The Socialist Party of New Jersey engages in both electoralpolitics and non-electoral activism. Some examples of non-electoral activism includes anti-racist actions in cooperation with Residents Against Racism, support for unions and unionization in cooperation with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and other unions, anti-war and anti-imperialist agitation, and support for feminism and women's rights.
In 2014, the SPNJ declared victory in a lawsuit (Noble v. State) against the State of New Jersey over the State preventing the Party from having voter registration rights.[1] The SPNJ joins eight other political parties who have voter registration, six of which are minor/alternative parties and also had to file a lawsuit to receive voter registration abilities.
The Socialist Party of New Jersey has two active locals,[clarification needed] a Northern New Jersey local headquartered in Montclair, and a Central New Jersey local headquartered in Red Bank.
Organization
The Socialist Party of New Jersey is governed by a State Executive Committee (SEC), elected to two-year terms at a state convention on odd years. The state convention elects one to two State Chairs, as well as a State Secretary and State Treasurer. Additionally, each chartered local is invited to elect one representative to sit on the SEC as a voting member.
Elected officials
Pat Noble, the SPNJ's only recently elected candidate, in 2015
The SPNJ has only one elected official within living memory, Pat Noble, who, in 2012, at the age of 19, was elected to the Red Bank Regional High School Board of Education serving from 2013 to 2016. Noble's only prior experience was working part-time at a local drug store with his highest level of education being the Monmouth County vocational school. Noble centered his campaign on making "socialist" not be a dirty word anymore, while also running on opposing merit pay for teachers, refusing access to the school to U.S. Army recruiters, introducing mandatory LGBT sex-education for all students, and opposing budget cuts. Noble was not re-elected, and made an unscessful bid to the board of chosen freeholders in Monmouth County, which he would also lose, although he was made the party Secretary from 2011 to 2015 before serving as national co-chair before returning in 2017.[2]
Former candidates
Gubernatorial candidates
2013: Maynor Moreno/Stephanie Gussin- Write-in candidacy (votes not counted)[citation needed]
Since 1976, the Socialist Party USA has run a candidate for President of the United States. The party's nominee has been on the ballot in New Jersey in 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 2000, 2004 and 2008. The candidate who has received the highest vote total in New Jersey was Willa Kenoyer in 1988.
