A candidate for the Party for Socialism and Liberation in the Long Beach, California mayoral race could very well be the only challenger the incumbent mayor faces. Not only that, but the socialist is only 21 years old.
Merino, 21, would not formally be considered a candidate unless she returns her paperwork and 20 signatures from registered voters by the Jan. 15 deadline, City Clerk Larry Herrera said.
Foster also took out paperwork, Herrera said.
No other candidates are seeking the office.
Until recently, Merino went to Cal State Long Beach, but is now attending Cerritos College in Norwalk.
Campaign manager Douglas Kauffman said Merino would not be available for comment until this afternoon and that she would prefer to discuss her platform then. However, in general terms, “She is running an openly socialist campaign,” he said.
Despite her age, Kauffman said Merino is taking the election seriously.
“She is genuinely challenging Mayor Foster,” he said. “She is not doing any sort of college project.”
Stevie Merino is running in a non-partisan election. Stevie is registered Peace and Freedom Party so I don’t understand why she is not running as such unless Party of Socialism and Liberation has plans on attempting ballot status sometime in the future.
The Vote PSL website has just been updated, but there is still no campaign for Stevie Merino: http://www.pslweb.org/site/PageServer?pagename=votepsl_home
Gayle McLaughlin holds a nonpartisan office. All municipal offices in California are nonpartisan and have been so for awhile.
I know of not one California city/ town position which is partisan. Not one!
Are you sure about that? I believe Gayle McLaughlin is a Green Party mayor in California and it’s not a nonpartisan office.
Thomas,
I believe all local elections in California are non-partisan, so being a ballot-qualified party doesn’t factor into this case.
It’s interesting that the PSL doesn’t have ballot access in California, yet they managed to field a candidate.
Meanwhile, the Greens, Libertarian, Peace & Freedom, and American Independent parties all have ballot access, yet they fielded no one.
If the PSL could do it, it should have been far easier for one of those ballot qualified parties. Yet they all sat on their hands. Oh well.
First on the ballot first served. So libs, if you want this ballot for PLAS you should beat her to the ballot! This is the rule. Deal with it.
TPR, ok. the psl doesn’t like libs. probably libs do not like psl. but this candidate, being the only progressive or libertarian on the ballot-or soon to be-has earned a PLAS effort.
The PSL hasn’t updated their VotePSL.com website yet to include this campaign.
The PSL doesn’t like libertarians, as well as conservatives and liberals (which they claim the later to be right-wing).
Wouldn’t it be a kick to see a lot of activists descend on Long Beach & upset the mayor!? Figuratively & literally! Including libertarians!
Go Merino and PSL!
We here at Third Party Revolution endorse Stevie Merino in her campaign for Mayor of Long Beach, California, along with many other third party and independent candidates seeking public offices nationwide, ranging from local to federal levels.