# Working Class Party

The Working Class Party (WCP) is a left-wing political party in the United States, based in Detroit, Michigan. WCP first gained ballot access in 2016. WCP supports progressive, pro-labor and socialist policies and candidates.
The party was created by Trotskyist newspaper The Spark and its supporters, which continues to endorse the party.

## History

From 2011 to 2013, The Spark conducted a campaign to encourage the working class to organize independent of the Democratic Party. In 2014, five people active in that campaign ran for office as Independent candidates. Four candidates lost. David Roehrig won his campaign for Wayne County Community College Trustee, due to his only opponent (the Democratic incumbent) being disqualified before the election.
In 2016, several dozen WCP volunteers turned in more than 50,000 signatures, above the required 31,566, which enabled WCP candidates to appear as party candidates on Michigan ballots.
In 2016, Mary Anne Hering won enough votes for Board of Education for WCP to keep ballot access in the 2018 Michigan elections.

## Ideology

The WCP argues that no working class party exists, because both the Democrats and the Republicans are controlled by the bosses. In the WCP's party program, it supports a living wage tied to inflation and full employment through reductions in working time. The WCP holds that the working class "won't change our situation with an election", but can "use this election to say there are [...] tens of thousands of people[ ]who agree with this program for the crisis".

## 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, however one WCP candidate won an uncontested election for the Wayne County Community College Board in 2014.
As of November 2022, the party has ballot access in Illinois, Maryland and Michigan. As of December 2020, 2,102 voters were affiliated with the WCP in Maryland.

### Congressional elections

| Year | Candidate | Chamber | State | District | Votes | % | Result | Notes |
| 2024 | Ed Hershey | House | Illinois | 4th | 10,704 | 5.2% | Lost | |
| 2024 | Simone R. Coleman | House | Michigan | 13th | 13,367 | 4.2% | Lost | |
| 2024 | Gary Walkowicz | House | Michigan | 12th | 9,401 | 2.6% | Lost | |
| 2024 | Andrea L. Kirby | House | Michigan | 10th | 11,162 | 2.6% | Lost | |
| 2024 | Jim Walkowicz | House | Michigan | 9th | 12,169 | 2.6% | Lost | |
| 2024 | Kathy Goodwin | House | Michigan | 8th | 8,492 | 2.0% | Lost | |
| 2024 | Louis Palus | House | Michigan | 3rd | 5,546 | 1.3% | Lost | |
| 2024 | Liz Hakola | House | Michigan | 1st | 8,497 | 1.8% | Lost | |
| 2024 | Juan Rey | House | California | 37th | 44,450 | 21.7% | Lost | General Election |
| 2024 | Juan Rey | House | California | 37th | 8,910 | 10.3% | Advanced to general election | Nonpartisan blanket primary |
| 2022 | Simone R. Coleman | House | Michigan | 13th | 8,811 | 3.8% | Lost | |
| 2022 | Gary Walkowicz | House | Michigan | 12th | 8,046 | 2.9% | Lost | |
| 2022 | Andrea L. Kirby | House | Michigan | 10th | 5,905 | 1.8% | Lost | |
| 2022 | Jim Walkowicz | House | Michigan | 9th | 6,570 | 1.8% | Lost | |
| 2022 | Kathy Goodwin | House | Michigan | 8th | 9,077 | 2.7% | Lost | |
| 2022 | Louis Palus | House | Michigan | 3rd | 4,192 | 1.3% | Lost | |
| 2022 | Liz Hakola | House | Michigan | 1st | 5,480 | 1.4% | Lost | |
| 2022 | Ed Hershey | House | Illinois | 4th | 4,503 | 3.4% | Lost | |
| 2020 | Philip Kolody | House | Michigan | 14th | 2,534 | 0.7% | Lost | |
| 2020 | Sam Johnson | House | Michigan | 13th | 5,284 | 1.8% | Lost | |
| 2020 | Gary Walkowicz | House | Michigan | 12th | 11,147 | 2.9% | Lost | |
| 2020 | Andrea Kirby | House | Michigan | 9th | 8,970 | 2.2% | Lost | |
| 2020 | Kathy Goodwin | House | Michigan | 5th | 8,180 | 2.3% | Lost | |
| 2018 | Philip Kolody | House | Michigan | 14th | 4,761 | 1.8% | Lost | |
| 2018 | Sam Johnson | House | Michigan | 13th | 22,186 | 11.3% | Lost | |
| 2018 | Gary Walkowicz | House | Michigan | 12th | 6,712 | 2.3% | Lost | |
| 2018 | Andrea Kirby | House | Michigan | 9th | 6,797 | 2.2% | Lost | |
| 2018 | Kathy Goodwin | House | Michigan | 5th | 12,646 | 4.6% | Lost | |
| 2018 | Juan Rey | House | California | 29th | 944 | 1.4% | Lost | Nonpartisan blanket primary |
| 2016 | Sam Johnson | House | Michigan | 13th | 8,835 | 3.4% | Lost | |
| 2016 | Gary Walkowicz | House | Michigan | 12th | 9,183 | 2.8% | Lost | |
| 2014 | Gary Walkowicz | House | Michigan | 12th | 5,039 | 2.4% | Lost | |
| 2014 | Sam Johnson | House | Michigan | 13th | 3,466 | 2.1% | Lost | |

### Statewide elections

| Year | Candidate | Office | State | District | Votes | % | Result |
| 2024 | Suzanne Roehrig | Wayne State University Board of Governors | Michigan | At-Large | | | |
| 2024 | Mary Ann Hering | Board of Education | Michigan | At-Large | | | |
| 2022 | Mary Anne Hering | Board of Education | Michigan | At-Large | 135,442 | 1.6% | Lost |
| 2022 | David Harding | Governor | Maryland | At-Large | 17,154 | 0.86% | Lost |
| 2020 | Mary Anne Hering | Board of Education | Michigan | At-Large | 147,345 | 1.4% | Lost |
| 2020 | Hali McEachern | Board of Education | Michigan | At-Large | 82,700 | 0.8% | Lost |
| 2018 | Mary Anne Hering | Board of Education | Michigan | At-Large | 125,693 | 1.7% | Lost |
| 2018 | Logan Smith | Board of Education | Michigan | At-Large | 91,077 | 1.3% | Lost |
| 2016 | Mary Anne Hering | Board of Education | Michigan | At-Large | 224,392 | 2.66% | Lost |

### State legislature elections

| Year | Candidate | Office | State | District | Votes | % | Result |
| 2024 | Linda Green Harris | House | Michigan | 16th district | | | |
| 2024 | Hashim Malik Bakari | House | Michigan | 13th district | | | |
| 2024 | Logan Ausherman | House | Michigan | 8th district | | | |
| 2024 | Linda Rayburn | House | Michigan | 7th district | | | |
| 2024 | Larry Darnell Betts | House | Michigan | 3rd district | | | |
| 2024 | Mark DaSacco | House | Michigan | 2nd district | | | |
| 2022 | Kimberly Givens | Senate | Michigan | 6th district | 3,396 | 3.1% | Lost |
| 2022 | Linda Rayburn | Senate | Michigan | 3rd district | 10,214 | 14.3% | Lost |
| 2022 | Larry Darnell Betts | Senate | Michigan | 2nd district | 1,636 | 2.6% | Lost |
| 2020 | Louis Palus | House | Michigan | 75th district | 1,234 | 3.0% | Lost |
| 2020 | Larry Darnell Betts | House | Michigan | 15th district | 970 | 2.4% | Lost |
| 2020 | Simone R. Coleman | House | Michigan | 14th district | 1,937 | 4.7% | Lost |
| 2020 | Kimberly Givens | House | Michigan | 7th district | 1,224 | 3.5% | Lost |
| 2020 | Linda Rayburn | House | Michigan | 4th district | 1,023 | 3.3% | Lost |
| 2018 | Louis Palus | Senate | Michigan | 29th district | 1,445 | 1.2% | Lost |
| 2018 | Thomas Repasky | Senate | Michigan | 18th district | 2,954 | 2.3% | Lost |
| 2018 | Larry Betts | Senate | Michigan | 5th district | 3,944 | 4.4% | Lost |
| 2018 | Hali McEachern | Senate | Michigan | 3rd district | 2,095 | 2.9% | Lost |

### Local elections

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