John Thompson Parker is an American activist, writer, and coordinator of the Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice. He was the candidate of the

Workers World Party The Workers World Party (WWP) is a revolutionary Marxist–Leninist communist party founded in 1959 by a group led by Sam Marcy of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). Marcy and his followers split from the SWP in 1958 over a series of long-sta ...

, a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

communist

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

, for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

in 2004. Parker has been a union organizer, public school teacher, and is a coordinator of the

International Action Center The International Action Center (IAC) is an activist group founded in 1992 by former United States Attorney General Ramsey Clark. It supports anti-imperialist movements around the world, and opposes U.S. military intervention in all circumstances. ...

. He is a writer for Struggle for Socialism/La Lucha por Socialismo and expresses disapproval for the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

Early political activities

Parker organized his first union election at a steel plant in New Jersey when he was 18.

Electoral history

Parker was the candidate of the

, a

communist

, for

in 2004. Parker and his running mate was Teresa Gutierrez received 1,330 votes. The ticket was endorsed by the

Liberty Union Party The Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party, known as the Liberty Union Party (LUP) until 2021, is a political party active in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is a self-proclaimed "non-violent socialist party". The LUP was founded in 1970 by former ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. Parker also ran for U.S. Senate in California on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket in 2016 and 2018. In 2016, Parker received 22,374 votes running for the Senate seat vacated by Barbara Boxer. In 2018, running against

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she wa ...

, he received 22,825 votes. He has announced his 2022 candidacy for the Senate seat currently held by

Alex Padilla Alejandro Padilla ( ; born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Padilla served as the 30th secretary of state of California from 201 ...

. In this election, he ran as a candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party, but was also part of the Left Unity Slate, a group of state-wide candidates endorsed by both the Peace and Freedom Party and the

Green Party of California The Green Party of California (GPCA) is a California political party. The party is led by a coordinating committee, and decisions are ultimately made by general assemblies. The GPCA is affiliated with the Green Party of the United States (GPUS). ...

References

African-American candidates for President of the United States Living people Candidates in the 2004 United States presidential election Candidates in the 2022 United States Senate elections 21st-century American politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Workers World Party presidential nominees 21st-century African-American politicians Peace and Freedom Party politicians {{California-politician-stub