Keith John Ferguson, ca1961 -
VP candidate for Citizens Freedom Party (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Mark Blair Graham (b. 1960)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Mark Blair Graham of Okeechobee, Fla. filed with the FEC as a write-in for US President on the unfortunate date of Apr. 1, 2015. Graham had previously made an Independent bid for President in 2008 but withdrew in order to run as one of Frank McEnulty's 9 different running-mates in the New American Independent Party. In 2012 he also ran for President but withdrew from the race, he said, due to family death.
By 2016 Graham was involved in something called the Citizens Freedom Party. His June 3, 2016 Facebook announced--
The Citizens Freedom Party has nominated there choice for President and Vice President for the 2016 election,The nomination for President is Mark B Graham of Florida and for Vice President is Keith John Ferguson from Minnesota.
Ferguson had been the nominee of the Citizens Party of the United States in 2012, a group that may or may not have been the ancestor of the Citizens Freedom Party. Ferguson's 2012 platform--
1. We will re-create the comprehensive employment and training act called ( ceta ) program; We will target new jobs to employ the unemployed; and focus on economically depressed communities. The intentis to provide the unemployed with marketable skills needed to find premanent employment. The frist time used was 1973 to train workers and high school students in the summer for the jobs of the future.
2. We will re-imagine the workforce development act (wia) to integrate region training systems in order to retool America's workforce and transform regional economies. And providing high-wage jobs opportunities for workers. Congress should pass it now, to put America back to work.
3. We will permit unemployed American's to tap their retirement accounts without incurring a ten percent penalty for early withdrawals. To allow them to have some extra funds to pay their bills.
4.We will Renegotiate all trade agreements, beginning with NAFTA, A revitalization of the U.S. economy requires the U.S. to withdraw from NAFTA and all other trade agreements at once.
5. We will Craft a national industrial policy to stop the outsourcing of American job and to secure America's future and economic base.
6. We will stop allowing U.S. companies to receive tax benefits for sending jobs overseas allowing America to become unemployed. The exodus of U.S. jobs will stop.
7. We will stop China's unfair currency manipulation. The U.S. must put an end to this injustice by leveling the playing fied by levying a tax on Chinese imports,we need a tougher trade policy on China.
8. We will Enact strong " Buy America" Legislation that all fedral, state and local government's must buy American first.
9. We will make wall street pay back main street through a financial transaction tax the funds would be use for infrastructure projects.
10. We will stop employers from using a job applicant's credit rating as a basis for employment. Buy the Equal Employment for all Act, HR 3149 it with be passed.
11. We will close all but ten military bases over seas, and end the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Then we will use the funds from those closed bases to build a larger military rapid deployment force, this will put American's back to work building the equipment. And the funds would also be used for much needed infrastructure projects.
12. We will have an incentive tax breaks if you buy American, this will come off your gross income. You can read about the plan on the group National Self Reliance.
13. We will freeze all federal pay for 4 years, this includes all of Congress and the President but not the military.
14. We will increase veterans benefits, so that our veterans have full access to medical and mental health coverage. And their spouses and their children will have mental health coverage for life, if they have post traumatic stress disorder that was caused by living a military life.
15. We will increase military pay to what they deserve, to a modest pay so they can take care of their familys.
16. We will feeze all foreign guest worker programs, until all American workers are employed. Or until we have a 1.5 % unemployment rate.
17. We will stop illegal immigration by hiring up to 5,000 border patrol agents. And we will also use the national guard, until we have enough border patrol agents trained.
18. We will place a fine on employers who are caught hiring illegal labor. The fine would start about about $1000.00 per worker.
19. I believe that no health insurance company should make a large profit off a citizen of the United States of America. This will be looked at to see what we can do about it.
20. We will have basic healthcare and mental healthcare for all the citizens of the United States of America. Which would be a preventive type healthcare and mental healthcare . Which will include up to 12 office visits per year of basic care, and up to 20 hrs per year of mental healthcare, and would include full physical exams every year starting at birth.
21. Social security is intended for the protection against social recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and other social programs. And we will restore social security to its full intent with the funds from the limiting of our foreign aid.
22. Peer Education System is a structure of older students teaching younger students what they had just learnd. With the guidance of their teacher all students will learn just like they did in the one room schoolhouse.
23. We will have a War tax to pay for the cost of War before we go to War, all corporations and companies and citizens will pay that tax, maybe it will stop America from getting involved in those Wars.
24. We will prohibit the government from taking money from the Social Security fund, and it will be used for Social Security purposes only.
25. We will have a national jobs bank, that will match up prospective employees with employers, and it will provide a means for those with disabilities to find employment they can still do.
26. We will look at the unfair housing opportunities for post-secondary students, so that they can have housing at a fair market price. Also it will be added to the federal housing act.
27. Reform foreign aide.
28. Reform America's tax system.
Ferguson continued his Presidential quest after the 2012 election. He posted an announcement on the Party website that muddies the waters for researchers like me--
Comment by Keith John Ferguson on December 5, 2014 at 9:25am
Just to let all Citizens of the C party, that I Keith John Ferguson and Mark B Graham have Joined Forces as one in 2016, I as Prez, Mark as Vic Prez.
It would appear that by 2016 the positions had flipped. One problem here is that a lot of potential sources about that campaign have been wiped clean. Ballotpedia managed to archive portions of Graham's platform in May, 2015--
Education
"My policy on Education is that over crowding in each classroom across this great nation could be eliminated with hiring of more teachers."
Higher education
"As far as Higher Education each college needs to cut there tuition by a percent each year so students are not forced to leave school because they are not able to afford tuition even with grants. I also want to see a money voucer [sic] to incoming college students. We must make more grants for tuition to decrease of student loans."
Energy and environment
"America must achieve energy independence either it is domestic oil or natural gas, wind, and solar power should be a top priority...I am very concerned with global climate change. We must quickly work to cut vehicle emissions."
Immigration
"We must greatly reduce the number of approved H1B and L1 visas that allow U.S. Companies to hire foreign workers in America...Also we need to beef up Boarder Patrol with man power and euiqment [sic]."
Social security
"Privatizing Social Security would not solve the funding issues that Social Security faces."
Marijuana
"I am in favor of legalizing of Medical Marijuana and belive [sic] it can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other conditions."
Graham/Ferguson were not registered as write-ins in any state and no votes were reported.
Election history:
2012 - US President (Citizens Party of the United States) - defeated
2016 - Citizens Party of the United States nomination for President - party collapsed?
Other occupations: ?
Notes:
Ferguson supported Trump in 2020.
Graham, who ran for President in 2020, was arrested on Nov. 24, 2020 and charged with six counts of possession of child pornography, which later increased to 523 charges.
