Socialist Ticket Competing for 328 Electoral Votes on Tuesday; Party's Presidential Aspirant Refuses to Concede
Ann Arbor, Michigan, November 1 — The Socialist Party USA's presidential ticket is actively competing for votes in twenty-nine states, representing a total of 328 electoral votes, in Tuesday's election. According to Matt Erard, ballot-access coordinator for the Socialist Party's presidential campaign, the Socialist Party is one of seven parties with a mathematical chance of winning in the Electoral College.
"There are now seven presidential campaigns in the United States that could theoretically win the presidency based on the electoral votes from states in which they are individually certified through ballot access and official write-in status," said Erard, who is also doubling as a Socialist Party USA-Green Party candidate for a seat in the Michigan legislature. In addition to the Obama and McCain candidacies, the other parties with a theoretical chance of victory on Tuesday include consumer activist Ralph Nader, who is running as an independent, the Green Party's Cynthia McKinney, the Libertarian Party's Bob Barr and the Constitution Party's Chuck Baldwin, according to Erard.
In addition to appearing on the ballot in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin, Brian P. Moore, the party's presidential candidate, and vice-presidential running mate Stewart A. Alexander of California have also qualified as official write-in candidates in twenty-one states, including several battleground states where the McCain and Obama forces have been expending considerable resources. The list of states where the Socialist ticket hopes to receive write-in votes includes the traditionally-Republican states of North Carolina and Virginia, which are now both deemed as toss-up states. Moore qualified as an official write-in candidate in North Carolina after completing a successful petition drive in July.
Mounting his first run for the Presidency, the 65-year-old Moore has refused to concede defeat. "We plan to campaign until the polls close on Tuesday night," explained the semi-retired health care consultant. "The hour is late, but the socialist message is beginning to resonate with thousands of voters across the country. We plan to fight for every last vote," said Moore shortly after an appearance on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" earlier today. "If socialism is good enough for the well-connected and affluent on Wall Street, then maybe ordinary Americans should share in its blessings, too. I guess it's not such a 'dirty word,' after all."