Joseph L. Martin, December 6, 1968 -
VP candidate for Reform Party of Kansas (2012)
Running mate with nominee: Charles Obadiah Baldwin (b. 1952)
Popular vote: 5,017 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
The Kansas branch of the Reform Party of the United States of America appeared to have disaffiliated from the national party at some point between the 2004-2008 elections. In 2008 they crossed parties and endorsed Constitution Party nominees Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle. In June 2012 they once again nominated Baldwin but this time with Joseph Martin as his VP.
It would seem Baldwin had nothing to do with the Kansas Reform Party nomination. Since the 2008 election he relocated from Florida to Montana, where he became an even more outspoken anti-Zionist and embraced the survivalist American Redoubt concept--
God has led us to the conviction that Montana (along with other Mountain states) is going to be the tip of the spear in the freedom fight; and we believe God wants us to be part of that fight. We plan to start a new ministry where I can preach and my family can sing and minister (you should hear them sing!). Once we get established and can raise the funds, I definitely plan to livestream my messages on the Internet as we have been doing at Crossroad for the past year and a half. And if God opens the door, I will not rule out a run for State office. Yes, the freedom message is both spiritual and political; and I am afraid of neither!
For years, people have been asking me, “Chuck, what can we do?” Well, this is what God has led my family and me to do. We are convinced that the only way freedom has a chance to survive in these States united is to recapture the spirit of liberty–one State at a time. (To continue to focus on Washington, D.C., is a waste of time and energy!) And God has led us to the conclusion that Montana (and nearby states) is the place where freedom-minded patriots have a fighting chance to prevail. Instead of telling you what to do, my family and I are showing you what we believe we should do.
Baldwin had rejoined the Republican Party in order run for the position of Lt. Governor in Montana, but aborted that campaign prior to the 2012 primary.
His running-mate Joseph Martin was in Statesville, NC during the 2012 election but he had been a longtime activist with the Kansas Reform Party since 2000 when he joined as part of the Pat Buchanan wave. A Christian conservative, he was not happy when the national party backed Ralph Nader in 2004. Martin had run for Lt. Governor and Secretary of State under the Reform Party banner in Kansas. He was allied with Ron Paul supporters and said he was part of the effort to "put Chuck Baldwin on our Reform Party of KS ballot line in 2008." It appears he moved to North Carolina around 2010.
When Martin ran for Kansas Secretary of State in 2006 he provided an answer to those who used the abortion issue as a political litmus test--
Yes, I am Pro-life. All of our candidates are pro-life, some without exceptions, some with reservations like "life of the mother" and rape.
I am completely pro-life. Abortion should not be a legal medical procedure. If invasive surgery is required to save the mother, then that procedure should be to save her life and not to kill the child.
I am also completely against the use of embryonic stem-cell research. It is unethical, inhumane, and a contemptuous assault on human dignity. In addition, the research so far has been largely a complete failure: God and His Nature are trying to show mankind that this is unacceptable and useless.
I support reasonable research on adult stem-cells, which has been showing promise.
I am also against the forced harvesting and sale of organs from political dissidents against their will. This is a booming business in China, while our country's leaders do nothing about it, and our media are almost completely mute on this crime against humanity being done by our "Most Favored" trading partner.
Kansas has an entity called the Kansas Objections Board which is comprised of the Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General. In Sept. 2012 they heard two pleas. First was from the Reform Party of the United States of America. The national party had nominated Andre Barnett for President and wanted the ballot line occupied by Baldwin. Secondly, it was reported the Reform Party of Kansas wanted to rescind the Baldwin nomination and replace his name with that of Constitution Party nominee Virgil Goode and was planning to make their appeal to the Objections Board. The Board rejected the the former request, and appears to have said no to the latter as well if they did make the request.
Meanwhile, Martin was living in North Carolina and had become involved with the newly created Christian Party, which provided this self-description on their webpage--
About the Christian Party
For government truly to provide freedom to the people in our country, both the concepts in the Bible and the Constitution are necessary. Therefore, it is our goal in the Christian Party of North Carolina to empower Christians politically to glorify the Lord, by influencing government through the political process so that it conforms to both Biblical principles and the Constitution.
The Christian Party of North Carolina came into existence in response to the need for there to be a political voice for Christians in our state. On 9/3/10 the Christian Party of North Carolina was officially registered with the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
We are affiliated with the Constitution Party of America, a new national political party which is also Christian and 100% Pro-life. We welcome you as a fellow Christian to join us in restoring true Biblical leadership in government. To that end we ask that you please check out our “Get Involved” page.
For his part, Baldwin mostly stayed clear of the Kansas situation. However he did weigh in on his webpage that he believed Romney was going to win--
Posted on Nov 1, 2012
A Word About The Elections
With the 2012 Presidential election just a few days away, it is almost superfluous for me to engage in any kind of in depth discussion, as most people cannot, for the life of them, get past the political theater that is currently crescendoing to a climax. Therefore, I will simply provide readers with a few passing thoughts regarding the elections next week.
I think Mitt Romney will somewhat comfortably win the Presidential election. This will cause “conservatives,” Christians, and most Republicans to go into a state of deep hibernation, which will allow Romney to wreak havoc upon the Constitution and liberties of the people. In 2012, Barack Obama is the “Boogeyman” that must defeated at all costs. But the fact is, with the exception of Romney’s more business-friendly approach to economics, the differences between Obama and Romney are negligible.
The Baldwin/Martin team took 0.43% of the Kansas vote.
Election history:
2006 - Kansas Secretary of State (Reform Party of the United States) - defeated
2008 - US Senate (Kan.) (Reform Party of the United States) - defeated
Other occupations: computer programmer.
Notes:
Martin has a BS in Mathematics from Georgia Institute of Technology, 1992.
Baldwin joined the Independent American Party after the 2012 election.
