 This departure proved to be short-lived, however, as Streiff and Buickerood transferred their allegiance to right wing populist William Lemke in the 1936 Presidential election and the SPO returned to the national Socialist Party of America following the election of Don Sweetland of Portland as State Secretary at the 1936 State Convention and Monroe Sweetland as State Chairman.The party lost the ability to place candidates on the ballot as "Socialist Party" candidates in the 1940s.Norman Thomas ran for president variously as an 'independent' or as an 'Independent Socialist Principles' in the 1940s.