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.
