The Working Class Party (WCP) is a left-wing political party in the United States, based in Detroit, Michigan. WCP first gained ballot access in 2016. WCP supports progressive, pro-labor and socialist policies and candidates.
The party was created by Trotskyist newspaper The Spark and its supporters, which continues to endorse the party.
History From 2011 to 2013, The Spark conducted a campaign to encourage the working class to organize independent of the Democratic Party. In 2014, five people active in that campaign ran for office as Independent candidates. Four candidates lost. David Roehrig won his campaign for Wayne County Community College Trustee, due to his only opponent (the Democratic incumbent) being disqualified before the election.
In 2016, several dozen WCP volunteers turned in more than 50,000 signatures, above the required 31,566, which enabled WCP candidates to appear as party candidates on Michigan ballots.
In 2016, Mary Anne Hering won enough votes for Board of Education for WCP to keep ballot access in the 2018 Michigan elections.
Ideology The WCP argues that neither major party represents the interests of the working class, because both the Democrats and the Republicans are controlled by the financial elite. In the WCP's party program, it supports a living wage tied to inflation and full employment through reductions in working time. The WCP holds that the working class "won't change our situation with an election", but can "use this election to say there are [...] tens of thousands of people who agree with this program for the crisis".
Election results The WCP has fielded electoral candidates in the United States for local, state, and federal offices. WCP candidates usually run as official WCP candidates on their own ballot line.
No WCP candidate has yet won a contested election, however one WCP candidate won an uncontested election for the Wayne County Community College Board in 2014.
As of November 2022, the party has ballot access in Illinois, Maryland, and Michigan. As of August 2026, 5,207 voters were affiliated with the WCP in Maryland.
Congressional elections Year Candidate Chamber State District Votes % Result Notes Ref2024Ed HersheyHouseIllinois4th10,704 Lost2024Simone R. ColemanHouseMichigan13th13,367 Lost2024Gary WalkowiczHouseMichigan12th9,401 Lost2024Andrea L. KirbyHouseMichigan10th11,162 Lost2024Jim WalkowiczHouseMichigan9th12,169 Lost2024Kathy GoodwinHouseMichigan8th8,492 Lost2024Louis PalusHouseMichigan3rd5,546 Lost2024Liz HakolaHouseMichigan1st8,497 Lost 2024 Juan Rey House California 37th44,450 Lost General Election 2024 Juan Rey House California 37th 8,910 Nonpartisan blanket primary 2022 Simone R. Coleman House Michigan 13th 8,811 Lost 2022 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 8,046 Lost 2022 Andrea L. Kirby House Michigan 10th 5,905 Lost 2022 Jim Walkowicz House Michigan 9th 6,570 Lost 2022 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 8th 9,077 Lost 2022 Louis Palus House Michigan 3rd 4,192 Lost 2022 Liz Hakola House Michigan 1st 5,480 Lost 2022 Ed Hershey House Illinois 4th 4,503 Lost 2020 Philip Kolody House Michigan 14th 2,534 Lost 2020 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 5,284 Lost 2020 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 11,147 Lost 2020 Andrea Kirby House Michigan 9th 8,970 Lost 2020 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 5th 8,180 Lost 2018 Philip Kolody House Michigan 14th 4,761 Lost 2018 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 22,186 Lost 2018 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 6,712 Lost 2018 Andrea Kirby House Michigan 9th 6,797 Lost 2018 Kathy Goodwin House Michigan 5th 12,646 Lost 2018 Juan Rey House California 29th 944 Lost Nonpartisan blanket primary 2016 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 8,835 Lost 2016 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 9,183 Lost 2014 Gary Walkowicz House Michigan 12th 5,039 Lost 2014 Sam Johnson House Michigan 13th 3,466 Lost
Statewide elections Year Candidate Office State District Votes % Result Notes Ref 2024 Suzanne Roehrig Wayne State University Board of Governors Michigan At-Large 180,581 Lost 2024 Mary Ann Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 234,584 Lost 2022 Mary Anne Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 135,442 Lost 2022 David Harding Governor Maryland At-Large 17,154 Lost 2020 Mary Anne Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 147,345 Lost 2020 Hali McEachern Board of Education Michigan At-Large 82,700 Lost 2018 Mary Anne Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 125,693 Lost 2018 Logan Smith Board of Education Michigan At-Large 91,077 Lost 2016 Mary Anne Hering Board of Education Michigan At-Large 224,392 Lost
State legislature elections Year Candidate Office State District Votes % Result Notes Ref 2024 Linda Green Harris House Michigan 16th district 2,050 Lost 2024 Hashim Malik Bakari House Michigan 13th district 1,430 Lost 2024 Logan Ausherman House Michigan 8th district 1,402 Lost 2024 Linda Rayburn House Michigan 7th district 1,740 Lost 2024 Larry Darnell Betts House Michigan 3rd district 1,112 Lost 2024 Mark DaSacco House Michigan 2nd district 2,450 Lost 2022 Kimberly Givens Senate Michigan 6th district 3,396 Lost 2022 Linda Rayburn Senate Michigan 3rd district 10,214 Lost 2022 Larry Darnell Betts Senate Michigan 2nd district 1,636 Lost 2020 Louis Palus House Michigan 75th district 1,234 Lost 2020 Larry Darnell Betts House Michigan 15th district 970 Lost 2020 Simone R. Coleman House Michigan 14th district 1,937 Lost 2020 Kimberly Givens House Michigan 7th district 1,224 Lost 2020 Linda Rayburn House Michigan 4th district 1,023 Lost 2018 Louis Palus Senate Michigan 29th district 1,445 Lost 2018 Thomas Repasky Senate Michigan 18th district 2,954 Lost 2018 Larry Betts Senate Michigan 5th district 3,944 Lost 2018 Hali McEachern Senate Michigan 3rd district 2,095 Lost
Local elections Year Candidate Office Area District Votes % Result Notes Ref 2020 David Harding Mayor Baltimore, MD At-Large 3,973 Lost 2016 David Harding Baltimore City Council Baltimore 14th district 1,426 Lost 2015 Ed Hershey City Council Chicago 25th ward 614 Lost 2014 Mary Anne Hering School Board Dearborn, MI At-Large 5,153 Lost 3 seats to be filled 2014 Kenneth Jannot School Board Dearborn, MI At-Large 2,431 Lost 3 seats to be filled 2014 David A. Roehrig Community College Board Wayne County, MI 2nd 15,661 Won ran unopposed
See also The Spark (US Trotskyist group associated with the Lutte Ouvrière tendency)
References
External links Spark's homepage