Socialist Action is a Trotskyist political party in the United States. SAct formed in 1983, when its members were expelled from the Socialist Workers Party. SAct describes itself as a revolutionary socialist party fighting for true democracy, because capitalist states "cannot be used as tools of the working class, but have to be smashed". Notable members include Jeff Mackler.

History

Origins

In 1983, the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) expelled two groups: First, the Fourth Internationalist Tendency (FIT). Second, the group that would coalesce around the Socialist Action (SAct) newspaper. SAct argued that they were expelled for defending Trotskyist ideas of Permanent Revolution, class independence, and continued support for the Fourth International. The first issue of its newspaper contained no listing of an editorial board.

Subsequent history

In 1985, SAct split in two. Those who split created Socialist Unity (SU). In 1986, SU merged with Workers Power and the International Socialists to form Solidarity. After the split, SAct reorganized as a Trotskyist party. SAct planned a Central America solidarity conference. In 2004, SAct won the right to refuse to disclose its campaign donors, because of demonstrable government harassment of socialist candidates, as did Communist Party USA, Freedom Socialist Party, and Socialist Workers Party. In 1992, during the Gulf War, SAct was active in the San Francisco Bay Area antiwar movement through the National Campaign Against the War in the Middle East, which competed with the Workers World Party-led Coalition Against a Vietnam War in the Middle East. In 2019, a minority faction was expelled or resigned membership from Socialist Action and re-established as Socialist Resurgence.

Ideology

Socialist Action is a Trotskyist and Revolutionary socialist party. The party has claimed that the Euromaidan revolution in Ukraine was a "US-backed fascist coup", alongside claiming that Ukraine banned the Russian language.

Election results

Socialist Action (SA) has fielded electoral candidates in the United States for local, state, and federal offices. One SA member, Adam Ritscher, won an uncontested election. No SA member has won a contested election.

Presidential elections

In 2020, SAct again nominated Mackler. SAct again gained no ballot access or write-in status in any state. In 2016, SAct nominated their first presidential ticket, selecting national secretary Jeff Mackler for president and Karen Schraufnagel for vice-president. However, SAct got no ballot access or write-in status in any state, and thus received zero votes.

Congressional elections

In 2018, SA member and Iraq War veteran Fred Linck hoped to run as Socialist Action candidate for United States Senate in Connecticut. The party submitted over 11,000 signatures to the Connecticut Secretary of State, but too many were disqualified for Linck to be placed on the November ballot. Linck asserted that local officials incorrectly invalidated signatures. Despite being left off the ballot, Linck continued to run for office as an official write-in candidate, and ultimately received 70 votes, or 0.01%.

Local elections

In 1988, SA member Sylvia Weinstein ran for San Francisco Board of Education, in which she won 21,000 votes. Weinstein also ran in 1985 and 1986.