Kenneth Earl Jeppson, December 12, 1928 (Utah) -
VP candidate for American Party (1988)
Running mate with nominee: Delmar Dennis (1940-1996)
Popular vote: 3,474 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
The American Party once again selected Delmer Dennis as their Presidential nominee at their June 1987 convention. Former Republican Congressman George Hansen of Idaho was also a contender but his connection the Republican and Populist parties was a minus. Dennis professed to not wanting the nomination and said he would step aside if Hansen renounced his allegiance to other political parties. The Populists had also absorbed a large chunk of the hated rival American Independent Party. In addition there was the small problem of Hansen being in prison for numerous ethics and financial crimes but that didn't seem to bother the American Party.
The running-mate was Earl Jeppson from Utah who had been in a leadership position in the Party since the 1970s. Compared to past American Party campaigns this one was very low-key. The Reagan administration had managed to co-opt many aspects of the American Party's Right-wing agenda, eating into the third party's base.
In Utah the Dennis/Jeppson ticket placed 4th out of 9 with 0.33%, and Minnesota they placed 10th out of 11 with 0.06%. Jeppson had spent time campaigning in Wyoming but the American Party did not make the Presidential ballot in that state.
"We were only on ballots in Utah and Minnesota, I think," Jeppson said after the election. "We just didn't have much money to do any campaigning. That hurt, as did the lack of cooperation from the media to give us any coverage at all. I'm not throwing stones at the media, though. I guess if we had given them some news, they would have printed it."
Election history: none
Other occupations: American Party National Executive Director, heating and air conditioning business, inorganic chemist, real estate agent
Notes:
Mormon
"God loves this country, and God is behind the American Party, and to that I can testify"--Earl Jeppson, 1976
"If you want to know what's wrong with America, go to Washington, because that's where it's at. If anybody wants to know what's right about America, they ought to come to Utah."--Earl Jeppson, 1976
"Our intention is to build on the Constitution. Not as it is known today, but as it was framed by our founding fathers ... a divinely inspired document given to us."--Earl Jeppson, 1976
