Warren Chester Martin, October 13, 1909 (Ogden, Kan.) - August 5, 1998 (Junction City, Kan.)
VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka National Prohibition Party) (1984)
Running mate with nominee: Earl F. Dodge (1932-2007)
Popular vote: 4,243 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
In a June 1983 convention described by one reporter as having a "prayer revival atmosphere," the Prohibition Party nominated Earl Dodge in the first of his many runs for President and Party stalwart 74-year old Warren C. Martin of Junction City, Kan. as the VP. Addressing his age, Martin quipped, "I'm old enough to have some horse sense, which they haven't had in Washington for 50 years."
Mostly operating out of his own pocket, Martin campaigned mainly in his home state which was considered a Prohibition Party stronghold in that era. He went from town to town in a pickup truck festooned with billboards where on the top sign his own name took first billing over that of Presidential candidate Dodge. When the amiable Stetson-wearing VP described the "un-Constitutional two-party monopoly" he said, "When you come down to it, there's only about four cents worth of difference between the two major parties." George Wallace in 1968 used to say there wasn't a "dime's worth of difference," so the gap between the Republicans and Democrats was apparently narrowing, which must have come as something of a shock to Reagan and Mondale volunteers.
Actually, alcohol aside, the 1984 Prohibition Party platform was more conservative and evangelical Christian than ever and not too far ahead of the Republican's ever-quickening stampede to the far Right under Reagan. Anti-abortion was brought up as an issue more than once in the course of the Dodge/Martin electioneering.
Dodge suffered a mild heart attack on Jan. 3, 1984 but apparently recovered enough to continue the campaign. As a probable testimony to Martin's time and energy shaking hands and visiting editorial offices on his home turf, Kansas gave the ticket the highest popular vote percentage of any state.
On the ballot in five states, they finished with a very dismal 0.00% nationally. It was their worst showing in their long history up to that time, but wait, there's more!-- it will sink even lower as the future unfolds. Their popular vote percentages: Kansas 0.21%, Arkansas 0.10%, Colorado and North Dakota 0.07% each, and New Mexico 0.04%.
Election history:
1952 - Geary County? Commission (Kan.) (Prohibition Party?) - defeated
1954 - Kansas State Printer (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1956 - Kansas State Treasurer (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1958 - Governor of Kansas (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1964 - Kansas Attorney General (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1978 - Lt. Governor of Kansas (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1982 - Governor of Kansas (Prohibition Party) - defeated
Other occupations: variety store manager, rancher, Kansas State Parole Board
Buried: Milford Cemetery (Milford, Kan.)
Notes:
From his obituary: "He and Harry O. Lytle were appointed minority party members of the Kansas
State Parole Board in 1959 by Democratic governor George Docking, as a deliberate snub to the
Republicans."
Methodist.
One of his opponents in the 1978 race was Marian Ruck Jackson.
Member of Gideons International and the Wycliffe Bible Translators Association.
Lived in Oklahoma in 1940.
Formerly a Republican.
