Leroy John Pletten

Leroy John Pletten, November 29, 1946 (Tyler, Minn.) - April 23, 2015 (Tracy, Minn.)

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka Concerns of People) (2004)
VP candidate for Prohibition Party (2008)

Running mate with nominee (2004, 2008): Gene C. Amondson (1943-2009)
Popular vote (2004): 1,944 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2008): 655 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2008): 0/538

The campaign (2004):

2004 was one of the more interesting election years for the Prohibition Party. It all came down to personality as the Party experienced a serious public schism that was a long time coming. Some of the details and exact sequence of events have differing and conflicting accounts, so I will tread carefully here.

The figure at the center of the controversy was Earl Dodge. He had been the Party's VP nominee in 1976 and 1980, and the Presidential nominee since 1984. Whether Dodge had kept the flame barely alive when it otherwise would have been extinguished, or ran the Party into the ground with the worst showing in their entire history in 2000 through self-serving behavior will forever be a topic of debate. In that year he barely overcame a challenge for the nomination.

In addition to being a lackluster vote-getter, Dodge was accused of running a nontransparent, secret personality-driven operation and, according to one news report of "inadequate accounting and even thievery."

In the summer of 2003, the timing being the traditional quadrennial time the Prohibition Party meets to nominate their national candidates, Dodge held what today's official Party webpage calls "A private, invitational conference of (some) Prohibition National Committeemen" held in Dodge's living room in Denver. Media reports said only 8 or 9 people were present, including Dodge and two of his daughters.

The running-mate selected was Texas attorney Howard Lydick, a 73-year old heart transplant recipient and lifelong Republican until he joined the Prohibition Party in 1995.

The reformers in the Party rejected the Dodge nomination and when they subsequently met in Fairfield Glade, Tenn. they considered themselves the true and official deal and the Dodge faction to be invalid. They nominated Gene C. Amondson for President with Leroy John Pletten of Michigan as the VP. Some accounts say they attempted to pacify Dodge by awarding him with a "chairman emeritus" title and offering to make Lydick the official running-mate. But it didn't take. Lydick proved himself to be solidly in the Loyalist faction when he said he would not run with anyone but Dodge.

Dodge himself dismissed the Reformer faction, "It's not a split from our party. It's just a couple of people. Sort of like a flea on an elephant that's trying to use our name to get some attention." He also said the publicity garnered by the internal conflict generated more attention  than usual for the Party and he deemed that a positive thing.

Amondson was an evangelical preacher and anti-alcohol activist who was a product of rural (Washington State trivia alert!!!) Lewis County, Wash. I talked with him in a lively telephone interview in May, 2007 -- https://thirdpartysecondbananas.blogspot.com/2019/05/loggers-dont-mind-good-fight-gene.html -- and as I pointed out in the resulting article:

He is probably the only person running for President who dresses up as the Grim Reaper to make a political point, whether it is picketing a winery or just walking in front of bars with a bottle in hand asking tavern customers, “Still drinkin’ this stuff?”

Amondson also had something of a career giving presentations as he impersonated the famous preacher Billy Sunday. He seemed to be a controversial character on affluent Vashon Island and one his neighbors told me he was considered by locals to be totally crazy. But boring he wasn't.

Pletten was regarded by the press and by some in his own party, as an opinionated "hairsplitter" with a low tolerance for ambiguity but essentially a decent person. He had once been a whistleblower while a civilian employee of the US Army which was said to have ended his career there. In addition to opposing alcohol he was also an activist against tobacco use. He was rapidly anti-Dodge. In talking with Amondson I had the impression he felt some empathy for Dodge's "sad situation," but Pletten's published remarks were in the warrior category.

Although not an attorney, Pletten's legal experience helped the Reform faction when they contested the Party funds with Dodge. Pletten's previous whistleblower complaint and resulting retaliation went all the way to the US Supreme Court years earlier (No. 90-5961, IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER TERM, 1990, LEROY J. PLETTEN, PETITIONER vs. MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, and JOHN O. MARSH, JR., Secretary, Department of the Army, RESPONDENTS). Interesting to note his complaint involved workplace air quality, specifically the hazards to nonsmokers by secondhand tobacco smoke.

Turns out Pletten was really ahead of his time regarding tobacco in the workplace. In my 2007 interview with Amondson I reported:

He is pleased to see smoking has become less and less socially acceptable. “We need to look at drinking as dumb as smoking,” and is disappointed at the right wing for dropping the ball on the smoking issue. “It should have been the Christians, the Republicans, but it was the Democrats” who cracked down on tobacco, he says with disgust. One is left with the impression he is attempting to shame his fellow conservatives into joining the fight rather than reach out to moderate voters.

Of the 16 national tickets that had ballot access in 2004, the Dodge/Lydick duo placed 16th. They also finished last in the only state where they appeared as an option, in Dodge's Colorado with 0.01% of the popular vote. The Amondson/Pletten ticket, under the Concerns of People banner, were also on the Colorado ballot, where they finished with more than twice the popular vote than Dodge/Lydick. From the Reformer faction point of view, the Colorado results vindicated their effort and they felt the issue of who comprised the real Prohibition Party was settled.

Amondson/Pletten finished with 0.08% of the vote in Louisiana, 0.02% in Colorado.

Amondson indicated several times in the campaign he might vote for George W. Bush.

The campaign (2008):

The Dodge/(and now bearded) Lydick team were gearing up for the 2008 election, having formed their ticket in June, 2007. The Amondson/Pletten campaign solidified shortly after, and the stage was set for another Loyalist faction vs. Reformer faction election battle with the same personalities. As an aside, Amondson told one reporter his first choice for a running-mate in 2008 was Newt Gingrich but it seems he never took steps to make that happen.

On the morning of Nov. 7, 2007 Dodge suddenly dropped dead at the age of 74 in the airport in Denver while waiting to board a flight to Pennsylvania in order to attend a button show.

Rather than fill the void left by Dodge and assume the Presidential nomination, the 77-year old Lydick made an effort for reconciliation. "We want to heal the division," he said, "Amondson is acceptable to me, and he has a long history in the temperance movement." Even though Pletten had already been tagged as Amondson's 2008 running-mate, Lydick apparently offered to take his place.

Some in the Party were wary. According to a Mar. 2008 news piece by Raphael Ahren:

But the reconciliation may not happen if Lydick insists on running. Before Dodge’s death, Amondson’s 2004 running mate, Leroy Pletten, had been nominated to run with him once more in 2008. And he still intends to do so. Pletten strongly opposes Lydick and the Dodge faction, calling them “crooks and liars” and speaking bluntly about the prospects of reconciliation: “That’s what Hitler always said, that he wants peace.”

According to one secondary source (thegreenpapers.com) Lydick was named as Amondson's running-mate for a ballot access attempt in Nevada. It is possible this effort was spearheaded by what remained of the Dodge faction. An Amondson/Lydick button was even produced.

As a point of trivia, Amondson all but endorsed Sen. McCain during the campaign.

The Amondson/Pletten ticket were on the ballot in three states with the result being: Louisiana 275 (0.01%), Florida 293 (0.00%), and Colorado 85 (0.00%)

In the event of an Amondson/Pletten victory, Pletten would have ascended to the Presidency upon the death of Amondson, July 20, 2009.

Election history:
2003 - School Board of Utica District in Macomb County (Mich.) (Nonpartisan) - defeated

Other occupations: personnel management specialist (civilian employee) of the U.S. Tank Automotive Command, tax advisor, President of the Andover Heights Condominium Association.

Buried: Tracy Community Cemetery (Tracy, Minn.) "Inurnment will be at a later date since he chose to donate his body to the University of Minnesota Medical and Science Department in hopes of helping future generations through medical research."--Obituary

Notes:
Died at age of 68 of "liver toxicity due to an allergic reaction to dietary supplements on Thursday,
 April 23, 2015."

Howard Leroy Lydick

 Lydick is called "Watson" here. Not a good omen

Howard Leroy Lydick, September 2, 1929 (Anthony, Kan.) - August 5, 2008 (Richardson, Tex.)

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (2004)
VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka National Prohibition Party) (2008)

Running mate with nominee (2004, 2008): Earl F. Dodge (1932-2007)
Running mate with nominee (2008): Gene C. Amondson (1943-2009)
Popular vote (2004): 140 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2008): 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2008): 0/538

The campaign (2004):

2004 was one of the more interesting election years for the Prohibition Party. It all came down to personality as the Party experienced a serious public schism that was a long time coming. Some of the details and exact sequence of events have differing and conflicting accounts, so I will tread carefully here.

The figure at the center of the controversy was Earl Dodge. He had been the Party's VP nominee in 1976 and 1980, and the Presidential nominee since 1984. Whether Dodge had kept the flame barely alive when it otherwise would have been extinguished, or ran the Party into the ground with the worst showing in their entire history in 2000 through self-serving behavior will forever be a topic of debate. In that year he barely overcame a challenge for the nomination.

In addition to being a lackluster vote-getter, Dodge was accused of running a nontransparent, secret personality-driven operation and, according to one news report of "inadequate accounting and even thievery."

In the summer of 2003, the timing being the traditional quadrennial time the Prohibition Party meets to nominate their national candidates, Dodge held what today's official Party webpage calls "A private, invitational conference of (some) Prohibition National Committeemen" held in Dodge's living room in Denver. Media reports said only 8 or 9 people were present, including Dodge and two of his daughters.

The running-mate selected was Texas attorney Howard Lydick, a 73-year old heart transplant recipient and lifelong Republican until he joined the Prohibition Party in 1995.

The reformers in the Party rejected the Dodge nomination and when they subsequently met in Fairfield Glade, Tenn. they considered themselves the true and official deal and the Dodge faction to be invalid. They nominated Gene C. Amondson for President with Leroy John Pletten of Michigan as the VP. Some accounts say they attempted to pacify Dodge by awarding him with a "chairman emeritus" title and offering to make Lydick the official running-mate. But it didn't take. Lydick proved himself to be solidly in the Loyalist faction when he said he would not run with anyone but Dodge.

Dodge himself dismissed the Reformer faction, "It's not a split from our party. It's just a couple of people. Sort of like a flea on an elephant that's trying to use our name to get some attention." He also said the publicity garnered by the internal conflict generated more attention  than usual for the Party and he deemed that a positive thing.

Of the 16 national tickets that had ballot access in 2004, the Dodge/Lydick duo placed 16th. They also finished last in the only state where they appeared as an option, in Dodge's Colorado with 0.01% of the popular vote. The Amondson/Pletten ticket, under the Concerns of People banner, were also on the Colorado ballot, where they finished with more than twice the popular vote than Dodge/Lydick. From the Reformer faction point of view, the Colorado results vindicated their effort and they felt the issue of who comprised the real Prohibition Party was settled.

If the Dodge/Lydick ticket had emerged victorious in 2004, Lydick would have elevated to the Presidency upon the death of Dodge Nov. 7, 2007. And Lydick himself died Aug. 5, 2008, meaning the USA would have had an unelected President for the remainder of the term, like it did with President Ford 1973-1977.

The campaign (2008):

The Dodge/(and now bearded) Lydick team were gearing up for the 2008 election, having formed their ticket in June, 2007. The Amondson/Pletten campaign solidified shortly after, and the stage was set for another Loyalist faction vs. Reformer faction election battle with the same personalities.

On the morning of Nov. 7, 2007 Dodge suddenly dropped dead at the age of 74 in the airport in Denver while waiting to board a flight to Pennsylvania in order to attend a button show.

Rather than fill the void left by Dodge and assume the Presidential nomination, the 77-year old Lydick made an effort for reconciliation. "We want to heal the division," he said, "Amondson is acceptable to me, and he has a long history in the temperance movement." Even though Pletten had already been tagged as Amondson's 2008 running-mate, Lydick apparently offered to take his place.

Some in the Party were wary. According to a Mar. 2008 news piece by Raphael Ahren:

But the reconciliation may not happen if Lydick insists on running. Before Dodge’s death, Amondson’s 2004 running mate, Leroy Pletten, had been nominated to run with him once more in 2008. And he still intends to do so. Pletten strongly opposes Lydick and the Dodge faction, calling them “crooks and liars” and speaking bluntly about the prospects of reconciliation: “That’s what Hitler always said, that he wants peace.”

According to one secondary source (thegreenpapers.com) Lydick was named as Amondson's running-mate for a ballot access attempt in Nevada. It is possible this effort was spearheaded by what remained of the Dodge faction. An Amondson/Lydick button was even produced.

Mr. Lydick died on Aug. 5, 2008, marking one of the few times in US history where both Presidential and VP nominees of the same ticket did not survive between the nomination and Election Day.

Election history: none

Other occupations: US Army (Occupied Germany), insurance adjuster, attorney, President of the National Temperance and Prohibition Council, Chairman of the Independent Committee on Alcohol and Drugs for the United Methodist Church

Buried: Restland Memorial Park (Dallas, Tex.)

Notes:
Buried in the same cemetery as Tom C. Clark, Patrick Cranshaw, and Ray Price.

Willard Dean Watkins

Willard Dean Watkins, February 14, 1931 (Canton, Ohio) -

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (2000)

Running mate with nominee: Earl F. Dodge (1932-2007)
Popular vote: 208 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Earl Dodge was making his fifth run for the Prohibition Party nomination and then the Presidency in 2000. But this time he almost didn't get past Step 1.

Dodge underwent a septuple bypass operation on May 28, 1999 but a month later was active in nabbing the Party's nomination at their convention. 39 Party members were present and a growing anti-Dodge faction had nominated a challenger, Gary Van Horn, a perennial candidate from Utah who had been the American Party VP nominee in 1996 and in 2000 was associated with the Independent American Party. Dodge defeated Van Horn in a close 9-8 vote.

The VP choice was W. Dean Watkins of Tucson, Ariz., a recent Party member with an interesting story. While researching his family history, he investigated the political career of his grandfather, Aaron S. Watkins. The elder Watkins had been the Prohibition Party VP nominee in 1908 and 1912, as well as the Presidential nominee in 1920. He also ran as a Prohibition Party candidate for the US House, US Senate, and Governor of Ohio. Discovering that the Party still existed, the grandson contacted Dodge and soon became the VP choice.

Some in the anti-Dodge faction felt the selection of Watkins was a publicity gimmick and the talents of this retired aeronautical engineer were not being used to full advantage. However, Watkins' precision and thoroughness was employed in his role as the chair of the committee to redraft and overhaul the Party's platform, and he wrote position papers.

As is turned out the 2000 platform changes were mostly cosmetic and it remained as consistently Right wing and bordering on Christian nationalism as it had been for decades. A few of the changes found in the 2000 platform worth noting--

Added under Taxation and Spending: Ending useless programs funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Science Foundation -- Minimizing taxes which threaten private ownership of land and real estate -- Emphasizing excise taxes for the financing of government.

Added under Social Security: allowing workers the option of enrolling in private plans in lieu of Social Security;

At the very end The Alcohol Problem was completely rewritten and new section, Presidential Qualifications was added:

 The Alcohol Problem

Alcohol is still the number one drug problem in the United States. It is a major cause of poverty, traffic crashes, broken homes, juvenile and adult crime, physical and sexual abuse, political corruption, wasted manpower, disability, and premature death. We favor maintaining the nation-wide legal drinking age of 21.

  Historically, the Prohibition Party has led in offering programs of publicity, education, and legislation leading to the prohibition of the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of all alcoholic beverages. We continue to support this stand. Our society already practices prohibition in the form of enacting laws which promote the safety and well being of the society members. We will help Americans to realize that alcohol's harmful effects far outweigh those of all illegal drugs combined. We advocate that all tax monies collected from the sale of alcohol be used in aggressive media and educational campaigns to teach the American public the truth about alcohol. We support local option. We advocate the enactment and enforcement of strong drunk driving laws.

Presidential Qualifications

Leavening the Loaf
 "Nothing doth more hurt to a State than that cunning men pass for wise."
...Francis Bacon, statesman

The qualifications for President stated in the Constitution have to do with age and citizenship. We call attention to the fact that of greater importance are those not so stated referring to moral, intellectual, and spiritual endowments. The President of the United States in his daily life, his home and family relationships, and his official career is expected to typify the finest and best the country can produce. He is the leader of the nation. The moral force and power of his example are immeasurable.

Watkins wrote an essay entitled "Excise Taxes vs Income Taxes" and opened with the thesis statement: "The 2000 Prohibition Party platform advocates using excise taxes to pay for the operating costs of the federal government. It also advocates the abolishment of personal income taxes. Many people think this is a radical stand. However, let us examine the federal tax system ..."

On the ballot only in Dodge's home state of Colorado the Dodge/Watkins ticket placed dead last out of ten with 208 votes, 0.01% of the state total. Nationally they finished 15th out of 16 tickets on the ballot. This would be the worst result ever in the long history of the legitimate wing of America's oldest third party. 

In 2000 Dodge had faced rumblings within the Party, but it would explode into full revolution by the next election. Watkins joined the group that eventually ousted Dodge. In a 2002 article by Ernie Tucker, Watkins expressed his frustration: Concerns over fuzzy finances foamed over in 2000 ... Initially, Watkins supported Dodge's fifth presidential run, but he eventually grew frustrated with his lack of candor. "He's too secretive," Watkins says of Dodge. "His financial reports don't make sense. And there's an appearance of wrongdoing."

And this drama spilled over into the 2004 election.

Election history: none

Other occupations: US Army, Materials Testing Laboratory - Naval Avionics Center, design engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company, 

Notes:
Grew up in Canton, Ohio and Indianapolis, Ind.
Baptist.
Plays the piano and organ.

Rachel Catherine Bubar Kelly

Rachel Catherine Bubar Kelly, November 22, 1922 (Blaine, Me.) - January 14, 2002 (Sarasota, Fla.)

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka Independent) (1996)

Running mate with nominee: Earl F. Dodge (1932-2007)
Popular vote: 1,298 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

By 1996 the Prohibition Party had become the Earl Dodge Party as he made his fourth run for the Presidency, but there were rumblings from the rank and file. His control of the finances and reluctance to share fiscal information caused some suspicions to be aroused. His character was also being called into question. In the words of a Dodge biography currently posted on the Prohibition Party website itself--

The American Political Items Collectors refused to renew Dodge's membership sometime before 1995, after complaints by several members that Dodge had visited their homes, distracted them, and pocketed things he liked. He is no longer allowed into display areas at APIC meetings (although the meetings are open to the public).

For VP in 1996 Dodge drafted Rachel Bubar Kelly of Maine who was President of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Although not active with the Party itself until being selected as the running-mate, her brother Benjamin Calvin Bubar Jr. (1917–1995) had been the Prohibition Party Presidential nominee 1976 and 1980 with Dodge as the VP.
   
The 1996 platform was slightly tweaked from the previous year. The following sections were either added or significantly updated, reflecting an even harder shift to the extreme Right than before. The focus on alcohol was at the end almost as a footnote.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

  We recognize that good laws make men free. However, without adequate enforcement and punishment, violation of the law is encouraged. Law enforcement officials at all levels, from local policemen to federal agents, should be empowered and encouraged to support the Constitution.

EDUCATION

  The Tenth Amendment reserves education to the states and the people. We will end all federal interference in education and abolish the federal education establishment. Tax dollars spent at the state and local levels will stretch much farther than those that lose 50% in Washington, D.C. and that carry many controls for those who accept them. We support full freedom for private schools and home schooling.

THE FAMILY

  To protect and preserve marriage, an institution ordained by God, we favor:

    More stringent and uniform marriage and divorce laws;
    An end to all tax rates which discriminate against married people;
    Disallowance of any legal benefits of marriage to persons living together in an unmarried state; and
    Repeal of all laws and rulings which allow governmental interference in parental authority

  We oppose the proselytizing actions of the homosexual community which are detrimental to the American family and to the stability of society. Homosexual behavior should not enjoy governmental protection through anti-discrimination laws.

BALLOT LAW REFORM

  Republicans and Democrats have created a two-party monopoly by enacting increasingly repressive laws that keep most independent and third-party candidates off the ballot in most states. We will enact a federal law to restore all legitimate political rights to all third-party and independent persons and groups. We support term limits for all members of Congress.

SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS

  We support the constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to own and use guns. We favor imposition of long-term prison sentences for those convicted of using firearms to commit a crime. We deplore the irresponsible actions and mishandling by the BATF and FBI in their dealings at Ruby Ridge and Waco.

On the ballot in four states with a sprinkle of write-ins in a few others, the Dodge/Kelly ticket finished strongest in Arkansas 0.05%, Colorado and Tennessee and Utah 0.02% each. In each case they finished dead last or near the bottom. It was their second worst popular vote result to that date in their long history. But the worst was yet to come.

The 1996 election is summarized in the Prohibition Party website: The voters in Dodge’s 1996 campaign for President of The United States had this to say about Earl F. Dodge: He received more votes in Arkansas (483 / 0.05%) where he was virtually unknown than he did in Colorado (375 / 0.02%) where he has lived most of his adult life.

I don't think you'll find a statue of Dodge standing in the Prohibition Party Hall of Fame.

Election history: none

Other occupations: teacher, school principal, President of the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (1988-1996)

Buried: Pottersville New Cemetery (Pottersville, NY)

Notes:
University of Maine graduate
Her father Benjamin Calvin Bubar Sr. (1876-1967) ran for Governor of Maine as an Independent in
 1936.
Her nephew Benjamin Calvin Bubar III ran for the Maine State House as a Republican in 1998.
Arranged an eight-year exhibit at the Smithsonian featuring WCTU historical items.
Her obituary has no mention of her Vice-Presidential run.

George David Ormsby

George David Ormsby, November 24, 1916 (Village Green-Green Ridge, Penn.) - May 20, 2013 (Aston, Penn.)

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka Independent) (1988, 1992)

Running mate with nominee (1988, 1992): Earl F. Dodge (1932-2007)
Popular vote (1988): 8,002 (0.01%)
Popular vote (1992): 961 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1988, 1992): 0/538

The campaign (1988):

The 1987 Prohibition Party convention selected Earl Dodge for his second Presidential run, with Pennsylvania plumber George Ormsby as his running-mate.

The Party platform by this time had Dodge's extremely conservative views baked in. In 1988 a new plank was introduced concerning Social Security:

 The present Social Security system is discriminatory, actuarially unsound, and destructive of individual initiative. We will reform the system and will: 1. Allow workers the option of enrolling in private retirement plans in lieu of paying Social Security taxes; (2) Place the system on a sound actuarial basis; and (3) Restore Social Security to its original purpose by placing the Medicare and Medicaid programs in a separate system.

Dodge told a reporter in Oct. 1988: "Being a third-party candidate is like seeing your mother-in-law drive your Cadillac over a cliff-- you have mixed feelings about it ... If I only got one vote, I'd feel it was a great honor. It's what I believe in. I'd pay for the privilege to do this. But it's frustrating. It takes most of your money and energy just to get through the jungle of election laws. The media, by and large, ignore us, particularly at the national level, or they treat you like an eccentric for not being a Democrat or a Republican."

On the ballot in four states, the final percentages were: Colorado 0.34%, Arkansas 0.16%, Tennessee 0.11%, New Mexico 0.05%.

This would be the last Presidential election (as of March, 2020) where the Prohibition Party would earn as much as 0.01% of the popular vote. From 1992-2016 it would be 0.00% in every election.

The campaign (1992):

The Dodge/Ormsby ticket was nominated for another run, which was pretty much ignored by the media. On Election Day the Prohibition Party experienced their worst results ever in a Presidential race.

On the ballot in three states, their percentages were: Arkansas 0.05%, New Mexico and Tennessee 0.02% each.

But wait, the lowest point is yet to come.

Election history: none

Other occupations: mechanic, Seabee WWII, plumber, President of the National Council of the United States International Organization of Good Templars

Buried: Mount Hope Cemetery (Aston, Penn.)

Notes:
Presbyterian
Train enthusiast
Voted Republican by default if no Prohibition Party candidates were on the ballot.
"I spent three years in the Navy and didn't drink at all, so it can be done. I must confess I learned to drink a lot of coffee"--George Ormsby.

Warren Chester Martin

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.

Earl Farwell Dodge Jr.

Earl Farwell Dodge Jr., December 24, 1932 (Revere, Mass.) - November 7, 2007 (Denver, Colo.)

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka National Prohibition Party aka Independent) (1976)
VP candidate for National Statesman Party (aka Independent aka Statesman Party) (1980)

Running mate with nominee (1976, 1980): Benjamin Calvin Bubar Jr. (1917–1995)
Popular vote (1976): 15,932 (0.02%)
Popular vote (1980): 7,206  (0.01%)
Electoral vote (1976, 1980): 0/538

The campaign (1976):

The Prohibition Party nominee for President was Benjamin Bubar, a Maine printer and ordained Baptist preacher. He had experience being elected to public office serving in the State Legislature and local offices as a Republican.

Commenting on the Party's conservative non-alcohol platform issues, Bubar said in later years "We're not a one-issue party. We've always had more than one string in our fiddle. We've been around for a long time ... We believe in a representative republic, but what we've got right now is a socialist democracy bordering on anarchy."

The 1976 platform reads like a Christian nationalist document although there are some nods to social welfare. Apparently the convention narrowly voted to oppose capital punishment, but that plank did not make it to print.

The AP described the convention:

The national convention, first ever held west of the Mississippi River, was attended by about 100 delegates from 19 states, but only about 60 were still on hand to sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and wave their signs after the candidates were selected. Most were in their 60's and 70's and had been party members all their lives. There were almost no young people in attendance as the 106-year-old party prepared to shut down its gathering.

The real story behind the 1976 race for the Prohibition Party was the debut national-level appearance of the VP choice, who according to some accounts was an obstructionist in his role as a Party official in implementing some of Bubar's ideas for streamlined management and marketing of the Party.

Earl Dodge had been involved with the Party for over two decades before he stepped into the role of a national candidate. After 1976 he would basically be the face of the Party for a quarter century or so. Like many other third parties where one individual has been in power too long, his tenure as a Party leader was a good news/bad news thing, and according to present day Prohibition Party literature the bad news half got worse with each passing year until he was finally overthrown.

Oddly, the 1976 convention took place in the same area where Dodge's body was laid to rest decades later.

On the good news side Dodge kept the home fires burning during a period of time where the Prohibition Party could have easily died. Granted, those fires were allowed to become feeble embers with each passing election. The controversial side will emerge in the course of my profiles of Prohibition Party VPs and inner conflict within this organization over the subsequent decades.

As the campaign began, Dodge told the press the Party needed to change their image from that of stovepipe hat wearing humorless moralists who look like "they are perpetually sucking on a sour lemon." He added, "I'm sure most people think members of the party have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel."

Also early in the campaign Bubar told a newspaper that he aimed to, in the reporter's words, "Broaden the party's appeal to the same constituency as Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace."

After the initial news coverage of the June 1975 convention the media all but ignored the Bubar/Dodge ticket except for the occasional fluff jokey article.

The Bubar/Dodge ticket had results from a dozen states including some write-ins. As testimony to how well regarded Mr. Bubar was in his home state, they finished with 0.72% of the popular vote in Maine. Next best results were in Alabama 0.56%, Colorado 0.27%, and Kansas 0.15%. This would be the last election to date (Dec. 2019) that the Prohibition Party earned more then 10,000 votes or finished with a percentage as high as 0.02% of the national popular vote.

The campaign (1980):

The same ticket was revived in 1980 but with less success. In an effort to add some pizzazz and get away from the image of being a single-issue party, the name was changed to the National Statesman Party. Although the name had changed, the platform remained in the hard Right.

The ascent of Ronald Reagan had provided Christian conservatives and Protestant evangelicals with a political home and no doubt robbed the Prohibition/National Statesman Party of potential voters. To this day the Prohibition Party platform seems almost parallel and redundant with the Republican Party and other Right-wing groups in many ways-- except for alcohol.

Any centrists or progressives who might agree with the Party about the seriousness to public safety and general well-being posed by alcohol or other substances would find it difficult to support the rest of their platform. Years later Prohibition Party Presidential candidate Gene Amondson lamented to me how it bugged him that it was actually the Democrats who clamped down on public smoking. The Prohibition Party missed a chance to focus on different aspects of public health and form positive alliances across the political spectrum. Earl Dodge bears quite a bit of responsibility for perpetuating this political isolation and having the Party's platform be an extension of his own extremely conservative views. As we have seen in election results and dwindling membership one could propose this has not done them any favors in terms of a broader appeal.

If the media had not covered the Party very well in the 1976 campaign they practically ignored the Bubar/Dodge ticket in 1980. The true descent into near oblivion had begun.

With votes reported in a dozen states including write-ins they finished strongest in New Mexico 0.28%, Arkansas 0.16%, Alabama 0.13%, Colorado 0.10%, and Kansas 0.08%. The 0.01% national vote result was the worst percentage in the long history of the Prohibition Party.

Although the organization had changed their name to the National Statesman Party they were listed as either Statesman Party or Independent on the ballots. The Party returned to their previous name by the next election.

Other occupations: dealer in political memorabilia, Prohibition Party editor, Colorado State Elections Advisory Board 1974, Prohibition Party Presidential Elector 1968 (Mich.)

Election history:
1954 - Massachusetts Governor's Council (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1956 - Massachusetts Secretary of State (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1958 - Kosciusko County Commission (Ind.) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1959 - Winona Lake (Ind.) Council (Nonpartisan) - defeated
1960 - US House of Representatives (Ind.) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1966 - US Senate (Kan.) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1969 - Kalamazoo (Mich.) City Commission (Nonpartisan) - defeated
1974 - Governor of Colorado (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1978 - Governor of Colorado (National Statesman Party) - defeated
1982 - Governor of Colorado (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1984 - US President (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1986 - Governor of Colorado (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1988 - US President (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1990 - US Senate (Colo.) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1992 - US President (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1994 - Governor of Colorado (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1996 - US President (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1998 - Regent At Large, Colorado State University (Prohibition Party) - defeated
2000 - Independent American Party nomination for US President - defeated
2000 - US President (Prohibition Party) - defeated
2004 - Prohibition Party nomination for US President - defeated
2004 - US President (National Prohibition Party) - defeated
2008 - US President (National Prohibition Party) - died before election

Buried: Crown Hill Cemetery (Wheat Ridge, Colo.)

Notes:
Joined the Prohibition Party in 1952. He was formerly a Republican. 
Member of the National Christian Citizens Committee.
Alternate sources give his birthplace as Malden, Mass., which is where he was raised.
Winner of the 1960 election was Charles Halleck.
Winner of the 1974, 1978, 1982 elections was Dick Lamm.
Buried in the same cemetery as Barbara Bates, Richard James Biggs, and ironically, Adolph Coors.
Baptist.
Quite possibly holds the record among third party VPs for running for office the most times without
 ever winning.