There is an alternative for working people and their allies to the two parties of economic depression, racism, and war in the U.S. elections November 5. It is to vote Socialist Workers - James Harris for president, Laura Garza for vice-president, and for the local candidates listed on this page.

The two-party system in the United States is used to hook workers and youth into thinking we have a stake in supporting the capitalist rulers' moves against us. After all, if we don't like Tweedledum, we can always vote for Tweedledee. By mid- October Clinton had pretty much wrapped up the presidential election. He has demonstrated his willingness to go to war to defend U.S. imperialism - war moves in the last year alone include Iraq, Yugoslavia, Liberia, the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Straits, Haiti, and Cuba. This, coupled with his support for the Welfare Reform Act, anti-immigrant legislation, the Defense of Marriage Act, and laws restricting democratic rights gives the rulers confidence that Clinton is ready, able, and willing to lead the charge against working people in the United States and around the world.

Dole is still favored by the majority of business executives, many of whom think: why not push harder and faster against workers' wages and social gains? The Republican contender tried to take advantage of the economic stagnation that is reality for millions of working and middle-class people to run on a program of economic growth. But this effort has largely fizzled.

The capitalist class as a whole has decided that their best option for now is a Clinton White House with a Republican Congress. That would make it easiest to sidetrack workers' anger and frustration at the bosses' offensive onto blaming one or the other party.

But no matter how the details shake out, one thing's for sure: workers will be the central target of their attacks either way.

The Socialist Workers candidates offer a different answer. They point to the road taken by thousands of workers and youth from around the world who poured into the streets of Washington, D.C., October 12 to demand equal rights for immigrants and to proclaim that no human being is illegal. They point to the road taken by auto workers in Canada and public service workers in France who refuse to surrender hard-won gains without a fight. Socialist Workers candidates hold up the example of the Cuban revolution, where workers and farmers kicked out a U.S.-backed dictatorship 37 years ago, overthrew the capitalist class, began reorganizing society in their own interests, and have been defending their socialist revolution, arms in hand, ever since. "We can do that here," they explain.

The socialist candidates know the struggle doesn't stop on election day. On November 6 they'll be back on the streets joining in these fights and looking for those who can be won to the communist movement. The Militant urges our readers to join them in these important activities:

YS Recruitment Drive. The Young Socialists have pledged to win 80 new members by December 1. So far, 36 young people have joined the organization. Supporters of the socialist campaign can invite YS members to speak at their schools, work places, and house meetings.

Campaign to win new readers to socialist press. Take a goal in the campaign to win new readers to the Militant and its Spanish-language sister publication Perspectiva Mundial, and to sell copies of the Marxist magazine New International. These periodicals tell the truth about the crisis of capitalism and the struggles of working people.

Sell Pathfinder books and pamphlets. They are the tools working people need to understand and fight in the world today and to learn the lessons of 150 years of struggle.

Attend and build the Socialist Educational Conferences scheduled for November 29 through December 1 in Atlanta; Peoria, Illinois; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C. For more information see the advertisement on the front page.

So vote for the socialist candidates November 5 and then, like them, role up your sleeves and join the worldwide fight against capitalism and for socialism.

SWP Candidates In The November 5 Elections

Listed below are the Socialist Workers Party candidates for national, state, and local office. The socialist presidential and vice-presidential candidates - James Harris and Laura Garza - are on the ballot in seven states, and socialist candidates for other offices are running in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Due to undemocratic election laws designed to keep working-class candidates off the ballot, most of the Socialist Workers candidates will not appear on the ballot. In such cases, the candidates are running as write-ins and their names have been indicated with an asterisk(*). Included here are the candidates' ages and union affiliations, where applicable. For an explanation of the union acronyms, see the end of this list.

PRESIDENT: James Harris, 48, UFCW

VICE PRESIDENT: Laura Garza, 37 ALABAMA
John Hawkins, 48, UMWA, U.S. Senate*

Kari J. Sachs, 31, USWA, U.S. Congress, 4th CD*

Tim Mailhot, 43, USWA, U.S. Congress, 6th CD*

George Williams, 45, UAW, U.S. Congress, 7th CD*

Jeanne FitzMaurice, 50, USWA, Public Service Commissioner* CALIFORNIA
Susan Zarate, 40, San Francisco County Board of Supervisors

Marklyn Wilson, 48, UTU, U.S. Congress, 7th CD*

Steve Gordon, 25, U.S. Congress, 8th CD*

Omari Musa, 52, OCAW, U.S. Congress, 9th CD*

Vanessa Knapton, 26, UTU, U.S. Congress, 29th CD*#

John Benson, OCAW, U.S. Congress, 32nd CD*

Virginia Garza, U.S. Congress, 33rd CD*

Thabo Ntweng, 49, IAM, U.S. Congress, 35th CD*

Laura Anderson, State Assembly District 46* FLORIDA
Seth Galinsky, 39, UTU, U.S. Congress, 21st CD*

Janet Post, 46, IAM, U.S. Congress, 17th CD* GEORGIA
Arlene Rubinstein, 46, UNITE, U.S. Senate*

Dorothy Kolis, 45, UAW, U.S. Congress, 5th CD* ILLINOIS
Frank Forrestal, 41, UAW, U.S. Senate*

Kristin Meriam, 28, UTU, U.S. Congress, 4th CD*

Tami Peterson, 19, USWA, U.S. Congress, 5th CD*#

Reyes Gaona, 36, U.S. Congress, 7th CD*

Aislinn Pulley, 17, U.S. Congress, 9th CD*#

Angela Lariscy, 31, OCAW, U.S. Congress, 18th CD* IOWA
Shirley Peña, 40, UAW, U.S. Senate

Richard McBride, 53, UFCW, U.S. Congress, 4th CD MASSACHUSETTS
Andrew Buchanan, 38, UAW, U.S. Senate*

Mary Nell Bockman, 37, IAM, U.S. Congress, 9th CD*

Ryan Kelly, 22, IAM, U.S. Congress, 5th CD*#

Douglas Hord, 44, UTU, U.S. Congress, 8th CD* MICHIGAN
Willie Reid, UAW, U.S. Congress, 14th CD

Mark Gilsdorf, 23, UAW, U.S. Senate*#

Douglas Douthat, UAW, U.S. Congress, 12th CD*

Cynthia Jaquith, USWA, U.S. Congress, 15th CD*

Rosa Garmendia, U.S. Congress, 11th CD* MINNESOTA
Thomas Fiske, 52, IAM, U.S. Senate

Jennifer Benton, 27, IAM, U.S. Congress, 5th CD

Doug Nelson, 21, State House of Representatives District 63A*#

Tony Lane, 44, IAM, U.S. Congress, 4th CD* NEW JERSEY
Olga Rodriguez, 48, IAM, U.S. Senate

William Estrada, 29, U.S. Congress, 13th CD

Toni Jackson, 29, U.S. Congress, 10th CD

Stefanie Trice, 25, UTU, U.S. Congress, 6th CD#

Robert Robertson, 37, OCAW, U.S. Congress, 7th CD NEW YORK
Eleanor García, 43, U.S. Congress, 12th CD

Martín Koppel, 39, U.S. Congress, 10th CD*

David Berg, 25, U.S. Congress, 11th CD*#

Abby Tilsner, 30, U.S. Congress, 14th CD*

Brock Satter, 25, U.S. Congress, 15th CD*# NORTH CAROLINA
Jim Rogers, UNITE, Governor*

Karen Kopperud, UTU, U.S. Senate* OHIO
Roni McCann, 35, UNITE, U.S. Congress, 10th CD*

Kibwe Diarra, 49, UAW, U.S. Congress, 11th CD*

Ryan Lewis, 23, U.S. Congress, 14th CD*# PENNSYLVANIA
Edwin Fruit, 50, IAM, State Representative 22nd District

Malcolm Jarrett, 26, U.S. Congress, 14th CD*# TEXAS
Jerry Freiwirth, 45, OCAW, U.S. Congress, 25th CD

Lea Sherman, 47, IAM, U.S. Senate*

Lieff Gutthuidaschmitt, 25, U.S. Congress, 29th CD*# UTAH
Dan Fein, 51, USWA, Governor*

Janine Dukes, 24, Lt. Governor*#

John Langford, 42, USWA, U.S. Congress, 3rd CD WASHINGTON, D.C.
Sam Manuel, 47, UTU, Delegate to House

Brian Williams, 44, USWA, City Council at Large*

Mary Martin, 44, IAM, U.S. Senate* WASHINGTON
Jeff Powers, 52, UTU, Governor*

Melissa Harris, 27, U.S. Congress, 7th CD* WEST VIRGINIA
Dennis Richter, 48, UTU, Governor*

David Salner, 52, OCAW, U.S. Senate*

* indicates candidate is write-in ballot status; all others are on theballot Unions:
IAM - International Association of Machinists

OCAW - Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers

UAW - United Auto Workers

UFCW - United Food and Commercial Workers

UMWA - United Mine Workers of America

UNITE - Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees

USWA - United Steel Workers of America

UTU - United Transportation Union

#- Young Socialists  
 
 
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