Helen Halyard was a third-party candidate for President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 in the 1992 presidential election

United States presidential election, 1992

The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....

, representing the Socialist Equality Party (US)

Socialist Equality Party (US)

The Socialist Equality Party is a Trotskyist political party in the United States, one of several Socialist Equality Parties around the world affiliated to the International Committee of the Fourth International . The ICFI publishes daily news articles, perspectives and commentaries on the World...

, also called the Workers League. One of the relatively few African-American candidates to run for President, she had previously run twice as their vice-presidential candidate, as Edward Winn

Edward Winn

Edward Winn was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the 1984 and 1988 presidential elections, representing the Socialist Equality Party . In 1984 his running mate varied from state to state, being either Helen Halyard or Edward Bergonzi Edward Winn (February 12, 1937 —...

's running mate, also African-American.

She ran for the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from New York's 14th congressional district

New York's 14th congressional district

New York's 14th Congressional District is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City. It includes most of the East Side of Manhattan, all of Roosevelt Island and the neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City, and Sunnyside in Queens...

 in 1974, losing to Fred Richmond

Fred Richmond

Frederick William Richmond is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.-Biography:...

. In 1976 she ran for the House again, for New York's 19th congressional district

New York's 19th congressional district

United States House of Representatives, New York District 19 is located in the southern part of the state of New York. District 19 lies north of New York City and is composed of parts of Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Westchester Counties, in addition to the entirety of Putnam County.District 19...

, losing to incumbent Charles B. Rangel

Charles B. Rangel

Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1971. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the third-longest currently serving member of the House of Representatives. As its most senior member, he is also the Dean of New York's congressional delegation...

.

In 1982 she ran against and lost to incumbent Donald W. Riegle, Jr.

Donald W. Riegle, Jr.

Donald Wayne Riegle Jr. is an American politician from Michigan, who served for five terms as a Representative and for three terms as a Senator.-Early life:...

 for United States Senator from Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. She was the party's candidate for Vice President of the United States in 1984. She also ran for Mayor of Detroit in 1985 and 1989.

Living in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

 in 1988, she was then the chair of the party's presidential effort, having to lead a petition to get onto the ballot in Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

, and criticized Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...

's campaign. She ran again for Congress from Michigan in 1994, in which she was allowed into a debate with the major party candidates, winning 1,329 votes in the election and losing to Lynn N. Rivers

Lynn N. Rivers

Lynn Nancy Rivers is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Rivers was born in Au Gres, Michigan and graduated from Au Gres-Sims High School, Arenac County, in 1975. She received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1987 and a J.D. from Wayne State University in 1992...

 and again in 1996.

As a member of the editorial board of the party's website in 2002 she continued to criticize Jackson, as well as the Workers World Party

Workers World Party

Workers World Party is a far-left political party in the United States, founded in 1959 by a group led by Sam Marcy. Marcy and his followers split from the Socialist Workers Party in 1958 over a series of long-standing differences, among them Marcy's group's support for Henry A...

 for being in her opinion too close to the Democrats

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

. She was serving as the Assistant National Secretary of the party in 2008.