Friday, October 3, 2008

Candidates in the 2008 Election

The only communist party in the US that is running any communist candidates for office in 2008 (including president) is the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Members of the Workers World Party (WWP) formed PSL several years ago after an internal dispute. PSL has gotten their presidential candidate on the ballot in 12 states, which was a massive task for a small organization.

Both PSL and the WWP participate in the International Communist Seminar in Brussels, which is hosted by the Workers Party of Belgium. It is an annual event that is attended by representatives of communist parties from all over the world. This includes the Cuban, Korean, Greek, Vietnamese and Russian communist parties, as well as numerous others. Note that not all parties attend every year.

In addition to the PSL's communist candidates, there are other anti-imperialists and progressives running for various other offices this year. However, it should be kept in mind that these other candidates are not communists.

Here is a brief list of some of the most notable:

* Cynthia McKinney, a Green Party candidate for president and former congresswoman

* Cindy Sheehan, an anti-war activist and independent candidate for US Congress in California

* Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic congressman seeking reelection to the US Congress from Ohio

* Anthony Pollina, an independent and Progressive Party candidate for governor of Vermont

For detailed information on where the PSL and the Green Party's presidential candidates are on the ballot, view this excellent chart at Ballot Access News. Note that the list of PSL ballot lines is at the bottom, below the chart. In addition, here is a list of Green candidates for various offices that deserve special attention.

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