Press releases

Peace and Freedom Party
California State Central Committee

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2008
For more information: Kevin Akin, State Chair, (951) 787-0318 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Peace and Freedom Party says it's moved into third place among state's ballot-approved political parties

RIVERSIDE - The Peace and Freedom Party claimed today it has - based on the official state vote tally announced Friday by the Secretary of State - moved into the third place slot among California's six official political parties.

Barrack Obama won 34 counties and John McCain 24, but Peace and Freedom Party Presidential nominees Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez came in third out of the six party tickets in 55 of California's 58 counties, and tied in another, according to the SOS official results.

"We beat all three other smaller parties for President not only statewide, but in almost every county," said P&F Party State Chair Kevin Akin of Riverside, adding that in the three congressional districts where P&F candidates faced off with a Libertarian or a Green or both, the Peace and Freedom candidate finished first among the candidates.

"California voters in this election found ours to be the preferred alternative party choices to Democrats and Republicans. Our working-class party has little money, but our positions are unique among ballot-qualified parties, and our candidates are the ones many people want to vote for, even when they decide to vote for the 'lesser of the two evils.'"

While the Peace and Freedom Party is currently the smallest party in registration, with 56,350 voters statewide, Akin points out that they draw far more votes in general elections.

"The two big parties normally get fewer votes than their numbers of registered voters. In this election, our Presidential ticket garnered nearly twice as many votes as our number of registered voters, and for Assembly, State Senate, and Congress, our candidates won between 4 and 17 times as many votes as we had registered voters in the districts. The Peace and Freedom Party favors socialism, feminism, democracy, environmentalism and racial equality. These stands really resonate with a lot of working people," he said.

Akin reports that preparations for the 2010 statewide elections are already underway, and a voter registration drive is part of the plan.

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