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Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party

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Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party
AbbreviationGMPJP
FoundedMay 30, 1970; 54 years ago (1970-05-30)
HeadquartersDummerston, Vermont
IdeologySocialism[1]
Anti-capitalism[2]
Environmentalism
Political positionLeft-wing[3][4][5]
Colors  Lime
Statewide Offices
0 / 6
Seats in the State Senate
0 / 30
Seats in the State House
0 / 150
Elected County Judges
0 / 42
Countywide Offices
0 / 42
Mayorships
0 / 8
Seats on the Burlington City Council
0 / 12
Other elected offices3 (2017)
Website
libertyunionparty.org

The Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party (GMPJP), previously named the Liberty Union Party (LUP) until 2021, is a socialist political party in Vermont, United States. LUP was formed in 1970 by progressives to contest the 1970 Senate election.

GMPJP is a self-proclaimed "non-violent socialist party". In 1995, LUP was described by The New York Times as the cradle of progressivism in Vermont.[6]

GMPJP is the fourth-largest party in Vermont after the Democratic, Republican, and Progressive parties.

Notable past and present members include William H. Meyer, Peter Diamondstone, Bernie Sanders, Michael Parenti, and Mary Alice Herbert.

History

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Origins

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The Liberty Union party (LUP) was formed to contest the Vermont elections of 1970.[7] LUP co-founders included former Congressman William H. Meyer, Peter Diamondstone, Dennis Morrisseau and others.[8]

1970s–1990s

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In 1971, People's Party was formed as a national umbrella party for various socialist-oriented state parties, including the LUP.[9]

In 1971, Bernie Sanders joined LUP and became the party's candidate for several offices. At the first Party meeting he attended, in 1971, LUP nominated Sanders as the LUP Senate candidate in the January 1972 special election; he placed third with 2% of the vote.[10] In 1974, Bernie Sanders ran again as the Senate candidate, but received 4.13% of the vote. In 1976, Sanders was the party's candidate for Vermont governor, where he received 6.1% of the vote, which remains the best result for any LUP candidate for governor as of 2021. In October 1977, At the time of his resignation from the party, Sanders was party chairman. Sanders quit due to the inactivity of the party between elections.[11] As an independent politician, Sanders became Vermont's congressional representative in 1991 and U.S. senator in 2007. He ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2016 and 2020.

In 1974, political scientist Michael Parenti was the party's candidate for election to the House of Representatives; he placed third with 7.1 percent of the vote.[12]

In 1976, the party's Vermont lieutenant governor candidate John Franco took enough votes to force the election to the Vermont General Assembly's House. The party also lost the outspoken members, Nancy Kaufman and Martha Abbott before the 1978 election cycle.[7] Despite Liberty Union co-founder, Peter Diamondstone, appearing biennially on the ballot from 1970 through 2016, none of the party's candidates were elected during that period.[13]

2000s–present

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In 2009, David Van Deusen, endorsed by LUP and the Vermont Progressive Party (VPP), won a contested race for a seat on the Moretown Select Board. Van Deusen was a District Vice President of the Vermont AFL-CIO, active within US Labor Against The War,[14] cofounder of the Green Mountain Anarchist Collective, and received the backing of organized labor. This victory represented an electoral high water mark for the Liberty Union Party (previous Liberty Union wins included a Representational Town Meeting Delegate in Brattleboro, and a single Justice of the Peace position some decades earlier). In 2010 Van Deusen again ran and again won a contested seat on the Moretown Select Board.[15] Again he was endorsed by the Liberty Union, the Progressives, the Socialist Party USA, and organized labor. In this election Van Deusen was the top vote-getter among four Select Board candidates (three candidates, including Van Deusen running for two one year seats, and one candidate running as a write-in for one open three-year seat).[16] In 2011 Van Deusen did not seek re-election to the Select Board. In this election he ran for First Constable of Moretown (a position he held in 2007). While Van Deusen won the election, he did not seek the endorsement of the Liberty Union Party. This time he had the endorsement of the local Progressive Party alone. During Van Deusen's two terms on the Moretown Select Board, he was able to win "livable wages" for all non-elected town employees, doubled property tax relief for disabled military veterans (through a Town Meeting article), successfully advocated for the use of the Town Hall for a free weekly children's play group, made strides in opening up the local democratic process to all town residents, and publicly supported a Vermont run single-payer healthcare system.[17][18]

In 2012, the party once again re-qualified for major party status as a result of a 13.1% showing for Liberty Union candidate Mary Alice Herbert in the election for Vermont Secretary of State against Democrat Jim Condos.[19]

In 2014, the party re-qualified for major party status yet again as a result of a 10.32 showing for Liberty Union candidate Mary Alice Herbert in the election for Vermont Secretary of State. In the race for Treasurer Murray Ngoima received 8.3% of the vote. For Attorney General the LU candidate, Rosemary Jackowski, received 3.9% of the vote. In VT State Senate races, Ben Bosley won 13.9% of the vote for Grand Isle district. In the Windham County Senate contest, Jerry Levy & Aaron Diamondstone won on 5.0% & 4.6% of the ballots.[citation needed]

In the 2016 Vermont gubernatorial election, former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee ran as the Liberty Union's candidate for governor. Lee supported single payer healthcare and ran far to the left of the Democratic Party while at the same time remaining an advocate for the right of Vermonters to own firearms.[20] Lee received 2.8% which was the highest percentage for a LUP candidate for governor since the 1978 Vermont election and at the same time garnered 8,912 votes, second highest number for a Liberty Union gubernatorial candidate in the party's history.

In other 2016 races, Murray Ngoima received 3.9% of the vote for Treasurer, Mary Alice Herbert 9.7% for secretary state, Marina Brown 4.7% for Auditor and Rosemarie Jackowski 3.7% for attorney general. For US House, Erica Clawson received 9.2% of the vote. Liberty Union Party co-founder, Peter Diamondstone received 1.0% of the vote for US Senate.

In 2018 elections, Emily Peyton received 0.6% of the vote for Governorship, Murray Ngoima received 1.5% for lieutenant governor, Mary Alice Herbert received 3.6% for Secretary of State, Marina Brown received 3.9% for Auditor and Rosemarie Jackowski received 3.4% for Attorney General. For US House, Laura Potter received 1.4% of the vote. For US Senate, Reid Kane received 0.4% of the vote.

In 2020, the Liberty Union Party did not nominate any candidates for statewide office. They only nominated Gloria La Riva for presidency.[21]

In September 2021, the party changed its name from Liberty Union to Green Mountain Peace and Justice. Jessica Diamondstone, party chair and daughter of the party's founder stated that she feared the old name might make the party sound as if it had right-wing positions. Diamondstone felt the new name would be more clear on the political positions of the party.[22]

In 2022, under its new name, Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party nominees ran only for U.S. Senate and Lieutenant Governor seats.[23] For U.S. Senate, Natasha Diamondstone-Kohout received 0.5% of the vote and for Lieutenant Governor, Ian Diamondstone received 2.9% of the vote. Both candidates were related to Peter Diamondstone.

In 2024 elections, Justin Schoville received 1.24% of the vote for Governorship, Ian Diamondstone received 3.9% for lieutenant governor, Kevin Gustafson received 4.95% for Attorney General. For US House of Representatives Jessy Diamondstone received 2.15% of the vote and for US Senate Justin Schoville received 0.92% of the vote.

Election results

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Presidential elections

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Over the years, GMPJP has endorsed various presidential candidates from other leftist political parties:

Gubernatorial elections

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Year Gubernatorial nominee Votes %
1972 Bernie Sanders 2,175 1.15%
1974 Martha Abbott 7,629 5.40%
1976 Bernie Sanders 11,317 6.09%
1978 Earl S. Gardner 3,629 2.92%
1980 John Potthast 1,952 0.93%
1982 Richard Gottlieb 850 0.50%
1984 Richard Gottlieb 695 0.30%
1986 Richard Gottlieb 491 0.25%
1988 Richard Gottlieb 2,923 1.20%
1990 Richard Gottlieb 1,389 0.66%
1992 Richard Gottlieb 3,120 1.09%
1994 Richard Gottlieb 1,733 0.82%
1996 Mary Alice Herbert 4,156 1.63%
1998 Richard Gottlieb 1,177 0.54%
2000 Richard Gottlieb 337 0.11%
2002 Peter Diamondstone 625 0.27%
2004 Peter Diamondstone 1,298 0.42%
2006 Bob Skold 638 0.24%
2008 Peter Diamondstone 1,710 0.54%
2010 Ben Mitchell 429 0.18%
2012 Dave Eagle 1,303 0.44%
2014 Peter Diamondstone 1,673 0.87%
2016 Bill Lee 8,913 2.83%
2018 Em Peyton 1,839 0.67%
2020 Did not nominate N/A nil
2022 Did not nominate N/A nil
2024 June Goodband 4,512 1.24%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Liberty Union Party – Platform". libertyunionparty.org. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Respectable Showing for Liberty Union Socialists in 2014 Vermont Election". libertyunionparty.org. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  3. ^ Will Bernie Sanders Win By Losing? – WBUR
  4. ^ Phillips, Amber (November 19, 2015). "Bernie Sanders: A somewhat reluctant socialist". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  5. ^ Kaczynski, Andrew; McDermott, Nathan (March 14, 2019). "Bernie Sanders in the 1970s urged nationalization of most major industries". CNN. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Herszenhorn, David M. (1995-03-12). "The Nation; To Vermont's Voters, What's Out Is In". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  7. ^ a b Siegel, Lou. "Vermont's Third Party: No Longer Just a Fan Club". Vanguard Press. Retrieved March 1, 2016 – via Seven Days.
  8. ^ "L.U.P. History," The Official Website Of The Liberty Union Party – Vermont
  9. ^ a b c "New Look at White House Vowed". Toledo Blade. AP. 1976-08-08. p. A-3. Retrieved 2010-10-17. The Socialist-oriented People's party was founded in 1971 and is an umbrella name for such groups as ... Vermont Liberty Union.
  10. ^ Sanders, Bernie (1998). Outsider in the House: A Political Autobiography. Verso. pp. 12–21 et seq. ISBN 978-1859841778.
  11. ^ "Liberty Union Party Chief in Vermont Quits Position". Nashua Telegraph. AP. October 12, 1977. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  12. ^ "Elections Results Archive". VT Elections Database.
  13. ^ O’Connor, Kevin (September 1, 2017). "Longtime Vermont Political Figure Peter Diamondstone Dies". The Valley News. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  14. ^ "Vermont AFL-CIO Calls on Workers to Support West Coast Work Stoppage Against War". Vermont AFL-CIO. April 16, 2008.
  15. ^ "Valley Reporter Questions for Moretown Select Board Candidate Dave van Deusen". Valley Reporter. February 12, 2010.
  16. ^ "Vermont Liberty Union/Progressives Win in Moretown". Independent Political Report. March 3, 2010.
  17. ^ "Vt Towns Consider Boosting Benefits For Disabled Vets". WCAX. March 2, 2010.
  18. ^ "Take The Day Off May 1" (PDF). David Van Deusen. Montpelier Bridge. April 23, 2010.
  19. ^ "Liberty Union regains major party status". VTDigger. 2012-11-09. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  20. ^ Spaceman: Of Roadkill & Governors, 2016. http://news.infoshop.org/sports/interview-bill-spaceman-lee
  21. ^ Winger, Richard (September 14, 2020). "Liberty Union Party Has No Candidates for Vermont State Office, for First Time Since 1970 | Ballot Access News". Ballot Access News. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  22. ^ O'Connor, Kevin (15 September 2021). "Amid right-wing flag waving, Vermont's Liberty Union Party renames itself". VTDigger.
  23. ^ "Vermont Secretary of State Posts 2022 Candidate List | Ballot Access News". 2022-09-11. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  24. ^ Bernie Sanders, Outsider in the House, Verso: 1998; pp. 12-21 et seq.
  25. ^ Eric Pace. "Benjamin Spock, World's Pediatrician, Dies at 94", The New York Times, March 17, 1998
  26. ^ "1988 President General Election". Vermont Secretary of State.
  27. ^ "1996 President General Election". Vermont Secretary of State.
  28. ^ "2000 President General Election". Vermont Secretary of State.
  29. ^ Winger, Richard (21 January 2008). "Vermont Presidential Primaries". Ballot Access News.
  30. ^ Winger, Richard (20 January 2008). "Liberty Union Presidential Primary". Ballot Access News.
  31. ^ Winger, Richard (August 14, 2012). "Liberty Union Nominates Stewart Alexander for President".
  32. ^ "1984 President General Election". Vermont Secretary of State.
  33. ^ "1992 President General Election". Vermont Secretary of State.
  34. ^ "2004 President General Election". Vermont Secretary of State.
  35. ^ Winger, Richard (May 15, 2016). "Liberty Union Party of Vermont Nominates Gloria La Riva for President". Ballot Access News. Archived from the original on May 16, 2016.
  36. ^ "2020 Candidates". Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party. Archived from the original on 2020-12-11.
  37. ^ "Vermont Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party Nominates Cornel West". Ballot Access News. 28 April 2024.
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