SOCIДLIST ШOЯКЗЯS PДЯTУ FILЭS

DA, IS PЯAVDA. GLOЯIФЦS SOCIДLIST ШOЯКЗЯS PДЯTУ PЯЭSIDЗИTIДL TICКЭT OЙ IOЩA ЬALLOT.

Just kidding with the font. The SWP is nyet the Яooskie kind of commies. According to the ever comprehensive and objective Ron Gunzburger of Politics1:

Since the 1980s, the SWP has drifted away from Trotskyism and moved towards the brand of authoritarian politics espoused by Cuban leader Fidel Castro's style of Marxism (the SWP sites calls Castro's Cuba "a shining example for all workers").

This is the fifth consecutive election that James Harris had been on the presidential ballot for the SWP in Iowa. He wasn't the official nominee in 2008, but the official candidate was not a native-born citizen so Harris was substituted in some states. I still want to see his long form birth certificate just in case.

The SWP also placed David Яosenfeld of Des Moines on the ballot today in the 3rd CD, where he's well positioned to claim the entire anti-incumbent vote against Leonard Boswell and Tom Latham.

SWP has long been very successful in qualifying for the ballot; given a choice most people would rather sign a petition than buy one of their "The Militant" papers. But as for actual results, Harris won just 292 votes statewide in 2008, good enough for seventh place of the nine candidates on the Iowa ballot (and probably below the scattered write ins for Ron Paul and Hillary Clinton).

Probably of more significance is the one legislative filing of the day. Dan Cahill, a sitting Des Moines County supervisor, filed as an independent in House District 87. Democrat Dennis Cohoon has held the seat since an `87 special and is running again; self-described "Libertarian Republican" Andrew Wilson has the GOP ballot line. Cahill was elected to the Board as a Democrat in 2008, pledging to serve only one term, and did not seek re-nomination in the June primary. Splitters!