Peace and Freedom Party

The Peace and Freedom Party (PFP) is a socialist political party in the United States which operates mostly in California. It was formed in 1967 from anti-Vietnam War and pro-civil rights movements.

PFP operates both as an organization unto itself and an umbrella organization in which socialist organizations compete to win PFP's ballot access.

Notable past and present members include Bob Avakian, Emmy Lou Packard, Byron Randall, and briefly Murray Rothbard and Howie Hawkins.

Membership

In January 2000, PFP had 75,277 registered voters. In February 2005, PFP had 67,238 registered voters. In January 2010, PFP had 55,036 registered voters. In January 2016, PFP had 75,579 registered voters. In February 2019, PFP had 76,784 registered voters. In February 2021, PFP had 105,535 registered voters. In September 2025, PFP had 147,394 registered voters.

Ideology

PFP is a socialist party "committed to feminism, [...] democracy, ecology, and racial equality", PFP strongly supports environmentalism, indigenous rights, LGBT rights, abortion rights, public healthcare, public education, and subsidized housing. PFP is anti-Zionist.

History

Founding

After the 1967 Century City anti-Vietnam War march on June 23, 1967, anti-war and civil rights supporters began collecting petitions for the Peace and Freedom Party. PFP's founders opposed the Democratic Party's support for the war in Vietnam and saw the Democrats as failing to effectively support the civil rights movement.

On January 2, 1968, PFP organizers submitted 105,100 signatures to receive party status in California. PFP has had ballot access in California since 1968, except between 1998 and 2002. In 2003, PFP became the first party in the history of California to regain its ballot status.

In 1968, PFP suffered a minor split: Dick Gregory and others split to create the Freedom and Peace Party (FPP), for which Gregory ran in the 1968 United States presidential election. The FPP collapsed after the 1968 election.

In 1971, progressives nationwide organized the People's Party. In 1972 and 1976, PFP endorsed the PP's candidates. After the PP dissolved in 1977, PFP continued in California.

Election results

The PFP has fielded over 200 electoral candidates in the United States for local, state, and federal offices. PFP candidates usually run as official PFP candidates on their own ballot line.

No PFP candidate has yet won a contested election.

Presidential elections

Presidential preference primaries

Like many minor parties in California, PFP holds a non-binding "preference primary" for President. The PFP presidential candidate is ultimately selected by the PFP State Convention, at which only State Central Committee (SCC) members can vote.The SCC consists primarily of members of county central committees, who are elected in the state presidential primary elections. The SCC had about 130 members in 2024 and 90 in 2008.

Since January 2001, California has had a "modified" closed primary system in which political parties may choose to allow voters who are not affiliated with any party, or No Party Preference, to participate in the party's primary; the Peace and Freedom Party has never chosen to do so.

Party convention (SCC) votes:

In 2016, both PFP's California state chair and Green candidate Jill Stein requested that the California Secretary of State allow Stein to be placed on the PFP party ballot, but this was rejected. Instead, PFP nominated Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate Gloria La Riva.

In 2012, Rocky Anderson won a plurality of delegates in PFP's non-binding preference primary, after failing to win enough votes to place his Justice Party on the ballot. However, Anderson failed to win representatives on the PFP's Central Committee, and withdrew 1 week before the convention. Instead, PFP backed Party for Socialism and Liberation's preferred candidate Roseanne Barr.

In 2008, PFP endorsed Independent Ralph Nader in his presidential campaign. Nader obtained enough signatures to appear on the ballot in Iowa and Utah as the Peace and Freedom Party candidate. This was the first expansion of the party beyond California since the 1970s. However, PFP did not obtain enough votes to guarantee ballot access in Iowa or Utah in subsequent elections.

In 2000, PFP did not qualify for the ballot in California.

In 1988, three factions within PFP — the Internationalist Workers Party, New Alliance Party, and Socialist Party USA plus Communist Party USA — sought the party's ballot line. They could not agree, and split the convention, which resulted in the Secretary of State voiding the PFP ballot line for the year.

Congressional elections

Statewide elections

National conventions

See also

• American Left
• Democratic Socialists of America
• Green Party of the United States
• Socialist Party of America
• Party for Socialism and Liberation
• History of the socialist movement in the United States
• California Libertarian Alliance

Notes

External links