Gloria La Riva
La Riva holding a microphone
La Riva in 2017
Born (1954-08-13) August 13, 1954 (age 69)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Alma materBrandeis University
Occupation(s)Newspaper printer, activist, politician
Political partyParty for Socialism and Liberation
Peace and Freedom Party
Other political
affiliations		Workers World Party (until 2004)
WebsiteCampaign website

Gloria Estela La Riva (born August 13, 1954) is an American perennial political candidate and communist activist with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and the Peace and Freedom Party. She was the PSL's nominee and the Peace and Freedom's nominee in the 2020 presidential election, her tenth consecutive run as either a presidential or vice presidential candidate. She was previously a member of the Workers World Party. She ran as the PSL's and the Peace and Freedom Party's presidential candidate in the 2016 presidential election, with Eugene Puryear and Dennis J. Banks[1] as her running mates respectively. She was the PSL's presidential nominee in the 2008 presidential election.[2] For the 2020 election, Sunil Freeman was her running mate.[3]

Life and career

La Riva c. 1988
La Riva on a platform speaking
La Riva in 2008

La Riva was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 13, 1954.[4] She graduated from high school and began attending Brandeis University in 1972.[5] She was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the 1992 presidential election, representing the Workers World Party. She had also been the Workers World Party vice-presidential candidate in the elections of 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2000.

La Riva is a founding member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.[6]

La Riva was also the Peace and Freedom Party candidate for Governor of California in 1994, receiving 72,774 votes (0.9%). She ran again in the 1998 gubernatorial election, capturing 59,218 votes (0.71%). She also ran for San Francisco Mayor in 1983 (7,328 votes – 5.4%), coming in third overall, and second in the working class wards of the city, and 1991 (2,552 votes – 1.4%),[7][8] and for Congress in 2010 (3rd place – 3%).[9][10]

In the 2008 presidential election, La Riva received 6,821 votes, the 10th highest vote total.[11] La Riva has also been the director of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, and president of the typographical sector of the Northern California Media Workers Union.[12]

In 2010, La Riva was the Peace and Freedom Party's candidate for U.S. Congress in California's 8th Congressional District. Running against Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, she came in third, receiving 5,161 votes, 3% of the overall vote. Also in 2010, La Riva was awarded the Friendship Medal by the Cuban Council of State.[13]

In the 2012 presidential election, La Riva was a presidential stand-in for Peta Lindsay, the PSL nominee for president who was not allowed on the ballot in some states due to her age.[14] La Riva was on the ballot in Colorado, Iowa, Utah, and Wisconsin, and she received 1,608 votes, or less than 0.01% of the total votes.[15]

In July 2015, she was announced as the PSL's 2016 presidential nominee, with Eugene Puryear as her running mate.[16] She attained ballot access in eight states: Vermont, New Mexico, Iowa, Louisiana, Colorado, Washington, New Jersey, and California.[17] She received 74,401 votes in the election, or 0.05% of the total votes.[18]

La Riva was a candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party nomination for Governor of California in 2018.[19] She received 19,075 votes in the nonpartisan blanket primary, or 0.3% of the total votes.[20]

She received the Party of Socialism and Liberation nomination for the 2020 presidential election, with Leonard Peltier as her running mate.[21] Peltier later stepped down from the ticket due to his deteriorating health and was replaced by Sunil Freeman.[22] Additionally, she won the Peace & Freedom Party primary in California for the 2020 United States presidential election, beating Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins. She also won the nomination of the Liberty Union Party in Vermont.[23] She obtained no electoral votes in the election, and a total of 85,623 nationally, or about 0.05% of the total, being sixth most voted candidate, after Rocky de la Fuente, and ahead of Kanye West.[24]

Other activities

La Riva speaking at a protest against U.S. intervention in Venezuela, 2019

La Riva has translated Fidel Castro's book Cuba at the Crossroads (1997) ISBN 1-875284-94-X, and produced the documentary videos NATO Targets, Workers' Democracy in Cuba (1996), Genocide by Sanctions: The Case of Iraq (1998), and Let Iraq Live!

Personal

She is married to Richard Becker, whose brother is PSL co-founder Brian Becker.[25]

References

  1. ^ "Meet Dennis Banks". Gloria La Riva 4 President. Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
  2. ^ "Vote PSL in 2008!" (Press release). Party for Socialism and Liberation. 2008-01-18. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  3. ^ Winger, Richard (August 2, 2020). "Party for Socialism & Liberation Alters its Vice-Presidential Nominee". Ballot Access News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  4. ^ Forgie, Adam (13 October 2020). "3rd party candidates: An in-depth look at who else is running for president". kutv.com. Sinclair Broadcast Group. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Third Party Alternative Debate". YouTube. Vanderbilt University. October 8, 2008. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
  6. ^ "Gloria la Riva for PFP pres. Nom. – Peace and Freedom Party". Archived from the original on 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  7. ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum. "The Political Graveyard: Mayors and Postmasters of San Francisco, California". Political Graveyard. Archived from the original on 2009-03-07. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  8. ^ "Gloria La Riva: Biography". calvoter.org. Archived from the original on 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  9. ^ Administrator. "Gloria La Riva for Congress – District 8". peaceandfreedom.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  10. ^ "Gloria LaRiva's Biography — The Voter's Self Defense System — Vote Smart". Project Vote Smart.
  11. ^ "2008 Presidential General Election Results". Dave Leip's Election Results. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  12. ^ "Media Workers Guild, Typographical Union — Officers and Staff". Pacific Media Workers Guild. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
  13. ^ Forgie, Adam (October 14, 2020). "3rd party candidates: An in-depth look at who else is running for president". KUTV. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Winger, Richard (August 17, 2012). "Ballot Access News » Blog Archive » Only One Presidential Candidate Files in Utah Using the Independent Candidate Procedure". Ballot Access News. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  15. ^ "Federal Election 2012" (PDF). fec.gov. July 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  16. ^ Winger, Richard (July 24, 2015). "Party for Socialism and Liberation Announces 2016 Presidential Ticket". Ballot Access News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  17. ^ Powell, Chris (2016-08-03). "Who is on the presidential ballot where?". Medium. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  18. ^ "Federal Elections 2016" (PDF). fec.gov. December 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "Election 2018: The Peace & Freedom Party Candidates". Peace and Freedom Party. December 18, 2017. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  20. ^ "Statement of Vote" (PDF). sos.ca.gov. June 5, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  21. ^ "La Riva / Peltier Presidential Campaign Announcement". La Riva & Peltier 2020. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  22. ^ "Leonard Peltier regretfully withdraws as vice-presidential candidate". La Riva 2020. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  23. ^ "2020 Candidates – Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party". Archived from the original on 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  24. ^ "The Green Papers: 2020 General Election – Presidential Candidate Ballot Access by State – Sorted by On Ballot". The Green Papers. 2020-12-01. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  25. ^ "Richard Becker Obituary, – September 21, 2016". Thomas Funeral Chapel. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gloria La Riva.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Gloria La Riva.
Party political offices Preceded byGavrielle Holmes Workers World Party vice presidential candidate 1984 (lost), 1988 (lost) Succeeded byLarry Holmes Preceded byLarry Holmes Workers World Party presidential candidate 1992 (lost) Succeeded byMonica Moorehead Preceded byMaria Elizabeth Muñoz Peace and Freedom Party California gubernatorial candidate 1994 (lost), 1998 (lost) Succeeded byC. T. Weber Preceded byLarry Holmes Workers World Party vice presidential candidate 1996 (lost), 2000 (lost) Succeeded byTeresa Gutierrez Preceded byNone Party for Socialism and Liberation presidential candidate 2008 Succeeded byPeta Lindsay Preceded byPeta Lindsay Party for Socialism and Liberation presidential candidate 2016, 2020 Succeeded byincumbent
(← 1980) 1984 United States presidential election (1988 →)
(← 1984) 1988 United States presidential election (1992 →)
(← 1988) 1992 United States presidential election (1996 →)
(← 1992) 1996 United States presidential election (2000 →)
(← 1996) 2000 United States presidential election (2004 →)
(← 2004) 2008 United States presidential election (2012 →)
(← 2012) 2016 United States presidential election (2020 →)
(← 2016) 2020 United States presidential election (2024 →)
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