VP candidate for New American Independent Party (2008)
Running mate with nominee: Frank Edward McEnulty (b. 1956)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Frank McEnulty, a California estate agent filed with the FEC for President in Feb. 2007 as an independent but that did not prevent him from entering the Republican primaries, at least in Arizona. On Mar. 11, 2008 he gained the nomination of the newborn New American Independent Party. Shortly after his nomination, he was in Alaska seeking the endorsement of the Alaska Independence Party alongside members of the American Independence Party and was identified by Alaskan media as a member of the AIP. It does get confusing, doesn't it? He was also a contender for the Reform Party nomination but lost out to Ted Weill, so he became the running-mate July 2008.
It was erroneously reported on some outlets that McEnulty announced he was going to drop his own Presidential campaign in order to campaign full time as the Reform Party VP. McEnulty was definitely running under both banners. It is not unheard of for a candidate to be running for President on one ticket and be the VP on another in the same election. William Jenner in 1956 is one example that springs to mind, and Dick Gregory in 1968 although McEnulty's case was more deliberate.
McEnulty's statement on the matter:
At the Reform Party Convention, held recently in Dallas, TX, I was selected to be their Vice Presidential Candidate to run on the ticket with Ted Weill, the Presidential candidate. I am honored to accept this nomination and see this as an important step in uniting the various third party groups around the country into a stronger, more effective voice.
To that end, I am continuing my independent run for president in the other states in which the Reform Party does not have ballot access. I firmly believe the answer for a better America is in a strong, viable third party that will address the views and needs of the Moderate Majority Americans being ignored by the Democrats and Republicans.
I want to reiterate that I am still the New American Independent Party Presidential candidate for the 2008 election and have discussed this strategy at length with Michael Thompson the Chairman of the NAIP. We are continuing our ballot access efforts and hope that this latest development will help our message to be heard in more states. Thank you for your continued support.
The NAIP was formed in 2004 with an eye to the middle class as a political base. Although the Party attempted to hold the center, it generally came off appearing to be sort of a Libertarian-lite, preaching the gospel of a small federal government, more local control, fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility, less government intrusion into personal lives, and an end to political party tribalism. McEnulty himself was a great admirer of Reagan and a NRA supporter.
In Feb. 2008 McEnulty told an interviewer about his parameters for a VP selection--
I will be looking for someone who is smart, wants what is best for all Americans, is a moderate, a fiscal conservative and will put forth the time and effort to run in a real campaign. I also believe that my running mate needs to be a business person because the government is a business and needs to run more like one. I’m not worried about being outsiders in the Washington scene, because I believe that gridlock is good for the following reason. If there is gridlock, then only legislation that makes sense for all Americans and benefits the vast majority of all Americans will get passed. We’ve got hundreds of thousands of laws. We don’t need new ones every day.
For reasons that are not clear, McEnulty had 9 different running-mates. He made the ballot only in Colorado, and attempted to be a registered write-in in the remainder.
One such running-mate was Richard E. Fleharty of Ponca City, Okla. who filed with the FEC in Aug. 2007 as an independent candidate for President.
As his local newspaper reported, "He is pro-choice, anti-immigration, in favor of pulling the troops out of Iraq and wants everyone to have access to health care."
The McEnulty/Fleharty ticket apparently never made the ballot or were registered as write-ins in any state. They were considered the official team for Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Tennessee.
The New American Independent Party changed their name to the Citizens Party of the United States by the 2012 election.
Election history:
2008 - US President (Independent) - defeated
2012 - US President (Independent) - defeated
Other occupations: US Navy, owner of Fleharty Engineering, electrical contracting, welding, concrete work, control systems management, radio tower maintenance, equipment and machinery repair
Notes:
Although Fleharty had a campaign webpage for 2012, he apparently did not file with the FEC for that election.
