Thomas L. Knapp

 

Thomas L. Knapp, November 10, 1967 (Memphis, Tenn.) -

VP candidate for Boston Tea Party (aka Personal Choice Party aka Independent) (2008)

Running mate with nominee: Charles Jay (b. 1960)
Popular vote: 1,807 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

As the short-lived Personal Choice Party began to fade from their 2004 run with the Charles Jay/Marilyn Chambers Taylor ticket, another new party also offering a home for disgruntled Libertarians sprang up. Thomas L. Knapp created the Boston Tea Party and explained once in an interview many years later, "I founded the Boston Tea Party in 2006 when there was a fairly serious schism in the Libertarian Party. I saw people preparing to leave the LP, and decided that it was important to give them a place to go that they might come back from (as a matter of fact, at our first convention, I proposed that the BTP become a caucus within the LP rather than a separate party, but I got voted down) ... Hey, we had some fun, got our message out as best we could, and gave libertarians who couldn't stomach Barr/Root 2008 a ticket to vote for. I don't regret any of that. It wasn't until 2010 that I gave up on voting and electoral politics, and I still have friends who are involved."

Charles Jay resurfaced in 2008 as a Presidential candidate, but this time for the Boston Tea Party. Knapp became the official running-mate but Jay had several alternative VPs: Barry Hess, Dan Sallis Jr., John Wayne Smith, Thomas J. Marino, and Marilyn Chambers Taylor. The party also endorsed the rogue Libertarian ticket of Phillies and Bennett in New Hampshire.

The platform of the party was quite short:

Platform of the Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose.

However, they also had something called a "Program," which was basically a platform--

Program of the Boston Tea Party

Program of the Boston Tea Party
Adopted in Convention, October 26th, 2008

[Note: The Boston Tea Party's 2008-2010 program consists of the Campaign For Liberty's four points, endorsed by US Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and presidential candidates Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party), Cynthia McKinney (Green Party), Ralph Nader (Independent), Bob Barr (Libertarian Party) and Charles Jay, the Boston Tea Party's 2008 presidential nominee.]

1. Foreign Policy: The Iraq War must end as quickly as possible with removal of all our soldiers from the region. We must initiate the return of our soldiers from around the world, including Korea, Japan, Europe and the entire Middle East. We must cease the war propaganda, threats of a blockade and plans for attacks on Iran, nor should we re-ignite the cold war with Russia over Georgia. We must be willing to talk to all countries and offer friendship and trade and travel to all who are willing. We must take off the table the threat of a nuclear first strike against all nations.

2. Privacy: We must protect the privacy and civil liberties of all persons under US jurisdiction. We must repeal or radically change the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the FISA legislation. We must reject the notion and practice of torture, elimination of habeas corpus, secret tribunals, and secret prisons. We must deny immunity for corporations that spy willingly on the people for the benefit of the government. We must reject the unitary presidency, the illegal use of signing statements and excessive use of executive orders.
 
3. The National Debt: We believe that there should be no increase in the national debt. The burden of debt placed on the next generation is unjust and already threatening our economy and the value of our dollar. We must pay our bills as we go along and not unfairly place this burden on a future generation.

4. The Federal Reserve: We seek a thorough investigation, evaluation and audit of the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationships with the banking, corporate, and other financial institutions. The arbitrary power to create money and credit out of thin air behind closed doors for the benefit of commercial interests must be ended. There should be no taxpayer bailouts of corporations and no corporate subsidies. Corporations should be aggressively prosecuted for their crimes and frauds.

Past Programs

2006-2008 Program
Adopted in Convention, August 21st, 2006

1. The Boston Tea Party calls for a complete and unconditional withdrawal of US troops from, and a cessation of US military operations against or within, Iraq.

2. The Boston Tea Party supports repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act.

3. The Boston Tea Party calls for an end to the federal prohibition of marijuana and hemp.

4. The Boston Tea Party calls for the immediate repeal of the REAL ID Act and any and all National ID plans.

5. The Boston Tea Party calls for legislation adopting an annual, regularized increase in the personal exemption to the federal income tax of $1,000 or more, and the additional application of said personal exemption to all FICA/Social Security taxes paid by employees and employers.

Jay finished with 2,425 (0.00%) reported popular votes but no doubt his tally was much higher since many states do not segregate write-in votes. He was on the ballot in Colorado, Florida, and Tennessee but also a registered write-in in 17 other states.

Although Tom Knapp was the official national BTP VP nominee he was initially on the ballot only in Tennessee with Jay. According to the BTP campaign webpage, Knapp was also considered the write-in VP in Alabama, Delaware, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wyoming but it seems the ticket was not registered in some of them. In addition, Knapp was running in Missouri as a Libertarian for the US House.

After Florida BTP VP John Wayne Smith resigned from the race in Oct. 2008 during a major Party meltdown, Knapp stepped in to fill the void and commented--

It is my understanding that once Mr. Smith resigned as chair of the Florida BTP and destroyed the Florida BTP's Facebook group, which had fortunately been archived and will be resurrected, Mr. Jay decided to seek a substitution of myself for Mr. Smith on the Florida BTP's ticket. I don't know how much effect such a substitution will have (the ballots have presumably already been printed, but the Secretary of State's web site candidate listings my be changed), but I have accepted Mr. Jay's invitation to be the substitute VP candidate.

Including Florida, the combined reported popular vote of the Jay/Knapp ticket was 1,807 (0.00%).

Election history:
2000 - US House of Representatives (Mo.) (Libertarian Party) - defeated
2002 - Missouri House of Representatives (Libertarian Party) - defeated
2008 - US House of Representatives (Mo.) (Libertarian Party) - defeated
2012 - Libertarian Party nomination for US President - dropped out
2016 - Reform Party of the United States nomination for US Vice-President - defeated
2020 - Libertarian Party nomination for US Vice-President - defeated

Other occupations: Marine reservist (infantry NCO in the 1991 Gulf war), Libertarian Party Judicial Committee, author, pundit, blogger, media coordinator and analyist for the Center for a Stateless Society, food service, retail, factory worker, Selective Service Board

Notes:
Winner of the 2008 Congressional race was Todd Akin.
Supported Ross Perot in 1992.
Knapp has wondered if he was one of the few former US Marines to run for VP. Others up to 2008 include: James Roosevelt II (Democrats of America Inc., 1988), Merritt Barton Curtis (Texas Constitution Party, 1960), Jon Adam Greenspon (Independent, 2008), Billy Earl Gilmore (Peoples Party, 1988),  Billy Marvin Davis (Independent, 1984), Rolland Ernest Fisher (Prohibition Party, 1968), and Darrell Lane Castle (Constitution Party, 2008)
On Apr. 29, 2020, after announcing he was seeking the Libertarian Party VP slot, Knapp revealed himself to be a fellow VP trivia lover when he noted: "Guinness Book of World Records busk: So far as I know, I'm the first person to seek the vice-presidential nominations of three different political parties (exclusively, as opposed to fusion propositions) in three different election cycles." He just might be right.

Marilyn Ann Taylor

Marilyn Ann Taylor, April 22, 1952 (Providence, R.I.) – April 12, 2009 (Santa Clarita, Calif.)

VP candidate for Personal Choice Party (2004)
VP candidate for Boston Tea Party (2008)

Running mate with nominee (2004, 2008): Charles Jay (b. 1960)
Popular vote (2004): 946 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2008): 1 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2008): 0/538

The campaign (2004):

The short-lived Personal Choice Party was based in Utah, founded and supported apparently by disgruntled ex-members of the Libertarian Party who felt the former had become too regimented and, well, not very libertarian.

Charles Jay, a sports consultant, broadcaster, columnist, boxing promoter and manager, had earlier been associated with the Libertarian Party and had made a bid for their 2004 VP nomination. After that fell through he was asked to head the ticket for the new Personal Choice Party.

Jay's choice for a running-mate was Marilyn Taylor, better known as Marilyn Chambers the star of adult moves such as Behind the Green Door (1972). "Marilyn was the only person I ever seriously considered," Jay told the press, " ... I felt that Marilyn brought some publicity value to the ticket, but what a lot of people don't understand is that even though I'm sure it wasn't her primary motivation at the time, Marilyn, through her participation in adult films, has done more to advance the First Amendment right of free speech than any other candidate in this presidential race. From that perspective, she is a very strong symbolic presence."

Chambers herself was surprised to be asked on the ticket, but seemed to adjust to campaigning. She told the New York Press, "The candidates with the Personal Choice Party have the freedom to comprise their own platforms, and mine is built on the right to have your own personal choices. Americans are supposed to have the constitutional right to partake in whatever activities they want to, without restrictions. That's not quite how the country's being run."

Later in the campaign, when asked how people reacted to Chambers on the ticket, Jay's response could be viewed as prescient, "It really depends on how old you are. Many of the younger people have no idea even though she still regularly appears on television, on Cinemax, Showtime, and occasionally on HBO. She was not a Pop culture icon while they were growing up. But, for Baby Boomers, certainly she is very well-known. And, it really is a source of amusement. There's been very few people who tell me they don't take the campaign seriously because she's involved, because a lot of people don't take politics seriously. They see Jesse Ventura elected Governor of Minnesota. They see Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of California. So, nothing is really outside the realm of possibility. Nothing it seems is too extreme in politics. That is probably a factor in that."

On the ballot in Utah only, the Jay/Taylor ticket finished 6th out of 7 with 0.10% of the vote in the Beehive State.

The campaign (2008):

As the Personal Choice Party began to fade, another new party also offering a home for disgruntled Libertarians sprang up. Thomas L. Knapp created the Boston Tea Party and explained once in an interview many years later, "I founded the Boston Tea Party in 2006 when there was a fairly serious schism in the Libertarian Party. I saw people preparing to leave the LP, and decided that it was important to give them a place to go that they might come back from (as a matter of fact, at our first convention, I proposed that the BTP become a caucus within the LP rather than a separate party, but I got voted down) ... Hey, we had some fun, got our message out as best we could, and gave libertarians who couldn't stomach Barr/Root 2008 a ticket to vote for. I don't regret any of that. It wasn't until 2010 that I gave up on voting and electoral politics, and I still have friends who are involved."

Charles Jay resurfaced in 2008 as a Presidential candidate, but this time for the Boston Tea Party. Apparently Knapp became the official running-mate but Jay had several alternative VPs: Barry Hess, Dan Sallis Jr., John Wayne Smith, Thomas J. Marino, and Marilyn Chambers Taylor.

The platform of the party was quite short:

Platform of the Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose.

However, they also had something called a "Program," which was basically a platform--

Program of the Boston Tea Party

Program of the Boston Tea Party
Adopted in Convention, October 26th, 2008

[Note: The Boston Tea Party's 2008-2010 program consists of the Campaign For Liberty's four points, endorsed by US Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and presidential candidates Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party), Cynthia McKinney (Green Party), Ralph Nader (Independent), Bob Barr (Libertarian Party) and Charles Jay, the Boston Tea Party's 2008 presidential nominee.]

1. Foreign Policy: The Iraq War must end as quickly as possible with removal of all our soldiers from the region. We must initiate the return of our soldiers from around the world, including Korea, Japan, Europe and the entire Middle East. We must cease the war propaganda, threats of a blockade and plans for attacks on Iran, nor should we re-ignite the cold war with Russia over Georgia. We must be willing to talk to all countries and offer friendship and trade and travel to all who are willing. We must take off the table the threat of a nuclear first strike against all nations.

2. Privacy: We must protect the privacy and civil liberties of all persons under US jurisdiction. We must repeal or radically change the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the FISA legislation. We must reject the notion and practice of torture, elimination of habeas corpus, secret tribunals, and secret prisons. We must deny immunity for corporations that spy willingly on the people for the benefit of the government. We must reject the unitary presidency, the illegal use of signing statements and excessive use of executive orders.
 
3. The National Debt: We believe that there should be no increase in the national debt. The burden of debt placed on the next generation is unjust and already threatening our economy and the value of our dollar. We must pay our bills as we go along and not unfairly place this burden on a future generation.

4. The Federal Reserve: We seek a thorough investigation, evaluation and audit of the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationships with the banking, corporate, and other financial institutions. The arbitrary power to create money and credit out of thin air behind closed doors for the benefit of commercial interests must be ended. There should be no taxpayer bailouts of corporations and no corporate subsidies. Corporations should be aggressively prosecuted for their crimes and frauds.

Past Programs

2006-2008 Program
Adopted in Convention, August 21st, 2006

1. The Boston Tea Party calls for a complete and unconditional withdrawal of US troops from, and a cessation of US military operations against or within, Iraq.

2. The Boston Tea Party supports repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act.

3. The Boston Tea Party calls for an end to the federal prohibition of marijuana and hemp.

4. The Boston Tea Party calls for the immediate repeal of the REAL ID Act and any and all National ID plans.

5. The Boston Tea Party calls for legislation adopting an annual, regularized increase in the personal exemption to the federal income tax of $1,000 or more, and the additional application of said personal exemption to all FICA/Social Security taxes paid by employees and employers.

According to the Party website voters were encouraged to write-in a ticket of Jay and Taylor/Chambers in states where they found write-in votes were not allowed or the system was too Byzantine to easily register: i.e. Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah. "Jay and Taylor" did receive a single write-in vote in Utah, but since they were not registered elsewhere, no other votes were reported.

Election history: none

Other occupations: actress, model, porn star, singer, exotic dancer, author

Buried: "Cremated, Ashes scattered at sea, Specifically: Ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean from the beach at Surfer Point Park, Ventura, California."--Findagrave

Notes:
The first third party VP I have found who was born in Rhode Island.
nee Briggs.