Stewart Alexander | |
|---|---|
 Alexander in Los Angeles, 2011 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1951-10-01)October 1, 1951 (age 74) Newport News, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Socialist |
| Other political affiliations | Liberty Union (affiliated non-member) Peace and Freedom (1998–2012) Green (2010–2011) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | California State University, Dominguez Hills |
| Occupation | Political writer, activist,automobile salesperson |
Stewart Alexis Alexander (born October 1, 1951) is an Americandemocratic socialist politician, presidential nominee for theSocialist Party USA in the2012 election,[1][2][3] and former SPUSA nominee for Vice President of the United States in the2008 election.
A resident of California, Alexander was thePeace and Freedom Party candidate forlieutenant governor in 2006. He received 43,319 votes, 0.5% of the total. In August 2010, Alexander declared his candidacy for the President of the United States with the Socialist Party andGreen Party.[4] In January 2011, Alexander also declared his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party.[5]
Stewart Alexis Alexander was born to Stewart Alexander, a brick mason and minister, and Ann E. McClenney, a nurse and housewife, in the Mary Immaculate Hospital on the banks of theJames River, near theNewport News Ship Building and Dry Dock Company, inNewport News, Virginia. Because the facility was then a segregated hospital, young Stewart and his mother were quickly relocated to a basement room.[6]
While in theAir Force Reserve, Alexander worked as a full-time retail clerk atSafeway Stores and then began attending college atCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills. Stewart began working overtime as a stocking clerk with Safeway to support himself through school. During this period he was married to Freda Alexander, his first wife. They had one son.
He washonorably discharged in October 1976 and married for the second time. He left Safeway in 1978 and for a brief period worked as a licensed general contractor. In 1980, he went to work forLockheed Aircraft but quit the following year.
Returning to Los Angeles, he became involved in several civic organizations, including most notably theNAACP (he became the Labor and Industry Chairman for theInglewoodSouth Bay Branch of the NAACP).
In 1986 he moved back to Los Angeles and hosted a weekly talk show onKTYM Radio until 1989. The show dealt with social issues affecting Los Angeles such asgangs, drugs, andredevelopment, interviewing government officials from all levels of government and community leaders throughout California. He also worked withDelores Daniels of the NAACP on the radio and in the street.
In 1987 he met Norton Halper, a community activist, who convinced him to run for mayor of Los Angeles.[7]
Alexander launched his campaign for mayor of Los Angeles in 1988, personally visiting over 14,000 doors to get the necessary 1,000 signatures to appear on the ballot. Many of his ideas for the campaign came from a hearing of over 200 community activists in Los Angeles, about the city's problems, which he moderated.[7]
His campaign focused on the issue of redevelopment. Stewart felt that the billions of tax dollars spent on redevelopment were wasted on helping wealthy contractors and corporations earn more profits at the expense of the residents who he felt were in need of social programs and employment. Furthermore, his campaign dealt with the issues of crime prevention and the aforementioned social programs. Stewart believes that these social conditions led to theLos Angeles riots of 1992.[7]
Tom Bradley won the election against major opponentNate Holden. Alexander finished seventh with 2,691 votes (0.84%).[8]
Alexander became an automobile sales consultant and began looking at other political groups outside of theDemocratic andRepublican parties. He saw the popularity of independentH. Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 as proof that America was interested in more as well.[7]
He was thePeace and Freedom party candidate forlieutenant governor in California in 2006, receiving 0.5% of the vote.[9]
In 2008 he was nominated for Vice President of the United States by theSocialist Party USA.[10]
On October 15, 2011, he was nominated for President of the United States by theSocialist Party USA at the party's convention in Los Angeles.[11]
He also unsuccessfully ran for thePeace and Freedom Party nomination for governor in theCalifornia gubernatorial election, 2010.[12]
At the 2011Socialist Party USA national convention in Los Angeles, California, Alexander was elected as the party's nominee for President of the United States.[13] He won the nomination in the first round of voting, against former SPUSA co-chairJerry Levy. Alexander's running-mate for Vice President of the United States wasAlejandro Mendoza ofTexas.[14]
In August 2012, Alexander sought the nomination of thePeace and Freedom Party, a ballot qualifiedsocialist party in California. Alexander/Mendoza lost the nomination to a ticket of comedianRoseanne Barr and anti-war activistCindy Sheehan. Shortly thereafter, Alexander resigned from the Steering Committee of the Peace and Freedom Party, citing a lack of support for socialist candidates by the PFP.[15]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Socialist Party Vice Presidential candidate 2008 (lost) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Socialist Party Presidential candidate 2012 | Succeeded by |