Linda Jenness

Linda Jenness (born January 11, 1941)^[1] is a former Socialist Workers Party candidate for president of the United States. She was the party's nominee in the 1972 election. She received 83,380 votes (vs. 47,169,911 for Richard Nixon), making her the 4th most voted for candidate.^{[note 1][2]}

Jenness was the party's candidate for Governor of Georgia in 1970. She did not get on the ballot because she could not collect the required 88,175 signatures. Jenness, the SWP and two congressional candidates of the party brought a lawsuit, Jenness v. Fortson, 403 U.S. 431 (1971), regarding Georgia's ballot access standards, a case about which an SWP supporter of the has said it "continues to haunt the jurisprudence of ballot access law" (Raskin 2003, page 103).

She was also involved in the case 26 F.C.C.2d 485 (1970), regarding media coverage of third-party candidates.

In 1972, Jenness, vice presidential candidate Andrew Pulley, and People's Party candidates Benjamin Spock and Julius Hobson wrote to Major General Bert A. David, commanding officer of Fort Dix in New Jersey, asking for permission to distribute campaign literature and to hold an election-related campaign meeting. Based on Fort Dix regulations 210-26 and 210–27, David refused the request. Ultimately the case made its way to the United States Supreme Court (424 U.S. 828—Greer, Commander, Fort Dix Military Reservation, et al., v. Spock et al., which ruled against the plaintiffs).

Aged 31 at time of the election, she did not meet the Constitutional age requirement for the presidency, but the SWP was on the ballot in 25 states—six more than in 1968. She qualified for the Ohio ballot but was removed when she could not prove she was 35.^[3]

As of 2010, Jenness was still an active supporter of the SWP.^[4] She is also a feminist. In the April 27, 1973, issue of The Militant, she wrote that feminism "is where women are out fighting for things that are in their interest. Feminism is wherever women are challenging the traditional roles assigned to them."^[5]

Jenness has authored several books and pamphlets, or provided introductions. Some of these are:

• Jenness, Linda, and Fidel Castro (1970). Woman & The Cuban Revolution New York: Pathfinder Press.
• Jenness, Linda (1972). Socialism and democracy; a speech by Linda Jenness, Socialist Workers Party candidate for president, 1972. New York: Pathfinder Press ISBN 0-87348-280-8
• Jenness, Linda (1973). Feminism and Socialism. New York: Pathfinder Press ISBN 1-199-12398-6
• Jenness, Linda, and Andrew Pulley (1973). Introduction to Watergate: The View from the Left - Unpublicized Facts About Government Attacks on Dissenters and the Socialists; Strategy for Fighting Back New York: Pathfinder Press
• Jenness, Linda (1975). Last Hired, First Fired: Affirmative Action VS. Seniority

• List of female United States presidential and vice presidential candidates

• Interview in The Libertarian Forum 4, no. 12 (December 1972; mislabelled no. 10) (.pdf)
• Raskin, Jamin (2003). Overruling Democracy; The Supreme Court Versus the American People.
• 424 U.S. 828 -- Greer, Commander, Fort Dix Military Reservation, et al., v. Spock et al.
• Results, 1972 American Presidential Election