Herbert William Titus, October 17, 1937 (Baker City, Ore.) -
VP candidate for US Taxpayers Party (aka Independent aka American Independent Party aka American Constitution Party aka Taxpayers Party aka Independent American Party aka Right to Life Party aka US Taxpayer Party) (1996)
Running mate with nominee: Howard Jay Phillips (1941-2013)
Popular vote: 128,310 (0.13%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
The 1996 Presidential campaign for the US Taxpayers Party really begins with columnist, pundit, and speechwriter Pat Buchanan's bid for the Republican nomination. His surprisingly popular insurgent effort sounded the call for the forces of the rapidly growing hard Right and evangelical wings of the Republican Party. He called them his "Pitchfork Army" in the best of Populist demagogue traditions. Some of his critics called him "David Duke without the sheets" but the US Taxpayers Party really wanted Buchanan on their ticket and made no secret about it.
Howard Phillips, who basically was the US Taxpayers Party and had been the first Presidential nominee of the new party in 1992, watched as Buchanan gave Sen. Bob Dole a big scare early in the season but then bombed out on Super Tuesday in Mar. 1996 and suspended his campaign. This made Buchanan a free agent in the eyes of Phillips, who told a reporter, "My first choice is Pat Buchanan as an active candidate. My second choice is Pat Buchanan as an inactive candidate." The plan, if Buchanan was tied up, was to run someone else for President and still electioneer as the Party of Buchanan. Then, after they won the election, instruct the Electors to brush aside whatever name was officially in the ballot and cast their lots for Pat Buchanan.
For his part, Buchanan was playing coy and openly considered running in the third party if they gained ballot access in all 50 states (they didn't make it). He used that leverage to influence the Republican ticket, saying if Dole did not select a strong pro-life running-mate, then maybe a Party of Buchanan wouldn't be such a bad idea. Dole's subsequent selection of Rep. Jack Kemp was apparently sufficient and Buchanan came on board and endorsed the Republican ticket. So that was the end of that.
So once again the new party turned to Howard Phillips as the Presidential nominee. It would be the second of three runs for him. He described his long range plans for the US Taxpayers Party: "Our main constituencies are pro-lifers, home-schoolers and those concerned with the expansion of government. We want to establish a firm enough position so that as the Republican Party dissolves, as I believe it will, ours will be seen as an alternative."
Platform issues included: Balancing the Federal budget "immediately" -- abolishing the IRS, Dept. of Education, NEA, HUD, ATF, CIA -- Pull the US out of the UN, NATO, NAFTA, GATT -- Impose a moratorium on immigration -- Oppose abortion -- Support states' rights
Phillips opposed what he called the "Satanzation of America." He wrote, "The goal of the New World Order is to remove God from His throne and replace Him with power-seekers who desire not freedom UNDER God, but freedom FROM GOD." He also said, "My comprehensive object is to restore American jurisprudence to its biblical presuppositions and the federal government to its constitutional boundaries."
The campaign had some support from other third parties. The American Independent Party in California had become an affiliate and would remain so for the next decade. The Right to Life in New York, which had endorsed the Republicans in 1992, backed Phillips in 1996. The Concerned Citizens Party, based in Connecticut, signed on as well.
The US Taxpayers Party drafted Herbert W. Titus as the VP in 1996, but Phillips was on the ballot with four other running-mates as well, all considered stand-ins: Albion Knight his 1992 running-mate was on the ballot in Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia -- Joseph A. Zdonczyk in Connecticut and Illinois -- Samuel Blumenfeld in Kentucky -- and Robert J. Meucci Sr. in Mississippi. In Arizona no VP was listed.
At one time he was a Leftist who opposed the Vietnam War, supported abortion and Gay Rights, and worked for the ACLU. Then as a result of an apparent family crisis, Titus made a dramatic conversion to Christ in the last weekend of July 1975. From that point onward this attorney only saw the law through a theocratic lens. He left his mainstream tenured law professor position at the University of Oregon and signed to teach at Oral Roberts University. After a few years of that he moved over to become the dean of the law school that became Regent University, which operated under the eye of none other than Pat Robertson.
Two factoids here before I continue. Titus was born in Oregon, so add that to my PNW trivia list. Second, Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson himself was a third party Vice-Presidential candidate, in 1992 with Billy Joe Clegg in the Loyal USA Party-- although Pat probably did not give his permission to be on the ticket.
Onward.
In the previous two or so years leading up to the 1996 election, Titus had made headlines for being forced out of his job at Regent University which sparked protests from students and faculty alike. On the administration/Robertson side, it was said Titus was "too radical" [!!!], an autocrat in the classroom who had a low tolerance for free discussion and that his extremist reputation and presence might hurt the school's chances of being accredited. On the Titus side, he said he was defamed by being portrayed as a white supremacist, conspired against, and had is professional life wrecked. Titus filed a suit for $12.5 million. Robertson and company settled out of court a day before the trial was set, during the heat of the election in Aug. 1996. How much of this Right wing Christian in-house cause célèbre was a factor in Titus' selection as a running-mate I do not know and cannot guess.
Phillips and Titus were both residents of Virginia, which would have posed a Constitutional entanglement in the event of their victory.
Phillips won 184,820 popular votes (0.19%). About two thirds of that was with Titus. On the ballot in 27 states the Phillips/Titus ticket had their strongest showings in: Missouri 0.53%, Idaho 0.45%, Wisconsin 0.40%, Utah 0.39%, Alaska 0.38%, Nevada and New York 0.37% each, Kansas 0.33%, Nebraska 0.28%, New Hampshire 0.27%, Rhode Island 0.26%, Maine and Oregon 0.25% each.
Election history:
1999 - Constitution Party nomination for President - defeated
Other occupations: attorney, author, Special Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, law professor, regional director with the American Civil Liberties Union, radio host
Notes:
If Titus had won the 1999 Constitution Party Presidential nomination, his choice for a potential
running-mate was reported to have been [Washington State trivia alert!!!] Ellen Craswell.
"God is the source of law and liberty. If there is no law, there is no liberty."--Herbert Titus.
Drafted the Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 with Alabama Judge Roy Moore.
