1968 Peace and Freedom National Convention

1968 Peace and Freedom Eldridge Cleaver, from Black Panther newspaper, October 5 1968.png Presidential nominee (Cleaver) August 17–18, 1968 Ann Arbor, Michigan Eldridge Cleaver California no national nominee 1972 1 219 Eldridge Cleaver: 161.5Dick Gregory: 54 1968 Peace and Freedom National Convention was held August 17-18 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The convention nominated Eldridge Cleaver to be the party's presidential nominee, while leaving the vice presidential nomination up to each state party's independent determination (allowing state parties to nominate their own choices to appear for vice president on their state's ballots). Background The event was the first presidential nominating convention of the newly-founded Peace and Freedom Party. The party was strongly aligned with the opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Its opposition to the war was a key aspect of the party's identity. The party also aligned itself with more militant-leaning factions of the Black Power movement. Logistics Venue The convention was held August 17–18, 1968, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.Cleaver Picked at P&F Convention https://www.fifthestate.org/archive/61-sept-5-18-1968/cleaver-picked-at-pf-convention/ The Fifth Estate 61 May 25, 2026 September 1968 The convention was organized by the local group, Ann Arbor Citizens for New Politics. Delegate selection 219 delegates from 20 states attended the convention.Roessle Pat Militants Triumph In New U.S. Party https://www.newspapers.com/image/1178830746/ Newspapers.com subscription The Ann Arbor News June 2, 2026 15 August 19, 1968 On August 4, 1968, the California state party held state conventions at two locations to select its delegation. One convention being held in Los Angeles and another in San Francisco at the South San Francisco Opera House. More than 400 attended the San Francisco event. Both Eldridge Cleaver and Dick Gregory (each running for the nomination) spoke before both conventions, in hopes of having delegates backing their candidacy elected to the convention. California was allocate a total of 71 delegates to the national convention. At the state conventions, 44 delegates supporting Cleaver were elected, 22 supporting Gregory were elected, 3 supporting Eugene McCarthy were elected, and two uncommitted delegates were elected.Blakely Scott Cleaver Victory; Peace-Freedom Convention Vote https://www.newspapers.com/image/1240867930 Newspapers.com subscription San Francisco Chronicle May 25, 2026 9 August 5, 1968 This allocation was the outcome of preference voting for presidential candidates cast at the convention.result of the California convention preference voting was as follows: Cleaver 1,281 votes; Gregory 660 votes; McCarthy 80 votes; uncommitted 70 votes; 15 votes deemed "invalid" Hawaii's state party selected its delegates on August 11, the closing night of its state convention. The California Adult Authority (the California state criminal parole board) refused to grant Cleaver permission to leave California to speak at the Hawaii convention, so his wife, Kathleen Cleaver, spoke in his stead.Hunter Gene Peace, Freedom Party Launched Here https://www.newspapers.com/image/261081607 Newspapers.com subscription Honolulu Star-Advertiser June 2, 2026 August 10, 1968 Presidential nomination The convention nominated Cleaver to be the party's presidential nominee. Cleaver was regarded to be the more "militant" of contenders, between him and Gregory. Cleaver would be below the age of eligibility to serve as president if elected, which ultimately led California Secretary of State Frank M. Jordan to refuse to place him on that state's ballot,State Won't Put Cleaver On Ballot https://www.newspapers.com/image/1102848455 Newspapers.com subscription Vallejo Times-Herald The Associated Press June 2, 2026 13 August 22, 1968 with the party being left with only a vice presidential nominee on California's ballot as a result.PFP Presidential and VP Candidates, 1968-2024 https://www.peaceandfreedom.us/about-us/our-history/presidential-candidates PeaceAndFreedom.us June 2, 2026 Similarly, the party had only a vice presidential nominee on the Utah, and New York as well.Garst v. Lomenzo (N.Y. County Supm. Ct. 1968) 57 Misc.2d 1040, 294 N.Y.S.2d 33, aft'd (1968) 22 N.Y.2d 956, 242 N.E.2d 482, 295 N.Y.S.2d 330. The party was altogether excluded from the Hawaii ballot due to this.Jones v. Gill (1968) 50 Haw. 618, 446 P.2d 558 After losing out on the Peace and Freedom Party's nomination, Gregory created an offshoot "Peace Party" in which he ran for president, with Mark Lane as his vice presidential running mate.Carey Charles W. African-American Political Leaders 2014 Facts on File 116 Gregory's splinter candidacy was largely as a write-in candidate on ballots.West E. James Eldridge Cleaver and the Afterlives of 1968 - AAIHS https://www.aaihs.org/eldridge-cleaver-and-the-afterlives-of-1968/ Black Perspectives June 2, 2026 February 3, 2020 Cleaver was also backed by the Black Panther Party, and the Peace and Freedom convention supported the ten-point plan of the Black Panther Party.Bates Robert W. THE PROGRESSIVE LEGACIES FROM THE 1948 PROGRESSIVE PARTY AND THE 1968 PEACE AND FREEDOM PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59adf409cd39c3b55facd701/t/5d1404950f071b0001a969f6/1561592983011/CSULA+2019+Robert+Bates+Final+Paper+-+History+5940.pdf 21 June 2026 May 14, 2018 +Presidential ballotingCandidateVotes% Eldridge Cleaver 161.5 73.74 Dick Gregory 54 24.66 Eugene McCarthy 3 1.37 Benjamin Spock/Coretta Scott Kinghalf a vote was given in support of nominating a ticket with Spock and King for president and vice president 0.5 0.23 Totals 219 100 Vice presidential nomination deliberations 90 minutes of caucusing and an hour's debate was held at the convention, with Cleaver unsuccessfully seeking to have Youth International Party ("Yippies") leader Jerry Rubin nominated as his vice presidential running mate. The convention ultimately decided to leave vice presidential selection up to each state party's independent determination, allowing state parties to nominate different choices to be nominated for vice president on their state's ballots. The motion that was adopted for this was led by the convention's host group, the Ann Arbor Citizens for New Politics. The Michigan party quickly selected Larry Hochman (an associate professor of physics at Eastern Michigan University) as vice presidential nominee on its state state ballot. In California, the state party nominated Peggy Terry for vice president. In Utah, the state party nominated Corky Gonzales for vice president. In New York, the state party nominated Douglas Fitzgerald Dowd for vice president.Wells Tom The War Within: America's Battle Over Vietnam Berkeley University of California Press 1994 264 0-520-08367-9 https://archive.org/details/warwithin00tomw/page/264 Notes References Peace and Freedom National Convention Peace and Freedom Peace and Freedom National Convention Category:Organized events in Ann Arbor, Michigan Category:Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War Category:United States presidential nominating conventions in Michigan