Eugene Debs: The Revolutionary Campaign from Behind Bars
With the indictment of former President Donald J Trump on federal felony charges in June 2023, many people have been asking whether or not he can continue campaigning while under indictment, on trial, or even from jail if he was convicted. The answer is that no law prevents him from continuing his campaign. In the event that he was sentenced to prison and serving a jail term, he could be elected President. He could not vote for himself, but he could pardon himself if elected!
Amazingly, there is a precedent for a candidate running for President while in jail!
The Precedent
Eugene Debs, the candidate of the Socialist Party, made history by running for 
President from a jail cell in 1920. Despite being incarcerated for violating the Espionage Act for his anti-war activism during World War I, Debs embarked on an unprecedented campaign that captivated the nation. He came in third, gaining a whopping 3.4% of the popular vote – a high total by a third-party candidate.
The Candidate
Debs was born in 1855 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was a prominent American labor leader, socialist, and advocate for workers’ rights. Growing up in a working-class family, Debs witnessed firsthand the struggles and injustices faced by laborers. He co-founded the American Railway Union and played a pivotal role in the Pullman Strike of 1894, fighting for fair wages and improved working conditions. Debs became increasingly critical of the capitalist system. Influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx, he came to believe that fundamental change was necessary to improve their lives. As a result, he became a Socialist.
Debs ran for President multiple times, representing the Socialist Party of America. His first campaign occurred in 1900, where he garnered approximately 87,000 votes. He continued his presidential bids in subsequent elections. In 1904, he received over 400,000 votes, followed by around 402,000 in 1908. Debs’ popularity soared in the 1912 election when he took a strong anti-war position. He won 6% of the U.S. vote.
In 1918, the government convicted Debs under the Espionage Act for delivering an anti-war speech, which the government deemed to obstruct military recruitment efforts and encourage disloyalty. Debs received a sentence of ten years in federal prison.
Running For President While In Jail – Eugene Debs 1920
Despite his incarceration, Debs believed his campaign would not only raise awareness about socialism but also challenge the prevailing political system and its treatment of 
the working class. He promised to pardon himself if elected!
Running a campaign from a jail cell presented numerous challenges, but Debs and his supporters were determined to make their message heard. Debs communicated through letters, smuggled speeches, and interviews with journalists who visited him in prison. His campaign managers coordinated rallies, distributed campaign literature, and organized volunteers across the country to promote Debs’ platform of economic justice, workers’ rights, and opposition to war.
Debs’ unconventional campaign had a profound impact on American politics. It sparked nationwide debates about free speech, civil liberties, and the treatment of political dissidents. The government’s harsh response to Debs’ anti-war stance and his subsequent candidacy brought attention to issues of social justice, inequality, and the role of government in protecting individual rights.
Election Results:
Republican Warren G. Harding won the election in a landslide. Eugene Debs and the Socialist Party of America achieved a significant feat by amassing close to 1 million votes, equivalent to approximately 3.4% of the popular vote.
Showing compassion, Harding commuted Debs’ sentence to time served, leading to his release on Christmas Day in 1921. This act of kindness recognized Debs’ declining health. It served as an act of healing for the nation. Although he did not win any electoral votes, he set a precedent for running for President from jail!
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