James N. Clymer, May 4, 1948 -
VP candidate for Independent (aka Constitution Party) (2004)
VP candidate for Constitution Party (aka Independent aka American Constitution Party aka US Taxpayers Party aka Independent American Party) (2012)
Running mate with nominee (2004): Michael Anthony Peroutka (b. 1952)
Running mate with nominee (2012): Virgil Hamlin Goode, Jr. (b. 1946)
Popular vote (2004): 2,899 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2012): 122,417 (0.09%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2012): 0/538
The campaign (2004):
After three consecutive runs, Howard Phillips declined to campaign for President in the 2004 election as the standard bearer for the Constitution Party. The torch needed to be passed.
Controversial Judge Roy Moore of Alabama toyed with the idea of running for President as the Constitution Party nominee, and it would have been his for the taking. But he decided to remain with the Republican Party.
Maryland attorney Michael Peroutka was drafted for the job, and he modestly said he would accept but would be willing to step down in the event another candidate with star power wanted the nomination. In May 2004 Peroutka was chosen, by default apparently since no Big Names stepped forward, and in turn he selected Chuck Baldwin, an independent Baptist minister, protégé of Rev. Jerry Falwell, and radio host in Florida. "The day that I received the phone call from Michael Peroutka asking me to be his running mate was one of the most shocking days of my life," Baldwin said, "Never in my wildest imagination did I anticipate such a call. I did not seek this position. I never saw it coming."
With no real competition in the form of a marquee candidate like Ron Paul or Pat Buchanan, the Peroutka/Baldwin ticket had the Right wing purists pretty much all to themselves, which might explain why they were one of the very few third parties to see an improvement in their percentages when compared to the 2000 election. They almost had some competition from a party splintered off the Reform Party in 2002 by Buchananites called the America First Party, but it imploded after a short time due to a fiasco involving the invitation and then disinvitation of Bo Gritz to speak at their convention. In 2004 the barely existent AFP endorsed Peroutka. Apparently the AFP is still around today.
The ticket was also endorsed by the white nationalist League of the South (designated as a hate group by the SPLC), the Georgia chapter of the Southern Party, and radio tabloid conspiracy host Alex Jones. They almost snagged Pat Buchanan's nod, but he eventually endorsed Bush and returned to the Republicans after leaving the Reform Party.
In the course of meeting filing deadlines before their actual convention, Party Chairman Jim Clymer was inserted as a stand-in name for Vice-President. He made it clear to the media he had no intention of becoming the permanent VP, "Michael Peroutka is running, I'm not."
It seems they were unable to replace Clymer with Baldwin only in Kansas, where the Peroutka/Clymer ticket finished 5th place out of five with 0.24% of the vote in that state. Clymer was also running as the 2004 Constitution Party candidate for the US Senate in Pennsylvania in a race won by Arlen Specter.
The campaign (2012):
Virgil Goode had covered several political affiliations by the time he became the 2012 Constitutional Party Presidential nominee. As a member of the Virginia Senate 1973-1997 and US Congress from Virginia 1997-2009 he started out as a Democrat, declared himself an independent 2000-2002, and joined the Republicans 2002-2010. He was defeated for re-election in 2008.
In most third parties someone with Goode's extensive public service in elected office would be a plus, but in the Constitution Party it could prove to be fatal particularly since Goode's voting record included supporting some neoconservative issues such as the Patriot Act and Bush administration military initiatives. However at the convention Goode was nominated over 2008 VP nominee Darrell Lane Castle. It seemed to be an indicator the Party was starting to mature as they were willing to embrace a true professional politician and all the real-life compromises that entails.
In a game of political musical chairs, Constitution Party 2004 VP and 2008 Presidential nominee Chuck Baldwin had rejoined the Republican Party about the same time Goode was leaving it.
Goode selected Jim Clymer, who was the outgoing national Party chair, as his running-mate.
Among other things Goode advocated the use of troops and walls to halt Mexican illegal immigrants from crossing the border, eliminating Obamacare, pulling the US military out of Afghanistan, ending free trade agreements, and replacing income and estate tax with sales tax.
But the press didn't really cover Goode's platform as much as they speculated how much his campaign was going to hurt Republican Mitt Romney. And for sure it seemed Goode spent more energy attacking Romney than Obama. News coverage of the Constitution Party's struggle for ballot access in the face of active Republican opposition (e.g. Pennsylvania) also overshadowed their message.
Nationally the Goode/Clymer ticket finished in 5th place and they did not end up playing the role of spoiler in any state that I can ascertain. On the ballot in 26 states and write-ins in 14 more, their strongest percentages were in South Dakota 0.65%, Wyoming 0.58%, North Dakota 0.37%, Idaho and Michigan and Virginia 0.34% each, Nevada 0.32%, Missouri 0.29%, Utah and Washington 0.28% each, Colorado and Tennessee 0.24% each.
Election history:
1992 - Pennsylvania Auditor General (Libertarian Party) - defeated
1994 - Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania (Constitution Party) - defeated
1998 - Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania (Constitution Party) - defeated
2000 - Pennsylvania Attorney General (Constitution Party) - defeated
2003 - Lancaster County Board of Commissioners (Penn.) (Constitution Party) - defeated
2004 - US Senate (Penn.) (Constitution Party) - defeated
<2013/14 - 2020> - Manor New East Precinct, Manor Township, Penn. Judge of Elections (Constitution Party)
Other occupations: attorney, Chair of the Constitution Party
Notes:
Clymer is one of the few Constitution Party members to win an elected office.
Goode endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 election
