Liberty Union Party

The Liberty Union Party (LUP) of Vermont is a democratic socialist political party founded in 1970 by former Congressman William H. Meyer, Peter Diamondstone, Dennis Morrisseau and others.[5][6]

Liberty Union Party
Founded	May 30, 1970 (1970-05-30)
Preceded by	People's Party
Headquarters	Dummerston, Vermont
Ideology	Democratic socialism[1] Anti-capitalism[2] Anti-interventionism Anti-war Environmentalism
Political position	Left-wing[3] to far-left[2][4]
Colors	Lime (Black sometimes used as well)
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 offices	3 (2017)
Website
libertyunionparty.org
Politics of Vermont Elections

The party has had several successes in local elections in Vermont and is the fourth largest in the state after the Democratic, Republican, and Progressive parties.

History

The Liberty Union party (LUP) was formed to contest the Vermont elections of 1970.[7] In 1971, People's Party was formed as a national umbrella party for various Socialist-oriented state parties including the LUP.[8]

Bernie Sanders, who would go on to become the longest-serving Independent Senator and a 2016 and 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate, joined Liberty Union in 1971. Sanders was a candidate for several offices on their ticket before deciding to run as an independent. At the first Party meeting he attended, in 1971, Sanders was nominated to be the Party's Senate candidate in the January 1972 special election; he placed third with 2% of the vote.[9] Sanders was the party's candidate for Vermont governor in 1976 where he received 6.1% of the vote, still the best result for any LUP candidate for governor. At the time of his resignation from the party in October 1977, he was party chairman. Sanders quit due to the inactivity of the party between elections.[10]

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 Marth 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.[11]

In local Vermont town elections in 2009 a Liberty Union and Vermont Progressive Party endorsed candidate, David Van Deusen, won a contested race for a seat on the Moretown Select Board. Van Deusen, at the time a District Vice President of the Vermont AFL-CIO active within US Labor Against The War,[12] and cofounder of the Green Mountain Anarchist Collective, also 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.[13] 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).[14] 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.[15][16]

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.[17]

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.

In the 2016 Vermont gubernatorial election, former Red Sox 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.[18] Lee received 2.8% of the vote, which was the highest percentage for a LUP candidate for governor since 1978.

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

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%

Presidential nominee

Over the years, it has selected various Presidential candidates from several national leftist political parties. For the 1971 and 1976 elections, the LUP was a member of the national People's Party, thus the People's presidential candidates were the LUP's.[8] In 1980, 1988, 1996, and 2000 it endorsed the Socialist Party USA's candidates. Mary Alice Herbert, the party's 2006 candidate for Lieutenant Governor, was the Vice Presidential candidate of the Socialist Party USA in 2004. However, due to conflicts with her running mate, Walt Brown, the LUP gave its ballot line to Workers World Party candidates John Parker and Teresa Gutierrez. In 2008, the Socialist Party's presidential candidate, Brian Moore, was the only candidate to collect the 1,000 signatures required to participate in the Liberty Union Party's presidential primary. The primary election is binding, so Moore and his running mate Stewart Alexander were the Liberty Union nominees in the November general election.[19][20]

Year	Presidential nominee	Party	Votes
1972	Benjamin Spock	People's Party[21][22]	1,010 (0.5%)
1976	Margaret Wright	People's Party[8]	No ballot access
1980	David McReynolds	Socialist Party	136 (0.1%)
1984	Dennis Serrette	New Alliance Party	323 (0.1%)
1988	Willa Kenoyer	Socialist Party	142 (0.1%)
1992	Lenora Fulani	New Alliance Party	429 (0.2%)
1996	Mary Cal Hollis	Socialist Party	292 (0.1%)
2000	David McReynolds	Socialist Party	161 (0.1%)
2004	John Parker	Workers World Party	265 (0.1%)
2008	Brian Moore	Socialist Party	141 (0.1%)
2012	Stewart Alexander	Socialist Party	No ballot access
2016	Gloria La Riva	Party for Socialism and Liberation	327 (0.1%)
2020	Gloria La Riva	Party for Socialism and Liberation	TBD

See also

• List of political parties in the United States
• List of democratic socialist parties and organizations

References

1. "Liberty Union Party – Platform". libertyunionparty.org. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
2. "Respectable Showing for Liberty Union Socialists in 2014 Vermont Election". libertyunionparty.org. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
3. Will Bernie Sanders Win By Losing? – WBUR
4. "Liberty Union Party Sticks to Its Ideals – and Keeps Losing". Seven Days. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
5. "L.U.P. History," The Official Website Of The Liberty Union Party – Vermont
6. Herszenhorn, David M. "The Nation; To Vermont's Voters, What's Out Is In," The New York Times, March 12, 1995
7. Siegel, Lou. "Vermont's Third Party: No Longer Just a Fan Club". Vanguard Press. Retrieved March 1, 2016 – via Seven Days.
8. "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.
9. Sanders, Bernie (1998). Outsider in the House: A Political Autobiography. Verso. pp. 12–21 et seq. ISBN 978-1859841778.
10. "Liberty Union Party Chief in Vermont Quits Position". Nashua Telegraph. AP. October 12, 1977. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
11. O’Connor, Kevin (September 1, 2017). "Longtime Vermont Political Figure Peter Diamondstone Dies". The Valley News. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
12. "Vermont AFL-CIO Calls on Workers to Support West Coast Work Stoppage Against War". Vermont AFL-CIO. April 16, 2008.
13. "Valley Reporter Questions for Moretown Select Board Candidate Dave van Deusen". Valley Reporter. February 12, 2010.
14. "Vermont Liberty Union/Progressives Win in Moretown". Independent Political Report. March 3, 2010.
15. "Vt Towns Consider Boosting Benefits For Disabled Vets". WCAX. March 2, 2010.
16. "Take The Day Off May 1" (PDF). David Van Deusen. Montpelier Bridge. April 23, 2010.
17. "Liberty Union regains major party status". VTDigger. 2012-11-09. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
18. Spaceman: Of Roadkill & Governors, 2016. http://news.infoshop.org/sports/interview-bill-spaceman-lee
19. "Vermont Presidential Primaries", Ballot Access News, 21 January 2008 (accessed 22 January 2008).
20. "Liberty Union Presidential Primary", Ballot Access News, 20 January 2008 (accessed 22 January 2008).
21. Bernie Sanders, Outsider in the House, Verso: 1998; pp. 12-21 et seq.
22. Eric Pace. "Benjamin Spock, World's Pediatrician, Dies at 94", The New York Times, March 17, 1998

External links

• libertyunionparty.org