History
Bernie Sanders joined Liberty Union in 1971, and was a candidate for several offices on their ticket before deciding to run as an independent.
The Liberty Union Party sometimes endorses the candidates of other parties which it feels offer a vision and goals compatible with its own. Over the years, it has selected various Presidential candidates from several national leftist political parties. 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.
Some Liberty Union members in 2004 sought the state-wide nomination of the Vermont Progressive Party, which had achieved major ballot status in 2000.
The Liberty Union Party lost its major party status in 1994, but re-qualified in 2004 due to Auditor of Accounts candidate Jerry Levy's six percent showing. In 2006, the Liberty Union Party had nine candidates for offices including Governor, United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, and again received enough votes to retain its major party status.
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. Dave Van Deusen, a District Vice President of the Vermont AFL-CIO, also received the backing of organized labor. In 2010 Van Deusen again ran and again won a contested seat on the Moretown Select Board. 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). In 2011 Van Deusen did not seek reelection 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 childrens' play group, made strides in opening up the local democratic process to all town residents, and publically supported a Vermont run single payer healthcare system.
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 Democratic, Progressive, Working Families and Republican nominee Jim Condos.
Read more about this topic: Liberty Union Party
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