Scott Nelson Bradley, September 13, 1951 (American Fork, Utah) -
VP candidate for Constitution Party (aka American Constitution Party aka Independent aka US Taxpayers Party aka Independent American Party) (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Darrell Lane Castle (b. 1948)
Popular vote: 203,107 (0.15%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
In a convention process that apparently created division and rancor, the Constitution Party nominated their 2008 VP candidate for President in 2016. Darrell Castle's running-mate was Scott N. Bradley of Utah.
Among the many factors that tore the Party asunder was Castle's own on-off-on again availability. He was one of the contenders early in the game, but withdrew for health reasons. After his healing had taken place, he was willing to be back in the arena.
Idaho walked out and nominated their own Constitution Party ticket of Arlon Scott Copeland and John Richard "J.R." Myers, but Castle and Bradley managed to also be listed in the Spud State under the banner of "Independent."
Castle told one reporter: "This isn't the first time I've done this, but in all my time with the party, there has never been a political opportunity like this moment. I don't say this to be egotistical; I say this to be honest — this is the best two candidates for the Constitution Party that we've ever had. Scott and I understand the principles and can communicate them effectively. These two people that represent the Democratic and the Republican parties don't even have principles ... The problem with America is the same problem facing the rest of the world, and that can be summed up in two words: human nature. The Founders understood human nature. They understood that people are wicked by nature, and that wickedness has to be restrained. The states came together to form a contract, a compact, a written Constitution, to give the government 17 enumerated powers. It is the abuse of that power that has caused the problems we face today. Power itself has got to be limited, or it will burst its chains and terrible things will happen, and it's happening now everywhere we look."
At first blush the CP stand on the issues did not seem to be that far removed from the Republicans. If anything, the Trump Party appeared to have co-opted, at least in their rhetoric, much of the long-standing CP platform of theocracy, isolationism, and deregulation. One wonders why the CP did not endorse the Republican nominee. 2012 Constitution Party Presidential candidate Virgil Goode actually did just that.
But Bradley, himself a former Republican, told a reporter in May 2016, "It's an interesting phenomenon. People say to me a vote for a third party is a wasted vote, but you can look back at the track records of the two major political parties and see they're taking us down the same paths. It's really amazing to me that people say to me you have to vote for the lesser of two evils. I consider them to be the evil of two lessers."
The Castle/Bradley ticket finished in 6th place nationally with the highest number of popular votes to date in their Presidential election history. Some pundits felt that both the Libertarian and Constitution parties were beneficiaries of "Never-Trump" conservatives in 2016. They were on the ballot in 24 states and registered as write-ins in 17 more. They also cracked 1% a few times, with their strongest results in Alaska 1.21%, South Dakota 1.10%, Hawaii 1.03%, Wyoming 0.79%, Utah 0.71%, Idaho 0.64%, North Dakota-Washington-West Virginia 0.53% each.
Election history:
2006 - US Senate (Utah) (Constitution Party) - defeated
2008 - Constitution Party nomination for Vice-President - defeated
2010 - US Senate (Utah) (Constitution Party) - defeated
Other occupations: Utah Air National Guard, LDS missionary, executive at AT&T, administrator at Utah State University, Founder and Chairman of the Constitution Commemoration Foundation, author, lecturer
Notes:
Winner of the 2006 election was Orrin Hatch.
