# Socialist Party of New Jersey

The Socialist Party of New Jersey (SPNJ) is the state chapter of the Socialist Party USA in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The Socialist Party of New Jersey engages in both electoral politics and non-electoral activism. Some examples of non-electoral activism includes anti-racist actions in cooperation with Residents Against Racism, support for unions and unionization in cooperation with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and other unions, anti-war and anti-imperialist agitation, and support for feminism and women's rights.
In 2014, the SPNJ declared victory in a lawsuit (Noble v. State) against the State of New Jersey over the State preventing the Party from having voter registration rights. The SPNJ joins eight other political parties who have voter registration, six of which are minor/alternative parties and also had to file a lawsuit to receive voter registration abilities.
The Socialist Party of New Jersey has two active locals, a Northern New Jersey local headquartered in Montclair, and a Central New Jersey local headquartered in Red Bank.

## Organization

The Socialist Party of New Jersey is governed by a State Executive Committee (SEC), elected to two-year terms at a state convention on odd years. The state convention elects one to two State Chairs, as well as a State Secretary and State Treasurer. Additionally, each chartered local is invited to elect one representative to sit on the SEC as a voting member.

## Elected officials

The SPNJ has only one elected official within living memory, Pat Noble, who, in 2012, at the age of 19, was elected to the Red Bank Regional High School Board of Education serving from 2013 to 2016. Noble's only prior experience was working part-time at a local drug store with his highest level of education being the Monmouth County vocational school. Noble centered his campaign on making "socialist" not be a dirty word anymore, while also running on opposing merit pay for teachers, refusing access to the school to U.S. Army recruiters, introducing mandatory LGBT sex-education for all students, and opposing budget cuts. Noble was not re-elected, and made an unscessful bid to the board of chosen freeholders in Monmouth County, which he would also lose, although he was made the party Secretary from 2011 to 2015 before serving as national co-chair before returning in 2017.

## Former candidates
### Gubernatorial candidates

   * 2013: Maynor Moreno/Stephanie Gussin- Write-in candidacy (votes not counted)
   * 2009: Greg Pason/Costantino Rozzo- 2,085 votes (0.09%)
   * 2005: Costantino Rozzo- 2,078 votes (0.09%)
   * 2001: Costantino Rozzo- 1,537 votes (0.07%)
   * 1997: Greg Pason- 2,800 votes (0.12%)

### US Senate candidates

   * 2012: Greg Pason- 2,249 votes (0.07%)
   * 2006: Greg Pason- 2,490 votes (0.11%)
   * 2002: Greg Pason- 2,702 votes (0.13%)
   * 2000: Greg Pason- 3,365 votes (0.11%)

### US House of Representatives candidates

   * 2008, District 2: Constantio Rozzo- 648 votes (0.23%)
   * 2006, District 2: Willie Norwood- 385 votes (0.21%)
   * 2004, District 2: Constantio Rozzo- 595 votes (0.22%)
   * 2004, District 5: Greg Pason- 574 votes (0.19%)
   * 2002, District 2: Constantio Rozzo- 771 votes (0.46%)
   * 2000, District 2: Constantio Rozzo- 788 votes (0.34%)
   * 1994, District 9: Greg Pason- 1,490 votes (0.93%) (on ballot as "Independent")
   * 1984, District 3: Lawrence D. Erickson- 907 votes (0.40%)
   * 1982, District 3: Lawrence D. Erickson- 436 votes (0.26%)
   * 1980, District 3: Lawrence D. Erickson- 643 votes (0.30%)

### State Assembly candidates

   * 2005, District 2: Sharin Chiorazzo- 832 votes (0.77%) and Willie Norwood- 665 (0.61%) (two candidates elected)
   * 2005, District 10: Scott Baier- 584 votes (0.46%) (two candidates elected)
   * 2003, District 1: Constantino Rozzo- 768 votes (0.81%) (two candidates elected)
   * 1997, District 27: John-Martin Winter- 1,051 votes (1.50%) (two candidates elected)
   * 1995, District 27: John-Martin Winter- 478 votes (1.07%) (two candidates elected)

### County/local candidates

   * 2018 Red Bank Regional High School Board of Education: Pat Noble- 2,539 votes (98.60%) (non-partisan race)
   * 2015 Red Bank Regional High School Board of Education: Pat Noble- 1,103 votes (97.78%) (non-partisan race)
   * 2012 Red Bank Regional High School Board of Education: Pat Noble- 1,187 votes (54.47%) (non-partisan race)
   * 2011 Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders: Pat Noble- 1,389 votes (0.67%)
   * 2008 Madison Borough Council: Peter Moody- Write-in candidacy (votes not counted)
   * 2006 Mayor of Paterson: Tommy Silva- 205 votes (1.12%) (non-partisan race)

### Presidential nominee results

Since 1976, the Socialist Party USA has run a candidate for President of the United States. The party's nominee has been on the ballot in New Jersey in 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 2000, 2004 and 2008. The candidate who has received the highest vote total in New Jersey was Willa Kenoyer in 1988.
| Year | Nominee | Result | Votes | Notes |
| 1900 | Eugene V. Debs | 4 of 6 | 4,611 (1.15%) | |
| 1904 | Eugene V. Debs | 3 of 6 | 9,587 (2.22%) | |
| 1908 | Eugene V. Debs | 3 of 6 | 10,249 (2.19%) | |
| 1912 | Eugene V. Debs | 4 of 6 | 15,948 (3.69%) | |
| 1916 | Allan L. Benson | 3 of 5 | 10,405 (2.10%) | |
| 1920 | Eugene V. Debs | 3 of 7 | 27,141 (3.00%) | |
| 1924 | Robert M. La Follette | 3 of 8 | 108,901 (10.03%) | Also nominated by the Progressive Party. |
| 1928 | Norman Thomas | 3 of 6 | 4,897 (0.32%) | |
| 1932 | Norman Thomas | 3 of 6 | 42,998 (2.64%) | |
| 1936 | Norman Thomas | 4 of 7 | 3,931 (0.22%) | |
| 1940 | Norman Thomas | 4 of 6 | 2,433 (0.12%) | |
| 1944 | Norman Thomas | 5 of 5 | 3,558 (0.17%) | |
| 1948 | Norman Thomas | 5 of 7 | 10,521 (0.54%) | |
| 1952 | Darlington Hoopes | 3 of 8 | 8,592 (0.36%) | |
| 1956 | Darlington Hoopes | N/A | N/A | Not on ballot; final presidential campaign of Socialist Party of America |
| 1976 | Frank Zeidler | 12 of 12 | 469 (0.02%) | First nominee of Socialist Party USA |
| 1980 | David McReynolds | 10 of 13 | 1,973 (0.07%) | |
| 1984 | Sonia Johnson | 9 of 9 | 1,247 (0.02%) | Also nominated by the Citizens Party. |
| 1988 | Willa Kenoyer | 7 of 11 | 2,587 (0.08%) | |
| 1992 | J. Quinn Brisben | N/A | N/A | (not on ballot) |
| 1996 | Mary Cal Hollis | N/A | N/A | (not on ballot) |
| 2000 | David McReynolds | 7 of 9 | 1,880 (0.06%) | |
| 2004 | Walt Brown | 7 of 9 | 664 (0.02%) | |
| 2008 | Brian Moore | 7 of 10 | 699 (0.02%) | |
| 2012 | Stewart Alexander | N/A | N/A | (not on ballot) |
| 2016 | Mimi Soltysik | N/A | N/A | (not on ballot) |
| 2020 | Howie Hawkins | 4 of 8 | 14,202 (0.31%) | Also nominated by the Green Party. |