Mimi Soltysik

Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik (/ˌsɒlˈtɪsɪk/ soll-TISS-ik;[1] October 30, 1974 – June 28, 2020) was an American socialist political activist for the Socialist Party USA. He was the party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election alongside Angela Nicole Walker, who was the party's vice-presidential nominee.

Mimi Soltysik
National Co-Chair of the
Socialist Party USA
In office
October 26, 2013 – October 18, 2015
Serving with Stephanie Cholensky
Preceded byBilly Wharton
Succeeded byPat Noble
National Vice Chair of the
Socialist Party USA
In office
October 15, 2011 – October 26, 2013
Serving with Stephanie Gussin
Preceded byJim Sanders
Succeeded byJohn Strinka
State Chair of the
Socialist Party of California
In office
June 25, 2011 – February 1, 2017
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byLynn Lomibao & Amanda Riggle (as State Co-Chairs)
Personal details
Born
Emidio Soltysik

(1974-10-30)October 30, 1974
Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJune 28, 2020(2020-06-28) (aged 45)
California, U.S.
Political partySocialist
SpouseLynn Lomibao
Alma materTroy University
OccupationPolitical activist

From October 2013 to October 2015, Soltysik served as national co-chair of the Socialist Party USA. Prior to that, he served as national vice chair from 2011 to 2013. Soltysik also served as state chair of the Socialist Party of California from its chartering in 2011 to 2017.

Personal life

Emidio Soltysik was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. After high school, Soltysik became a professional musician until his mid-thirties.[2] Speaking of that period, he said in an interview: "I was incredibly self destructive, self absorbed, and almost entirely focused on instant gratification. By the time I reached my early 30s, I felt as if I had bottomed out. Substance abuse had taken a heavy toll on my health, both physically and mentally, and I found myself in a position where I was essentially starting from scratch."[3]

Soltysik then returned to higher education and graduated from Troy University and then went on to earn an MPA degree at California State University, Northridge.[4] He later said "I came to the conclusion that, if the first half of my life was spent tearing humanity down, the second half of my life would be dedicated to making a substantive difference." On June 28, 2020, Soltysik died after a prolonged struggle with liver cancer.[5]

Political career

Soltysik was elected as the male co-chair of the Socialist Party USA for the 2013–2015 term at the party's 2013 national convention.[6] He was also the chair of the Socialist Party of California.[7]

In 2014, Soltysik was one of eight candidates in the primary for California's 62nd State Assembly district.[8] Under California's nonpartisan blanket primary system, the top two candidates from the primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election.[8] Soltysik finished in 7th place with 2.5% of the vote.[9]

In October 2015, Soltysik filed a Federal lawsuit[10] against the California Secretary of State because he had been required to list "Party Preference: None" on the 2014 primary ballot; the California election law allows candidates to list only a party preference of a qualified party or "None" on the ballot, and the Socialist Party was not a qualified party in California.[11]

2016 presidential campaign
Main article: Mimi Soltysik 2016 presidential campaign

On October 17, 2015, the Socialist Party USA's national convention nominated Soltysik for president and Angela Nicole Walker for vice president.[12] The party did not have automatic ballot access in any state.[13]

Soltysik has been interviewed about socialist issues by web sites including MTV Hive[14] and Bloomberg Politics.[15]

Soltysik has been interviewed regarding his presidential bid in a number of outlets, including the Independent Voter Network,[16] The North Star[17] and the Hampton Institute.[18]

In April 2016, Soltysik was interviewed on CNBC regarding growing support for socialism in the United States.[19]

The Soltysik/Walker ticket received 2,704 total votes including write-ins.[20] He also won 4.2% of the vote in concurrent Guam's presidential straw poll. However, Guam has no representation in the Electoral College as it is a territory and not a state.

References
  1. "Protect the Slangaroo: SPUSA 2016 Presidential Candidate Mimi Soltysik Speaks about the Slangaroo". YouTube. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  2. "An Interview With Mimi Soltysik, 1974-2020". Common Dreams. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  3. "Interview with Mimi Soltysik, Candidate for the Socialist Party Nomination for President - New Politics". newpol.org. Hampton Institute.
  4. "Mimi for California State Assembly, 62nd District". 14 January 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  5. Winger, Richard (June 28, 2020). "Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik Dies". Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  6. "2013 Socialist Party USA National Convention". Socialist Party USA. Archived from the original on 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  7. "Ready to Kick Ass?". Socialist Party of California. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  8. Dryden, Carley (2014-06-01). "Eight candidates vying for Steven Bradford's 62nd Assembly District seat". Daily Breeze. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  9. "Statewide Direct Primary Election - Statement of Vote, June 3, 2014: State Assemblymember by District" (PDF). California Secretary of State. p. 99. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  10. Complaint, Soltysik v. Padilla Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, No. 2:15-cv-7916 (C.D. Cal. filed Oct. 8, 2015).
  11. Winger, Richard (2015-10-08). "Two Socialist Party Candidates Sue California to Have Party Label on Ballot". Ballot Access News. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  12. Winger, Richard (2015-10-17). "Socialist Party National Ticket Nominated". Ballot Access News. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  13. Winger, Richard (2015-08-07). "Socialist Party Sets National Convention". Ballot Access News. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  14. Spitznagel, Eric (2013-02-26). "How Some Hate Mail Led Me Down the Socialist Musician Wormhole". MTV Hive. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  15. Kapur, Sahil (2015-05-06). "America's Socialists Say Bernie Sanders Can Advance Their Cause". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  16. Segneri, AJ (February 15, 2016). "Interview: Bernie Sanders Isn't The Only 'Socialist' Running for President". Independent Voter Network. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  17. Hasoni, Curtis (February 16, 2016). "The North Star interviews Mimi Soltysik, 2016 SPUSA candidate for POTUS". The North Star. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  18. Douglas-Bowers, Devon (July 30, 2015). "Socialism and Electoral Politics in the US: An Interview with Mimi Soltysik I The Hampton Institute". The Hampton Institute. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  19. "Why is there a growing support for socialism?". CNBC. April 14, 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  20. "2016 Presidential General Election Results". US Election Atlas. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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