On Sunday, June 28, Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik died. He had been the Socialist Party’s presidential nominee in 2016. Also, he was the candidate-plaintiff in a lawsuit against the California law that won’t let members of unqualified parties have their “party preference” on the ballot for congress and partisan state office. He basically won the lawsuit in the Ninth Circuit. The panel did not strike down the law, but sent it back to the U.S. District Court for a trial. But he had to dismiss the lawsuit at that point because of his debilitating liver cancer.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
RIP Mimi.
Because Howie Hawkins has the GP as well as SPUSA nods, such a suit is moot for this election, right?
RIP
How many YEARS ago was the case started ???
IE – justice delayed = NOOO justice for EMS.
On the non-political side, I’m glad that he got over his younger life personal issues, which may have, from what I’ve read elsewhere and read between the lines, included IV drug addiction and or alcoholism. If I’m reading correctly, glad he got and stayed clean, but sorry that that past may have led to his liver cancer.
The lawsuit had nothing to do with presidential elections. It had to do with elections for congress and partisan state office. He was a legislative candidate in 2014, when the case was filed. The state insisted on printing “party preference: none” on the primary ballot instead of “party preference: Socialist.”
Ahh, didn’t know that. Just saw “2016,” and since he was running for prez that year, assumed it was associated with that.
I met Mimi when i was in Socialist Party. He was a wonderful man, someone with a warm heart and a razor sharp wit, who would not stand for injustice, and was always there for his friends and comrades. My heart is broken to hear that he has passed, but I am glad that he is no longer suffering. I hope his wife is alright.