In 2011, no party with “Socialist” in its name placed any nominees on the ballot in any state for any regularly-scheduled federal or state elections. This was the first calendar year since 1886 for which that statement was true. However, there were Socialist Workers Party, and Socialist Party, nominees on the ballot in 2011 for a few elections for local office, and also the SWP had a nominee on the ballot in a 2011 New York special U.S. House election.

Usually, in odd years, either the Socialist Party, or the Socialist Workers Party, places nominees on the ballot in New Jersey for state office. New Jersey elects all its state offices in odd years, and has easy ballot access. But in 2011, neither party got on the ballot for state office in that state. Other states with odd year elections for state office are Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The first state to have candidates from a party with the word “Socialist” in its name was Ohio, where the Socialist Labor Party ran a slate of statewide offices in 1877.

On November 8, 2011, New Jersey held elections for legislature. In the 24th legislative district, Constitution Party nominee Rose Anne Salanitri polled 10.2% of the total vote cast, even though she had opponents from both major parties. Here is her campaign web page, which says she is a Constitution Party nominee. She is somewhat well-known for having launched a campaign to recall U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. Her ballot label was not “Constitution”, but “Tea Party Proud.”

Generally, minor parties candidates in New Jersey poll rather small percentages of the vote, because in almost all counties, all candidates who aren’t Democrats and Republicans are put in a far right-hand column on the ballot under the uninspiring ballot heading, “By petition.”

The 24th district is in Sussex County, in north rural New Jersey.

Wall Street Journal reporter Neil King, Jr., has this essay on the chances for a strong presidential candidate in 2012 who runs outside the two major parties.

If you click the link and only the first paragraph is visible, try going to news.google.com and inserting “Two-Party System Begs for a Third”. That will probably produce the entire article.