Working Class Party
ChairmanLarry Christenson
Founded2016 (2016)
HeadquartersDetroit, Michigan
IdeologyProgressivism
Socialism
Political positionLeft-wing
Colors 
Michigan House of Representatives
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Michigan Senate
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Statewide Executive Offices
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U.S. House of Representatives
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U.S. Senate
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Website
Working Class Party

The Working Class Party (WCP) is a left-wing, political party, based in Detroit, Michigan, United States.[1][2][3][4] The Working Class Party competed in the 2016 Michigan election, presenting three candidates. The party filed twelve candidates in the 2020 election, five for the U.S. Congress, two for the Michigan State Board of Education, and five for the Michigan House of Representatives.[5] As of November 2022, the party has ballot access in Illinois, Maryland and Michigan.[6]

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.[7][8][9]

History

The party can be traced back to a campaign carried out by people around the Trotskyist newspaper The Spark between 2011 and 2013.[10] That campaign focused on the need for the working class to organize independently. Five of the people active in that campaign ran for office in 2014 (although they were on the ballot as non-party candidates). The candidates ran for Congress, for the Dearborn School Board and for the Wayne County Community College Trustee. The latter was elected due to his only opponent, the Democratic incumbent, being disqualified before the election.[11]

Despite the harsh ballot access laws in Michigan, the people active in the 2014 campaign managed to put a party on the ballot in 2016. With several dozen others joining the voluntary effort, they turned in more than the required 31,566 petition signatures. In the end they turned in more than 50,000.[12][13] The Working Class Party fielded two candidates for Congress and one for the State Board of Education in Michigan.

The WCP candidate for the State Board of Education polled 2.7%, many more than the 22,133 votes needed for the Working Class Party to retain ballot status in the Michigan 2018 elections.[14][3][15]

Similar campaigns in other states included for alderman in Chicago in the 25th ward. Candidate Ed Hershey received 614 votes (8.23%).[16] In 2016, David Harding was on the ballot for Baltimore's City Council elections, running in the 14th district. He received 1,426 votes, (8.3%).[17] In 2018, Juan Rey ran as a candidate in California's 29th congressional district for the U.S. House of Representatives. He received 944 votes (1.45%).[18]

In the 2018 midterm elections, the Working Class Party ran eleven candidates in Michigan; five for the U.S. House, four for the Michigan state senate and two statewide candidates for the Michigan State Board of Education. Most candidates were fielded in districts in and around Detroit, but the party was also contesting districts in Grand Rapids, Flint and Saginaw.[19] The party won between 1.2% and 11.4% of the votes.

In the 2020 elections, the Working Class Party ran twelve candidates in Michigan; five candidates for the US House of Representatives, five candidates for the State House and two candidates for State Board of Education and David Harding for the mayor of Baltimore.[20][21] The party gained between 0.6% and 4.8% of the votes in the seats contested.

As of December 2020, 2,102 voters were affiliated with the WCP in Maryland.[22] The party announced plans to run candidates for governor in 2022 and for president in 2024 in order to maintain ballot access in Maryland.[23]

Ideology

The party is actively endorsed by Spark.[24] The party supports broad positions such as putting an end to unemployment[25] and stopping the decline of pensions and social security.[26] They call for workers to look into the books of businesses.[27] They call for the unity of workers against the divide created by the bosses.[28] The party also supports the formation of a vanguard party for the working class, as they maintain that both the Republican, as well as the Democratic party, are controlled by big capital.[29]

Election results

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. One WCP candidate won an uncontested election.

Congressional elections

Year Candidate Chamber State District Votes  % Result Notes Ref
2014 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 3,466
2.1%
 Lost [30]
2014 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 5,039
2.4%
 Lost [30]
2016 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 9,183
2.8%
 Lost [31]
2016 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 8,835
3.4%
 Lost [31]
2018 Juan Rey House California 29th 944
1.4%
 Lost Nonpartisan blanket primary [32]
2018 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 5th 12,646
4.6%
 Lost [33]
2018 Andrea Kirby House Michigan 9th 6,797
2.2%
 Lost [33]
2018 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 6,712
2.3%
 Lost [33]
2018 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 22,186
11.3%
 Lost [33]
2018 Philip Kolody House Michigan 14th 4,761
1.8%
 Lost [33]
2020 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 5th 8,180
2.3%
 Lost [34]
2020 Andrea Kirby House Michigan 9th 8,970
2.2%
 Lost [34]
2020 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 11,147
2.9%
 Lost [34]
2020 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 5,284
1.8%
 Lost [34]
2020 Philip Kolody House Michigan 14th 2,534
0.7%
 Lost [34]
2022 Ed Hershey House Illinois 4th 4,503
3.4%
 Lost [35]
2022 Liz Hakola House Michigan 1st 5,480
1.4%
 Lost [36]
2022 Louis Palus House Michigan 3rd 4,192
1.3%
 Lost [36]
2022 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 8th 9,077
2.7%
 Lost [36]
2022 Jim Walkowicz House Michigan 9th 6,570
1.8%
 Lost [36]
2022 Andrea L. Kirby House Michigan 10th 5,905
1.8%
 Lost [36]
2022 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 8,046
2.9%
 Lost [36]
2022 Simone R. Coleman House Michigan 13th 8,811
3.8%
 Lost [36]

State elections

Year Candidate Office State District Votes  % Result Notes Ref
2016 Mary Anne Hering State Board of Education Michigan At-Large 224,392
2.66%
 Lost [31]
2018 Logan Smith State Board of Education Michigan At-Large 91,077
1.3%
 Lost [33]
2018 Mary Anne Hering State Board of Education Michigan At-Large 125,693
1.7%
 Lost [33]
2018 Hali McEachern State Senate Michigan 3rd district 2,095
2.9%
 Lost [33]
2018 Larry Betts State Senate Michigan 5th district 3,944
4.4%
 Lost [33]
2018 Thomas Repasky State Senate Michigan 18th district 2,954
2.3%
 Lost [33]
2018 Louis Palus State Senate Michigan 29th district 1,445
1.2%
 Lost [33]
2020 Hali McEachern State Board of Education Michigan At-Large 82,700
0.8%
 Lost [34]
2020 Mary Anne Hering State Board of Education Michigan 147,345 At-Large
1.4%
 Lost [34]
2020 Linda Rayburn State House of Representatives Michigan 4th district 1,023
3.3%
 Lost [34]
2020 Kimberly Givens State House of Representatives Michigan 7th district 1,224
3.5%
 Lost [34]
2020 Simone R. Coleman State House of Representatives Michigan 14th district 1,937
4.7%
 Lost [34]
2020 Larry Darnell Betts State House of Representatives Michigan 15th district 970
2.4%
 Lost [34]
2020 Louis Palus State House of Representatives Michigan 75th district 1,234
3.0%
 Lost [34]
2022 David Harding Governor of Maryland Maryland At-Large 17,154
0.86%
 Lost [37]
2022 Larry Darnell Betts State Senate Michigan 2nd district 1,636
2.6%
 Lost [36]
2022 Linda Rayburn State Senate Michigan 3rd district 10,214
14.3%
 Lost [36]
2022 Kimberly Givens State Senate Michigan 6th district 3,396
3.1%
 Lost [36]
2022 Mary Anne Hering State Board of Education Michigan 135,442 At-Large
1.6%
 Lost [36]

Local elections

Year Candidate Office Area District Votes  % Result Notes Ref
2014 Mary Anne Hering School Board Dearborn, MI At-Large 5,153
9.93%
 Lost 3 seats to be filled [38]
2014 Kenneth Jannot School Board Dearborn, MI At-Large 2,431
4.69%
 Lost 3 seats to be filled [38]
2014 David A. Roehrig Community College Board Wayne County, MI 2nd 15,661
96.5%
 Won ran unopposed [38]
2015 Ed Hershey City Council Chicago 25th ward 614
8.2%
 Lost [39]
2016 David Harding Baltimore City Council Baltimore 14th district 1,426
8.3%
 Lost [40]
2020 David Harding Mayor Baltimore, MD At-Large 3,973
1.7%
 Lost [41]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Taylor, Tristan (9 November 2022). "What Is the Michigan Working Class Party?". Left Voice.
  2. ↑ "Statement by Working Class Party of Maryland". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  3. 1 2 "Political_Party_Status_482649_7.pdf" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  4. ↑ Dupuis, Mary (31 October 2022). "What's the WC on the Ballot? Mary Anne Hering Explains the Working Class Party". Oakland County Times.
  5. ↑ "Working Class Party Chooses Its 2020 Michigan Candidates | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  6. ↑ "Working Class Party on the Ballot in Illinois, Maryland & Michigan | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ "David Harding, Working Class Candidate". Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  9. ↑ "Juan Rey: A Worker for Congress". Archived from the original on 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  10. ↑ "The Spark Marketplace Leaflets". the-spark.net. Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  11. ↑ "2014 Election Results, Michigan | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  12. ↑ "Working Class Party Petition in Michigan Has Enough Valid Signatures | Ballot Access News". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ "Post Election Statement by Working Class Party | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-05. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  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. ↑ "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.
  18. ↑ "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.
  19. ↑ "2018 Michigan Official General Candidate Listing - 11/06/2018". miboecfr.nictusa.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  20. ↑ "Working Class Party Chooses Its 2020 Michigan Candidates". Working Class Party. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  21. ↑ "WCP Maryland Chooses Candidate | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  22. ↑ "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.
  23. ↑ "Results for WCP of Md in Baltimore Election | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  24. ↑ "Working People Need Our Own Party, Our Own Candidates, Organizers, Agitators, and Fighters — The Spark #1116". The Spark. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  25. ↑ "To Put an End to Unemployment... | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  26. ↑ "To Stop the Decline in Our Standard of Living... | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  27. ↑ "To Control the Economy... | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  28. ↑ "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.
  29. ↑ "Juan Rey: Workers Need to Build Their Own Party | Working Class Fight". www.workingclassfight.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  30. 1 2 "2014 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/04/2014". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  31. 1 2 3 "2016 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/08/2016". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  32. ↑ "Statement of Vote JUNE 5, 2018 STATEWIDE DIRECT PRIMARY ELECTION" (PDF).
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "2020 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/03/2020". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  35. ↑ "DDHQ Election Results". results.decisiondeskhq.com. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "2022 Michigan Unofficial General Election Results - 11/08/2022". mielections.us. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  37. ↑ "Official 2022 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  38. 1 2 3 "November 4, 2014 General Election Results | Clerk". www.waynecounty.com. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  39. ↑ "Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago". chicagoelections.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  40. ↑ "2016 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  41. ↑ "2020 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
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