyist movement. ACFI became the American section of the ICFI.[citation needed]
Wohlforth argued that the split was due to their demand for discussion of the decision by the Sri Lankan TrotskyistLanka Sama Samaja Party to participate in the national government.[3]: 924
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In 1966, ACFI renamed itself to the Workers League (WL).[3]: 866
In 1973, WL entered serious organizational crisis. About 150 members and most of its founding leaders left. At Healey's insistence, Wohlforth was forced out of leadership.[3]: 927
In 1985, ICFI split in two. TheWorkers Revolutionary Party (WRP) in Britain argued that ICFI should support nationalist leaders likeSaddam Hussein andMuammar Gadhafi.[3]: 928 In 1985, the WRP expelledGerry Healy, and WL sided with the ICFI majority over Healy's minority.[3]: 929
In 1995, parties affiliated with ICFI each renamed themselves as Socialist Equality Party. In 1998, the ICFI launched theWorld Socialist Web Site.[5] ICFI runs the publishing houseMehring Books, formerly named Labor Publications.[6]
In 2006, the Socialist Equality Party relaunched its student movement (the Students for Social Equality) as the International Students for Social Equality (ISSE). In 2012, the SEP renamed the ISSE as theInternational Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE).[7]
SEP is aTrotskyist party.[1]
SEP supports a "revolutionary struggle against capitalism" and rejects socialistreformism, stating that "our aim is not the reform of capitalism, but its overthrow".[1] In its list oftransitional demands, the SEP includes: Universal employment,universal healthcare, endingforeclosures andevictions,workplace democracy, highinheritance taxes,nationalization of large corporations, and replacement of thevolunteer-based US military with "popular militias controlled by the working class and with elected officers".[1]
The SEP has fieldedelectoral candidates in the United States forlocal,state, andfederal offices. SEP candidates usually run as official SEP candidates on their ownballot line.
No SEP candidate has yet won an election.
 | Parts of this article (those related to 2024 results) need to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2024) |
| Year | Presidential candidate | Vice presidential candidate | Popular votes | % | Electoral votes | Result | Ballot access | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Joseph Kishore | Jerome White | 4,659 | 0.00% | 0 | Lost | 41 / 538 | running as a Socialist Equality Party candidate | [8] |
| 2020 | Joseph Kishore | Norissa Santa Cruz | 345 | 0.00% | 0 | Lost | 9 / 538 | ran as Socialist Equality Party candidate | [9] |
| 2016 | Jerome White | Niles Niemuth | 382 | 0.00% | 0 | Lost | 0 / 538 | ran aswrite-in candidate | [10] |
| 2012 | Jerome White | Phyllis Scherrer | 1,279 | 0.00% | 0 | Lost | 17 / 538 | ran as Socialist Equality Party candidate | [11] |
| 2008 | Jerome White | Bill Van Auken | 18 | 0.00% | 0 | Lost | 0 / 538 | ran aswrite-in candidate | [12][13] |
| 2004 | Bill Van Auken | Jim Lawrence | 1,857 | 0.00% | 0 | Lost | 45 / 538 | ran as Socialist Equality Party candidate | [14] |
| 1996 | Jerome White | Fred Mazelis | 2,438 | 0.00% | 0 | Lost | 43 / 538 | ran as Socialist Equality Party candidate | [15] |
| 1992 | Helen Halyard | Fred Mazelis | 3,050 | 0.00% | 0 | Lost | 33 / 538 | ran as Workers League candidate | [16] |
| 1988 | Edward Winn | Helen Halyard | 18,693 | 0.02% | 0 | Lost | 59 / 538 | ran as Workers League candidate | [17] |
| 1984 | Edward Winn | Helen Halyard | 10,798 | 0.01% | 0 | Lost | 71 / 538 | ran as Workers League candidate | [18] |
| Year | Candidate | Chamber | State | District | Votes | % | Result | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Bill Van Auken | Senate | New York | Class 1 | 6,004 | 0.1% | Lost | [19] | |
| 2006 | Jerome White | House | Michigan | MI-12 | 1,862 | 0.8% | Lost | [20] | |
| 2018 | David Moore | Senate | California | Class 1 | 24,601 | 0.4% | Lost | Top two primary | [21] |
| 2018 | Niles Niemuth | House | Michigan | MI-12 | 2,200 | 0.8% | Lost | [22] | |
| 2018 | Kevin Mitchell | House | California | CA-51 | 1,473 | 1.9% | Lost | Top two primary | [23] |
| Year | Candidate | Office | State | District | Votes | % | Result | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | David Moore | Governor | California | 31,160 | 0.4% | Lost | urged a "No" vote on the recall | [24] | |
| 2003 | John Burton | Governor | California | 6,748 | 0.1% | Lost | urged a "No" vote on the recall | [25] |
| Year | Candidate | Office | State | District | Votes | % | Result | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Naomi Spencer | State House | West Virginia | 16th | 921 | 2.3% | Lost | [citation needed] | |
| 2010 | D'Artagnan Collier | State House | Michigan | 9th | 138 | 0.7% | Lost | [citation needed] | |
| 2006 | Joe Parnarauskis | State Senate | Illinois | 52nd | 1,894 | 3.4% | Lost | [26] | |
| 2006 | Eric DesMarais | State Senate | Maine | 32nd | 296 | 2.3% | Lost | [26] |
| Year | Candidate | Office | Area | District | Votes | % | Result | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | D'Artagnan Collier | Mayor | Detroit | 91 | 0.1% | Lost | [27] | ||
| 2009 | D'Artagnan Collier | Mayor | Detroit | 1,265 | 1.4% | Lost | [citation needed] |
