William Alan Mohr

 

William Alan Mohr, May 23, 1959 (Grand Rapids, Mich.) -

VP candidate for Constitution Party (aka American Constitution Party aka U.S. Taxpayers Party aka Independent American Party aka Conservative USA Party) (2020)

Running mate with nominee: Donald Leon Blankenship (b. 1950)
Popular vote: 60,148 (0.04%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In 2020 the Constitution Party was somewhat diminished from it's former self. It was no longer affiliated with California's American Independent Party and since the 2016 election a number of states walked out of the national organization. Plus, the party of Trump had co-opted and attempted to mainstream several of the Constitution Party's platform planks at least through rhetoric if not in action, stealing away potential voters from the third party.

West Virginia coal CEO Don Blankenship was nominated for President on the second ballot. This was seen as a mixed blessing by some. On the positive side he was a well known figure and had deep pockets, but on the negative side the reason he was well known was not exactly complimentary. He served a year in the Taft Federal Correctional Institution in California, convicted of conspiring to violate safety standards that led to the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in 2010, killing 29 workers.

In marketing his book entitled An American Political Prisoner, Blankenship wrote on his website--

Over the past thirty years I have been threatened with death several times: had urine thrown on me: had eleven bullet holes shot into my office: had two cars smashed with ball bats and clubs while I was in them: been continually lied about: been the subject of several false books: been branded with multiple derogatory names: been sued numerous times: been slandered on national television many times: been subjected to continued ridicule by newspapers: been falsely accused of causing the Upper Big Branch (UBB) tragedy: been falsely arrested: endured a trial where I faced thirty years in prison for made up charges, and been put in federal prison for a misdemeanor.

Describing himself as "Trumpier than Trump," Blankenship had also made national headlines in his 2018 candidacy in West Virginia for the U.S. Senate due to his behavior some considered unprofessional and comments that were interpreted as crude.

There is probably some kind of metaphoric significance with the fact Blankenship filed for President with the FEC on Halloween, 2019 but I'll leave it to others to define it.

The Party's 40-page platform is too long to reproduce here, but their webpage does list their "Twelve Key Issues"--

States’ Powers
Everything not specifically delegated by the Constitution to the federal government, nor prohibited by the Constitution to the states, is reserved to the states or to the people.

Education
Since the Constitution grants the Federal Government no authority over Education, the 10th Amendment applies. This includes funding.

Gun Rights
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Foreign Policy, Defense, & Terrorism
American government committed to the protection of the borders, trade, and common defense of Americans, with no entanglement in foreign alliances, is paramount. Any and all wars must be declared by Congress.

Veterans
We vigorously resist the attempt by any government agency to nullify or reduce earned benefits to veterans and their survivors, including but not limited to, compensation, pensions, education, and health care.

Immigration
The Constitution Party has long been the only national political party to stand firmly against the proposals for a “Pathway to Citizenship/Comprehensive Immigration Reform/Amnesty” that come out of Washington.

Treaties & Trade Deals
We believe firmly that any so-called free trade deals and/or treaties that usurp American Sovereignty and/or the Constitution are unconstitutional and we should withdraw from them immediately.

United Nations, Agenda 21, & Global Organizations
We vehemently oppose Agenda 21 and feel we should part ways with the UN and any other global agency that attempts to subvert American Sovereignty.

Religious Freedom
All Americans have equal right to worship according to their beliefs. Government is to be kept out of the religious realm.

Healthcare & Social Security
We believe in the privatization of Healthcare and Social Security, with Social Security being phased out.

Judiciary
We reject the notion that the Supreme Court’s decisions are binding as law beyond those parties to whom the case pertained. Activist Judges should be impeached, as permissible by the Constitution.

Drugs
The federal government’s only responsibility in preventing drug abuse is to control our borders. Drugs are a state issue.

Running-mate Bill Mohr had been an active Republican until 2005 when he joined the U.S. Taxpayers Party in Michigan, the local Constitution Party affiliate.

In one interview during the campaign Mohr shared his thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic--

The COVID pandemic is an opportunity for corrupt governors to grab power and money, and it's happening. I wish people could understand what’s happening. And although there is a virus, the actions being taken are not about the virus.

You don’t quarantine the innocent, you quarantine the sick and that didn’t happen here. We shut our government down, our country down. The mask thing should have been done a long, long time ago.

One more thing, the idea that you can’t buy and sell without a mask, that resembles the mark of the beast. That will be an easy step from the silly mandate to wear a mask into if you don’t have the mark of the beast you won't be able to buy or sell, this needs to be stopped here.

Blankenship/Mohr finished in 8th place nationally. They were on the ballot in 18 states and registered write-ins in several more. Strongest showings were in Utah (0.37%), Alaska (0.31%), Nevada and Idaho (0.22% each). It was by far the most dismal Presidential election result for the Party since their debut election in 1992.

Election history:
2006 - Michigan House of Representatives (U.S. Taxpayers Party) - defeated
2008 - Michigan House of Representatives (U.S. Taxpayers Party) - defeated
2010 - Michigan House of Representatives (U.S. Taxpayers Party) - defeated
2012 - Michigan House of Representatives (U.S. Taxpayers Party) - defeated
2014 - Michigan House of Representatives (U.S. Taxpayers Party) - defeated
2016 - Grand Rapids (Mich.) City Commissioner Ward 2 (Nonpartisan) - defeated
2018 - Village of Martin (Mich.) Board of Trustees At-large (Nonpartisan) - defeated

Other occupations: state chair of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, home maintenance and improvement

Notes:
Mohr's son, Bill Mohr II also ran for public office in Michigan under the US Taxpayer's Party for university regent positions. The "Our Campaigns" website has blended the two into one politician.

Scott Nelson Bradley

 

Scott Nelson Bradley, September 13, 1951 (American Fork, Utah) -

VP candidate for Constitution Party (aka American Constitution Party aka Independent aka US Taxpayers Party aka Independent American Party) (2016)

Running mate with nominee: Darrell Lane Castle (b. 1948)
Popular vote: 203,107 (0.15%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In a convention process that apparently created division and rancor, the Constitution Party nominated their 2008 VP candidate for President in 2016. Darrell Castle's running-mate was Scott N. Bradley of Utah.

Among the many factors that tore the Party asunder was Castle's own on-off-on again availability. He was one of the contenders early in the game, but withdrew for health reasons. After his healing had taken place, he was willing to be back in the arena.

Idaho walked out and nominated their own Constitution Party ticket of Arlon Scott Copeland and John Richard "J.R." Myers, but Castle and Bradley managed to also be listed in the Spud State under the banner of "Independent."

Castle told one reporter: "This isn't the first time I've done this, but in all my time with the party, there has never been a political opportunity like this moment. I don't say this to be egotistical; I say this to be honest — this is the best two candidates for the Constitution Party that we've ever had. Scott and I understand the principles and can communicate them effectively. These two people that represent the Democratic and the Republican parties don't even have principles ... The problem with America is the same problem facing the rest of the world, and that can be summed up in two words: human nature. The Founders understood human nature. They understood that people are wicked by nature, and that wickedness has to be restrained. The states came together to form a contract, a compact, a written Constitution, to give the government 17 enumerated powers. It is the abuse of that power that has caused the problems we face today. Power itself has got to be limited, or it will burst its chains and terrible things will happen, and it's happening now everywhere we look."

At first blush the CP stand on the issues did not seem to be that far removed from the Republicans. If anything, the Trump Party appeared to have co-opted, at least in their rhetoric, much of the long-standing CP platform of theocracy, isolationism, and deregulation. One wonders why the CP did not endorse the Republican nominee. 2012 Constitution Party Presidential candidate Virgil Goode actually did just that.

But Bradley, himself a former Republican, told a reporter in May 2016, "It's an interesting phenomenon. People say to me a vote for a third party is a wasted vote, but you can look back at the track records of the two major political parties and see they're taking us down the same paths. It's really amazing to me that people say to me you have to vote for the lesser of two evils. I consider them to be the evil of two lessers."

The Castle/Bradley ticket finished in 6th place nationally with the highest number of popular votes to date in their Presidential election history. Some pundits felt that both the Libertarian and Constitution parties were beneficiaries of "Never-Trump" conservatives in 2016. They were on the ballot in 24 states and registered as write-ins in 17 more. They also cracked 1% a few times, with their strongest results in Alaska 1.21%, South Dakota 1.10%, Hawaii 1.03%, Wyoming 0.79%, Utah 0.71%, Idaho 0.64%, North Dakota-Washington-West Virginia 0.53% each.

Election history:
2006 - US Senate (Utah) (Constitution Party) - defeated
2008 - Constitution Party nomination for Vice-President - defeated
2010 - US Senate (Utah) (Constitution Party) - defeated

Other occupations: Utah Air National Guard, LDS missionary, executive at AT&T, administrator at Utah State University, Founder and Chairman of the Constitution Commemoration Foundation, author, lecturer

Notes:
Winner of the 2006 election was Orrin Hatch.

Darrell Lane Castle

 

With Ron Paul

Darrell Lane Castle, October 11, 1948 (Kingsport, Tenn.) -

VP candidate for Constitution Party (aka Independent aka Alaskan Independence aka Reform Party of Kansas aka US Taxpayers Party aka Nebraska Party aka Independent American Party) (2008)

Running mate with nominee: Charles Obadiah Baldwin (b. 1952)
Popular vote: 195,186 (0.15%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Chuck Baldwin, the 2004 Constitution Party VP nominee, had told journalists that is was up to God whether or not he would run for President in 2008. In 2006 Baldwin told the Conservative President 2008 website, "In order for me to even consider running in 2008 would require several 'miraculous' signs of reassurance that, frankly, I cannot see happening. However, I am always open to God's will." As late as Mar. 25, 2008, Baldwin told The Miller Report, "I am very honored that anyone would suggest that I should be considered as the CP presidential candidate. There are many great people in our party that, in my opinion, are much more qualified than I am. I have always tried to be open to God's will. At this time, however, I have no inclination that this is God's will for me." In late 2007 Baldwin endorsed Ron Paul for the Republican Presidential nomination.

But God must have given him the sign in short order since Baldwin jumped into the race for the CP nomination on Apr. 10, 2008 right before the convention. Other contenders included "Mad Max" Riekse but it was the threat of Alan Keyes grabbing the prize that may have inspired Baldwin to run. Keyes, who had only recently left the Republican Party after continually failing to achieve elected office, was considered acceptably conservative on social and domestic issues but a total pro-war Neocon in terms of foreign policy. Baldwin handily won the nomination and selected Tennessee attorney Darrell Castle as his running-mate.

A major loss for the Constitution Party was in California. In that state the American Independent Party had been an affiliate of the CP since the early 1990s, but in 2008 the AIP split over Baldwin and Keyes. The California Secretary of State and subsequently the court backed Keyes, and Baldwin was forced to run as a write-in in the Golden State.

The CP had a few other stray ends in 2008. The Constitution Party of Montana, like several other state chapters across the nation at the time, had disaffiliated with the national party in 2006. It seems many state groups did not agree with factions of the national Party that abortion was acceptable in cases of rape, incest, or saving the life of the mother. Also in that same year they elected their first member to the Montana State House of Representatives. Meanwhile, across the country in Maryland, another state where the local Constitution Party took a walk, 2004 Constitution Party Presidential nominee Michael Peroutka jumped ship and considered himself part of the American Heritage Party.

Rather than support Chuck Baldwin, the official Constitution Party nominee in 2008, the Montana group on Sept. 5 filed the names of Ron Paul and Michael Peroutka as their ticket of choice. State Party Chair Jonathan Martin told the press, "Ron Paul did not seek it, but he did not oppose it. He allowed it." Ballot Access News reported, "Ron Paul was aware that the party planned to do this, and has said that as long as he can remain passive and silent about the development, and as long as he need not sign any declaration of candidacy, that he does not object."

It seems Rep. Paul had a change of heart and wrote in a letter dated Sept. 10 to the Montana Secretary of State, "It has come to my attention that I was nominated by the Constitution Party of Montana as its presidential nominee. While I certainly appreciate the Constitution Party of Montana’s nomination, and all the hard work of its members, I am writing to respectfully request that you remove my name from the ballot in Montana as I did not seek nor consent to this nomination." Paul's request was denied on Sept. 15 on the grounds he acted too late. Paul/Peoutka won 2.17% of the vote in Montana. Paul himself endorsed Baldwin.

Peroutka had also won write-in votes for President in Georgia, and Castle the same in Indiana.

In Kentucky, Baldwin's running mate was Robert E. Thornsberry.

On the campaign website, every policy essay began with a quote from Baldwin. Here are a few to act as a summation--

The Education of Young Americans
"If I were President, I would disband the Department of Education."

The Second Amendment Protects Our Liberty
"To help keep your family safe and your country free, go buy a gun."

A Free And Sovereign Republic, Not A World Empire!
"We will stop this international meddling...this international empire building. When Chuck Baldwin is sworn in as President of these United States the 'New World Order' comes crashing down!"

Freedom Of Choice In Health Care
"I strongly support the freedom of choice of practitioner and treatment for all citizens for their health care"

There Is Still Hope For America
"I am personally convinced that, as we get out our message is received by the people of America we will find a ready audience for our message of freedom and hope!"

A Strong National Defense For America
"We will have a national defense that is second to none, with armed forces that serve only under our flag, whose mission is to defend these United States of America!"

Personal Freedom In America
"Free people do not have to check in with government officials and show them their papers--that doesn't work in these United States of America!"

Preserving An Independent American Nation
"The globalists, with their ideas of a common currency here in the United State with a North American Union and a NAFTA Superhighway are after our sovereignty, our freedom and our national independence."

The Sanctity of Life
"I will use the bully pulpit of the Presidency to demand that Congress enact Dr. Ron Paul's Sanctity of Life Act which would set forth that every unborn child is a 'person' under the Constitution, entitled to equal protection of the law and therefore, no unborn child could be killed without due process of law."

The United Nations Will Have To Find A New Address!
"When I am President of these United States all funding for the United Nations stops!"

Baldwin's dislike for the Republican Party seemed to be even more passionate than his views on the Democratic Party. Some Baldwin quotes from different sources in 2008 campaign--

Republicans tout themselves as being “pro-life.” Yet, the GOP controlled both houses of Congress and the White House for six years and did absolutely nothing to overturn Roe or end abortion-on-demand. Under my administration, we could end legal abortion in a matter of days, not decades. And if Congress refused to pass Ron Paul’s bill, I would use the constitutional power of the Presidency to deny funds to protect abortion clinics. Either way, legalized abortion ends when I take office.
Source: Chuck Baldwin Live column: “If I Were President” , May 2, 2008

There is absolutely no reason for us to be dependent upon OPEC. There is enough gas and oil under the soil of Alaska (not to mention the Dakotas and the Gulf of Mexico) to meet the energy needs of the United States for the next 150-200 years. There is also no reason that gas should cost more than $1.50 a gallon (which is about what it was before Bush became President) ... We must begin drilling for the domestic oil that we know exists; we must build more refineries and nuclear power plants.
Source: Chuck Baldwin Live column: “If I Were President” , May 2, 2008

As President, I would end foreign aid. I would also end the current infatuation with nation-building, empire-building, and interventionism. America is not the world’s policeman. Neither are our military personnel the personal militia of the United Nations ... Remember that President Bush told the U.N. in 2003 that the reason we invaded Iraq was for the purpose of securing the “peace and credibility of the United Nations.” (I lie not; that is what he said.)
Source: Chuck Baldwin Live column: “If I Were President” , May 2, 2008

The Democrats basically want the illegals to continue to come across the border at will for the sake of getting votes. The Republicans, on the other hand, want the borders to remain open for the purpose of being able to obtain cheap labor. Regardless of the reason, neither major party has any desire to secure our borders.
Source: Charles Geraci in The Herald Journal, Cache Valley, Utah , Jul 5, 2008

Not only does the Bush administration not secure our borders and ports, it wants to provide a “path to citizenship” for illegal aliens. It allows tax dollars to be used to pay for illegal aliens’ education, social services, and medical care. It offers birthright citizenship for illegal aliens. And it prosecutes and imprisons Border Patrol agents for shooting (but not seriously enough to prevent his escape back into Mexico) a known illegal alien and drug trafficker.

No wonder the flood of illegal aliens has skyrocketed since George W. Bush became President. And is there anyone who does not understand that a John McCain Presidency will be more of the McSame? A McCain White House promises continued open borders and ports. Plus, McCain will also push forward with his plans to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. When it comes to illegal immigration, amnesty, etc., there will be no relief from an Obama White House. Both Barack Obama and John McCain are pro-open borders, pro-amnesty twins.
Source: Chuck Baldwin Live column: “Open Borders Prove” , May 23, 2008

Basically, the only difference between the Republicans and the Democrats today is that the Democrats want to tax and spend, and the Republicans want to borrow and spend. But both of them want to spend. They spend like drunken sailors, except that’s an insult to sailors because at least sailors are spending their own money.
Source: Charles Geraci in The Herald Journal, Cache Valley, Utah , Jul 5, 2008

Secret ‘suspicious activity reports’ filed by financial institutions and reviewed by teams of agents spread around the country. The American people are largely unaware that they are now living in a universal surveillance society. Virtually every major financial transaction--as well as much of their travel--is reported and monitored by the federal government. This total surveillance system, that began in earnest under Bill Clinton’s administration, has mushroomed into a ubiquitous and finely tuned science under George W. Bush. Dare I say that Dubya’s neurotic fixation with spying on ordinary citizens rivals Comrade Stalin’s paranoiac obsession with a total surveillance society?

You and I are constantly being watched, listened to, monitored, taped, and stalked by our own government. So, do any of us really believe that we still live in a free country? A Chuck Baldwin Administration will bring an immediate end to the surveillance state.
Source: 2008 Presidential website, baldwin2008.com, “Issues” , May 27, 2008

I opposed the preemptive invasion of Iraq, and I continue to oppose the occupation of that country. I believe the Bush administration was untruthful about the motivations for going to war with Iraq and continues to deceive the American people to this very day.
Source: Chuck Baldwin Live column: “Strictly Personal” , May 9, 2008

Baldwin/Castle placed third in Utah with 1.26%. They were in 4th in Idaho (0.72%), Alaska (0.51%), South Dakota (0.50%), Oregon (0.42%), Nebraska (0.37%), West Virginia (0.35%), and Mississippi (0.20%). They were in 5th place nationally, on the ballot in 37 states where they were one of only six tickets with the theoretical potential of gaining enough Electoral votes to win. Baldwin was also a write-in in the remaining states except for Oklahoma, North Carolina + the District of Columbia. In spite of losing the California ballot placement, 2008 was their highest national popular vote up to that time, and their second highest percentage.

Darrell Castle would be the Constitution Party Presidential nominee in 2016.

Election history:
2012 - Constitution Party nomination for US President - defeated
2016 - US President (Constitution Party) - defeated

Other occupations: US Marine Corps (Vietnam War), attorney, board member of the Conservative Caucus, US Taxpayers Party Elector 1996

Notes:
Personal trivia- Given Mr. Castle's birthplace and surname, it is highly possible we are distant cousins.
Was trained in the Marine Corps by Oliver North.

Charles Obadiah Baldwin

Charles Obadiah Baldwin, May 3, 1952 (La Porte, Ind.) -

VP candidate for Constitution Party (aka Independent aka Alaska Independence Party aka American Independent Party aka American Constitution Party aka Concerned Citizens Party aka US Taxpayers Party aka Nebraska Party aka Independent American Party) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Michael Anthony Peroutka (b. 1952)
Popular vote: 141,751 (0.12%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

After three consecutive runs, Howard Phillips declined to campaign for President in the 2004 election as the standard bearer for the Constitution Party. The torch needed to be passed.

Controversial Judge Roy Moore in Alabama toyed with the idea of running for President as the Constitution Party nominee, and it would have been his for the taking. But he decided to remain with the Republican Party.

Maryland attorney Michael Peroutka was drafted for the job, and he modestly said he would accept but would be willing to step down in the event another candidate with star power wanted the nomination. In May 2004 Peroutka was chosen and in turn he selected Chuck Baldwin, an independent Baptist minister, protégé of Rev. Jerry Falwell, and radio host in Florida. "The day that I received the phone call from Michael Peroutka asking me to be his running mate was one of the most shocking days of my life," Baldwin said, "Never in my wildest imagination did I anticipate such a call. I did not seek this position. I never saw it coming."

Baldwin was a Democrat until ca1980, then an evangelical Christian Republican until 2004. He left the Republicans because he considered George W. Bush to be too liberal. He was also a rabid anti-Zionist, opposed neoconservatives and the "New World Order," and seemed to be in the 9/11 Truther camp to some degree. As Baldwin explained in July 2004, "... I could no longer in good conscience stay in the Republican Party. Therefore, earlier this year, I joined the Constitution Party. It is the only Party at the national level that stands for the fundamental principles upon which our nation was built. It is the only Party that truly shares my pro-life, pro-liberty, and pro-constitution convictions."

Here are some samples from Baldwin's 2004 entries in his Food for Thought column which also I think reflects the thinking within the Constitution Party at that time. You'll notice he is much harder on the situational ethics of Republicans and evangelicals than he is on the Democrats:

--It seems to me that, in the end, both parties are marching to the same drummer with only a slightly different cadence. The major difference seems to be that of control not course. Indeed, both parties seem headed in the same direction.

--Both Democrats and Republicans want the president to have fast track trade authority. Leaders from both parties support NAFTA, GATT, the WTO, NATO, the World Bank, the IMF, MFN for Communist China, etc. President Bush is currently pushing the New World Order envelope even further by promoting the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

--If President Bush is reelected in November, it is almost certain that he would re-institute the military draft and would even become the first President in U.S. history to draft America's daughters. In addition, Mr. Bush would, in all likelihood, appoint pro-abortion justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and would continue his unconstitutional, imperialistic propensities to unilaterally invade foreign countries without a declaration of war from Congress.

--While we are on the subject of judges, it did not help Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama one bit that there was a Republican governor in Alabama, that there was a Republican Attorney General in Alabama, or that there was a Republican President in the White House. But I can assure you that a Peroutka / Baldwin victory in 2004 would change all of that! In fact, my first recommendation to Michael would be that Roy Moore be his first appointment to the United States Supreme Court.

--President Bush has done as much or more to advance the homosexual agenda as did his predecessor, Bill Clinton. He has appointed many open homosexuals to high public office, as I am sure most all of you know.

Homosexuality by its very definition is fornication. Accordingly, in our military, in our law enforcement agencies, and in other high positions of trust, thorough background investigations are required as to the moral character and integrity of the applicant. I dare say that Bush's promotion of homosexuals to high public office not only violates the laws of decency and integrity, it also violates the laws of these United States of America.

Furthermore, Bush has not reversed Clinton's "Don't Ask ­ Don't Tell" policy allowing sodomites to serve in our armed forces. In fact, come to think about it, I can't recall a single executive order that Bill Clinton made that Bush has overturned. However, he did make a point to reverse Ronald Reagan's policy to take America out of UNESCO and put us right back in. The truth is, both President Bush and John Kerry support civil unions for sodomites. My dear friends, regardless of rhetoric to the contrary, that is not a pro-family position.

--If an American President was truly pro-family, he would never give favored treatment to homosexuals. He would, furthermore, uphold the constitutional provision that requires the President to ensure that every state has a republican form of government. This means he would never submit to tyrannical, activist judges who would attempt to redefine the family.

If an American President truly believed his oath of office, he would never promote the passage of unconstitutional, Orwellian acts such as the egregiously misnamed USA Patriot Act, which has done more to eviscerate the Bill of Rights, especially the Fourth Amendment, than anything that I can ever recall in my lifetime.

If an American President truly believed his oath to the Constitution, he would never invade another country without a formal declaration of war by Congress. The truth is, neither George Bush nor John Kerry has any intention of upholding his oath to the constitution, but you can be sure Michael Peroutka will!

--The blind loyalty of conservatives to President Bush defies logic, reason, Christian principle, and even old fashioned common sense. Conservatives, especially Christian conservatives, have become the largest group of naïve, nonsensical, non-thinking, easily duped people on the planet! It's embarrassing!

--The feminist movement of the past half-century has certainly contributed to the problem of poor male leadership. Yet, the truth is, if men were the leaders they should have been, the feminist movement would never have gotten off the ground. The feminist movement was really not a cause, it was an effect.

This lack of masculine leadership is easily seen in modern politics, but that, again, is but a reflection of the true problem. The real problem is men are not the leaders of their homes or of their churches. It is a sad reality that in America today, women are the heads of most families and most churches.

--The willingness of our political and judicial leaders to embrace homosexuality reveals their rejection of God's moral law and authority. It is no coincidence that within a matter of weeks after the White House and federal courts collaborated to remove the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery that the entire nation would be embroiled in a fever pitch effort to legalize same sex marriage. God will not be mocked. When one sows to the wind, he reaps a whirlwind.

By accepting homosexuality, America is now fueling the flames of debauchery. When homosexuality is finally and fully accepted by American law, pedophilia and other more onerous behavior will not be far behind. As such, America is on the verge of a self-induced implosion.

--I charge G. W. Bush with posturing himself as a conservative while giving us bigger government than did even Bill Clinton. I charge him with creating the machinery with which a police state may emerge. Furthermore, I charge President Bush with attempting to take more freedoms away from the American people than any president in modern memory.

I also believe that Mr. Bush has redundantly violated his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and that he has given nothing but lip service to the pro-life and pro-family agendas. It is also my contention that President Bush has jeopardized the security of these United States and has made a mockery of our nation's laws by his treacherous illegal alien amnesty proposal. He also lied to the American people by saying he supported the Second Amendment only later to endorse the Clinton gun ban.

Even worse, I charge Christian conservatives with willingly surrendering their independent thinking as well as their American heritage in order to accommodate President Bush and the Republican Party. I further charge them with selling their spiritual birthright for a mess of political pottage!

With no real competition in the form of a marquee candidate like Ross Perot, Ron Paul or Pat Buchanan, the Peroutka/Baldwin ticket had the Right wing purists pretty much all to themselves, which might explain why they were one of the very few third parties to see an improvement in their percentages when compared to the 2000 election. They almost had some competition from a party splintered off the Reform Party in 2002 by Buchananites called the America First Party, but it imploded after a short time due to a fiasco involving the invitation and then disinvitation of Bo Gritz to speak at their convention. In 2004 the barely existent AFP endorsed Peroutka. Apparently the AFP is still around today.

The ticket was also endorsed by the white nationalist League of the South (designated as a hate group by the SPLC), the Georgia chapter of the Southern Party, and radio tabloid conspiracy host Alex Jones. They almost snagged Pat Buchanan's nod, but he eventually endorsed Bush and returned to the Republicans after leaving the Reform Party.

On the ballot in three dozen states and write-ins in several more, the Peroutka/Baldwin ticket had their highest percentages in Utah 0.74%, Alaska 0.67%, Idaho 0.52%, Montana 0.39%, South Carolina 0.33%, Virginia 0.32%, Oregon 0.29%, South Dakota 0.28%, Louisiana 0.27%, and Wyoming 0.26%. With the exception of Oregon, these were all states where George W. Bush won with a comfortable margin. Baldwin was not on the ballot in Kansas, the stand-in running-mate in that state (what a strange phrase) was James N. Clymer.

I will continue the Chuck Baldwin story when the 2008 and 2012 elections are covered.

Election history:
2008 - US President (Constitution Party) - defeated
2012 - Lt. Governor of Montana (Republican) - primary - withdrew
2012 - US President (Reform Party of Kansas) - defeated

Other occupations: pastor, radio show host, columnist, editor, state chairman of the Florida Moral Majority

Notes:
Baldwin briefly rejoined the Republican Party 2011-2015 and is now associated with the Independent American Party.

Michael Joseph Sobran Jr.

Michael Joseph Sobran Jr., February 23, 1946 (Ypsilanti, Mich.) – September 30, 2010 (Fairfax, Va.)

VP candidate for Constitution Party (2000)

Running mate with nominee: Howard Jay Phillips (1941-2013)
Popular vote: 923 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Although withdrawn VP nominees normally are not included in this blog, Joe Sobran of the Constitution Party somehow still managed to be on the official ballot in one state for the 2000 election and gained some popular votes, so he is counted as among the third party Vice-Presidential candidates as far as my definition goes.

At their convention in Sept. 1999 the US Taxpayers Party changed their name to the Constitution Party (an alternative name that lost the vote was "American Heritage Party") and for the third time nominated Howard Phillips for President. His running-mate was Joe Sobran. US Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire had previously sought the US Taxpayers Party nomination for President after failing to gain much traction in the national Republican primaries. But shortly before the USTP convention he declared himself an independent candidate for President. That campaign came to an end quickly and he rejoined the Republican Party, endorsing Bush.

Phillips' chief opponent in securing the nomination was none other than his own 1996 running-mate, Herb Titus. Titus said that if he got the nod he would select (Washington State trivia alert!!!) Ellen Craswell as his VP.

The Party platform included: anti-choice on abortion, opposed euthanasia, wanted to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Reserve, privatize Social Security, restrict legal immigration, promote states' rights, end US involvement in the United Nations-NATO-IMF-NAFTA and World Bank, cutting the federal budget by 75%, eliminating Affirmative Action, and it declared a "full submission and unshakable faith" in Jesus Christ.

VP nominee Sobran was not without controversy. In 1993 he was fired from his position with the National Review by his mentor William F. Buckley with the chief charge being an anti-Semite but with assorted other unpleasantries tossed in. Although denials were made, shortly after the 2000 election Sobran was among the speakers at a Holocaust-denial group, making his earlier protestations somewhat disingenuous.

Sobran took a leave of absence from his newspaper column in order to run. In his Sept. 9, 1999 piece he quipped, "With a little luck I will be inaugurated as your vice president in January 2001. I look forward to presiding over the Senate and attending funerals of world leaders."

Sobran was back in the columns within six months. In early March he wrote: In life we sometimes do have to choose the lesser evil rather than the positive good. This is the basis of armed robbery. Forced to choose between your money and your life, you give the mugger your wallet. But though you walk away with relief that your life was spared, you'd be a fool to feel it was a profitable transaction for you. For conservatives who vote Republican, every election is like that.

By the end of March, Sobran had concluded running for office was more work than he bargained for and withdrew from the race. Sobran was eventually replaced by Dr. J. Curtis Frazier.

Yet, the Phillips/Sobran ticket remained on the ballot in Kentucky, where they placed 7th out of 7 with 0.06% of the popular vote in the Bluegrass State.

Election history: none

Other occupations: journalist, columnist, radio commentator

Buried: Andrew Chapel Cemetery (Fairfax, Va.)

Notes:
Believer in the Oxfordian theory that Edward de Vere actually wrote the plays attributed to William
 Shakespeare.

Robert James Meucci Sr.

Robert James Meucci Sr., October 27, 1943 -

VP candidate for Mississippi Taxpayers Party (aka US Taxpayers Party) (1996)

Running mate with nominee: Howard Jay Phillips (1941-2013)
Popular vote: 2,314 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The 1996 Presidential campaign for the US Taxpayers Party really begins with columnist, pundit, and speechwriter Pat Buchanan's bid for the Republican nomination. His surprisingly popular insurgent effort sounded the call for the forces of the rapidly growing hard Right and evangelical wings of the Republican Party. He called them his "Pitchfork Army" in the best of Populist demagogue traditions. Some of his critics called him "David Duke without the sheets" but the US Taxpayers Party really wanted Buchanan on their ticket and made no secret about it.

Howard Phillips, who basically was the US Taxpayers Party and had been the first Presidential nominee of the new party in 1992, watched as Buchanan gave Sen. Bob Dole a big scare early in the season but then bombed out on Super Tuesday in Mar. 1996 and suspended his campaign. This made Buchanan a free agent in the eyes of Phillips, who told a reporter, "My first choice is Pat Buchanan as an active candidate. My second choice is Pat Buchanan as an inactive candidate." The plan, if Buchanan was tied up, was to run someone else for President and still electioneer as the Party of Buchanan. Then, after they won the election, instruct the Electors to brush aside whatever name was officially in the ballot and cast their lots for Pat Buchanan.

For his part, Buchanan was playing coy and openly considered running in the third party if they gained ballot access in all 50 states (they didn't make it). He used that leverage to influence the Republican ticket, saying if Dole did not select a strong pro-life running-mate, then maybe a Party of Buchanan wouldn't be such a bad idea. Dole's subsequent selection of Rep. Jack Kemp was apparently sufficient and Buchanan came on board and endorsed the Republican ticket. So that was the end of that.

So once again the new party turned to Howard Phillips as the Presidential nominee. It would be the second of three runs for him. He described his long range plans for the US Taxpayers Party: "Our main constituencies are pro-lifers, home-schoolers and those concerned with the expansion of government. We want to establish a firm enough position so that as the Republican Party dissolves, as I believe it will, ours will be seen as an alternative."

Platform issues included: Balancing the Federal budget "immediately" -- abolishing the IRS, Dept. of Education, NEA, HUD, ATF, CIA -- Pull the US out of the UN, NATO, NAFTA, GATT -- Impose a moratorium on immigration -- Oppose abortion -- Support states' rights

Phillips opposed what he called the "Satanzation of America." He wrote, "The goal of the New World Order is to remove God from His throne and replace Him with power-seekers who desire not freedom UNDER God, but freedom FROM GOD." He also said, "My comprehensive object is to restore American jurisprudence to its biblical presuppositions and the federal government to its constitutional boundaries."

The campaign had some support from other third parties. The American Independent Party in California had become an affiliate and would remain so for the next decade. The Right to Life in New York, which had endorsed the Republicans in 1992, backed Phillips in 1996. The Concerned Citizens Party, based in Connecticut, signed on as well.

One of the stand-in running-mates was Robert J. Meucci, famous for custom cuestick design who created a much sought after artisan product. 1996 appears to have been Meucci's only foray into elective office. At the Aug. 1996 USTP convention he criticized the Democratic and Republican parties, calling the latter "a house divided against itself," and then he continued-- "And what we have here [at USTP] is not a house divided against itself but a house of all men who believe the same things about this one great nation and that is our Constitution as it was meant to be. Not as its been torn apart and broken today by the Republican and Democratic Party for the benefit of the New World Order to deliver us, America, to the New World Order, to break us down into a one world Socialist government where those who now live in cardboard boxes might some time be elevated to a wooden box, but for that to happen America must fall, must be destroyed financially. So we can level the ground. That seems to be the goal." He also lambasted the media for ignoring Phillips' campaign.

Only on the ballot in Mississippi, which is where Meucci lived at the time, the Phillips/Meucci ticket won 0.26% of the popular vote in that state.

Election history: none

Other occupations: cue sport business, cuestick designer

Notes:
Joined the USTP around early 1995.

Samuel L. Blumenfeld

Samuel L. Blumenfeld, May 31, 1926 (New York, NY) - June 1, 2015 (Waltham, Mass.)

VP candidate for Taxpayers Party (aka US Taxpayers Party)  (1996)

Running mate with nominee: Howard Jay Phillips (1941-2013)
Popular vote: 2,204 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The 1996 Presidential campaign for the US Taxpayers Party really begins with columnist, pundit, and speechwriter Pat Buchanan's bid for the Republican nomination. His surprisingly popular insurgent effort sounded the call for the forces of the rapidly growing hard Right and evangelical wings of the Republican Party. He called them his "Pitchfork Army" in the best of Populist demagogue traditions. Some of his critics called him "David Duke without the sheets" but the US Taxpayers Party really wanted Buchanan on their ticket and made no secret about it.

Howard Phillips, who basically was the US Taxpayers Party and had been the first Presidential nominee of the new party in 1992, watched as Buchanan gave Sen. Bob Dole a big scare early in the season but then bombed out on Super Tuesday in Mar. 1996 and suspended his campaign. This made Buchanan a free agent in the eyes of Phillips, who told a reporter, "My first choice is Pat Buchanan as an active candidate. My second choice is Pat Buchanan as an inactive candidate." The plan, if Buchanan was tied up, was to run someone else for President and still electioneer as the Party of Buchanan. Then, after they won the election, instruct the Electors to brush aside whatever name was officially in the ballot and cast their lots for Pat Buchanan.

For his part, Buchanan was playing coy and openly considered running in the third party if they gained ballot access in all 50 states (they didn't make it). He used that leverage to influence the Republican ticket, saying if Dole did not select a strong pro-life running-mate, then maybe a Party of Buchanan wouldn't be such a bad idea. Dole's subsequent selection of Rep. Jack Kemp was apparently sufficient and Buchanan came on board and endorsed the Republican ticket. So that was the end of that.

So once again the new party turned to Howard Phillips as the Presidential nominee. It would be the second of three runs for him. He described his long range plans for the US Taxpayers Party: "Our main constituencies are pro-lifers, home-schoolers and those concerned with the expansion of government. We want to establish a firm enough position so that as the Republican Party dissolves, as I believe it will, ours will be seen as an alternative."

Platform issues included: Balancing the Federal budget "immediately" -- abolishing the IRS, Dept. of Education, NEA, HUD, ATF, CIA -- Pull the US out of the UN, NATO, NAFTA, GATT -- Impose a moratorium on immigration -- Oppose abortion -- Support states' rights

Phillips opposed what he called the "Satanzation of America." He wrote, "The goal of the New World Order is to remove God from His throne and replace Him with power-seekers who desire not freedom UNDER God, but freedom FROM GOD." He also said, "My comprehensive object is to restore American jurisprudence to its biblical presuppositions and the federal government to its constitutional boundaries."

The campaign had some support from other third parties. The American Independent Party in California had become an affiliate and would remain so for the next decade. The Right to Life in New York, which had endorsed the Republicans in 1992, backed Phillips in 1996. The Concerned Citizens Party, based in Connecticut, signed on as well.

In Kentucky only, Phillips' stand-in running-mate was Samuel Blumenfeld. Blumenfeld was a critic of the American educational system and was an early activist in the home school movement.

Blumenfeld had the kind of conservative credentials that epitomized the USTP. He was a staunch anti-communist connected with the John Birch Society and co-founded the spinoff group Jewish Society of Americanists. He doubted the theories of Darwin, embraced the anti-vaccination movement, and railed against globalism and the "New World Order."

In 2004, Blumenfeld reflected on the USTP and the 1996 campaign: "The Taxpayers Party had its great moment back in 1996, when there was the chance that Patrick Buchanan would bolt the Republican Party and become the Presidential candidate of the Taxpayers Party. In fact, both the conventions of the Republican Party and the Taxpayers Party took place in San Diego at the same time, which made it easy for Buchanan to make his dramatic move and switch parties had he wanted to. But he didn't. And so the great opportunity to put the Taxpayers Party on the front pages of America came and went. Buchanan didn't want to be blamed for a Dole defeat. In the end, the lackluster, non-charismatic, erectile dysfunctional Dole was beaten by the charming, sexy (and erectile functional) Bill Clinton."

The Phillips/Blumenfeld ticket took 0.16% of the popular vote in the Bluegrass State.

Election history: none

Other occupations: US Army (WWII), author, editor, teacher, lecturer, publisher, poet, radio host

Buried: Massachusetts National Cemetery (Bourne, Mass.)

Notes:
Parents and older siblings came to the US from Poland.
Was pro-Marlowe in the Shakespeare authorship question.
Supported Goldwater in 1964.
"You don't need puppets popping out of trash cans to teach children how to read"--Samuel L.
 Blumenfeld.
This brief profile was posted one day before what would have been Blumenfeld's 94th birthday.

Joseph A. Zdonczyk

Joseph A. Zdonczyk, November 2, 1928 (Waterbury, Conn.) - February 19, 2008 (Wolcott, Conn.)

VP candidate for US Taxpayers Party (aka Concerned Citizens Party) (1996)

Running mate with nominee: Howard Jay Phillips (1941-2013)
Popular vote: 10,031 (0.01%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The 1996 Presidential campaign for the US Taxpayers Party really begins with columnist, pundit, and speechwriter Pat Buchanan's bid for the Republican nomination. His surprisingly popular insurgent effort sounded the call for the forces of the rapidly growing hard Right and evangelical wings of the Republican Party. He called them his "Pitchfork Army" in the best of Populist demagogue traditions. Some of his critics called him "David Duke without the sheets" but the US Taxpayers Party really wanted Buchanan on their ticket and made no secret about it.

Howard Phillips, who basically was the US Taxpayers Party and had been the first Presidential nominee of the new party in 1992, watched as Buchanan gave Sen. Bob Dole a big scare early in the season but then bombed out on Super Tuesday in Mar. 1996 and suspended his campaign. This made Buchanan a free agent in the eyes of Phillips, who told a reporter, "My first choice is Pat Buchanan as an active candidate. My second choice is Pat Buchanan as an inactive candidate." The plan, if Buchanan was tied up, was to run someone else for President and still electioneer as the Party of Buchanan. Then, after they won the election, instruct the Electors to brush aside whatever name was officially in the ballot and cast their lots for Pat Buchanan.

For his part, Buchanan was playing coy and openly considered running in the third party if they gained ballot access in all 50 states (they didn't make it). He used that leverage to influence the Republican ticket, saying if Dole did not select a strong pro-life running-mate, then maybe a Party of Buchanan wouldn't be such a bad idea. Dole's subsequent selection of Rep. Jack Kemp was apparently sufficient and Buchanan came on board and endorsed the Republican ticket. So that was the end of that.

So once again the new party turned to Howard Phillips as the Presidential nominee. It would be the second of three runs for him. He described his long range plans for the US Taxpayers Party: "Our main constituencies are pro-lifers, home-schoolers and those concerned with the expansion of government. We want to establish a firm enough position so that as the Republican Party dissolves, as I believe it will, ours will be seen as an alternative."

Platform issues included: Balancing the Federal budget "immediately" -- abolishing the IRS, Dept. of Education, NEA, HUD, ATF, CIA -- Pull the US out of the UN, NATO, NAFTA, GATT -- Impose a moratorium on immigration -- Oppose abortion -- Support states' rights

Phillips opposed what he called the "Satanzation of America." He wrote, "The goal of the New World Order is to remove God from His throne and replace Him with power-seekers who desire not freedom UNDER God, but freedom FROM GOD." He also said, "My comprehensive object is to restore American jurisprudence to its biblical presuppositions and the federal government to its constitutional boundaries."

The campaign had some support from other third parties. The American Independent Party in California had become an affiliate and would remain so for the next decade. The Right to Life in New York, which had endorsed the Republicans in 1992, backed Phillips in 1996. The Concerned Citizens Party, based in Connecticut, signed on as well. The latter party was founded in 1975 by Joseph A. Zdoncyzk of Wolcott, Conn.

Zdonczyk was the USTP stand-in VP in Connecticut and Illinois. He at one time had studied to be a Catholic priest, and when he entered politics one of his priorities was opposing abortion. Although he opposed capital punishment he was generally a fiscal and social conservative and was a perennial candidate in local and state elections.

The Concerned Citizens Party seems to have had it's origins as a rallying point for residents of Wolcott, Conn. concerning land use issues after having no results from the Democratic Party local officials. In fact, the group was initially called Concerned Citizens for a Better Wolcott.

It appears the CCP became an affiliate of the USTP only shortly before the 1996 election. The CCP pretty much died with Zdonczyk when he passed away in 2008.

The Phillips/Zdonczyk ticket captured 0.17% of the popular vote in Connecticut and 0.18% in Illinois.

Election history:
1974 - Connecticut State House (Democratic) - primary - defeated
1975 - Mayor of Wolcott, Conn. (Concerned Citizens for a Better Wolcott) - defeated
1977 - Mayor of Wolcott, Conn. (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
1979 - Mayor of Wolcott, Conn. (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
1985 - Mayor of Wolcott, Conn. (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
1987 - Wolcott (Conn.) Board of Education (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
1990 - Governor of Connecticut (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
1991 - Wolcott (Conn.) Treasurer (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
1994 - Governor of Connecticut (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
1998 - Governor of Connecticut (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
2000 - US House of Representatives (Conn.) (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
2002 - US House of Representatives (Conn.) (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
2004 - Connecticut State House (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
2006 - Governor of Connecticut (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated
2007 - Mayor of Waterbury, Conn. (Concerned Citizens Party) - defeated

Other occupations: US Army, amusement and vending machine company owner,

Buried: Calvary Cemetery (Waterbury, Conn.)

Notes:
Winner of the 1900 election was Lowell Weicker, also running third party.
Said he went to church daily.
Both parents were Polish immigrants.

Herbert William Titus

Herbert William Titus, October 17, 1937 (Baker City, Ore.) -

VP candidate for US Taxpayers Party (aka Independent aka American Independent Party aka American Constitution Party aka Taxpayers Party aka Independent American Party aka Right to Life Party aka US Taxpayer Party) (1996)

Running mate with nominee: Howard Jay Phillips (1941-2013)
Popular vote: 128,310 (0.13%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The 1996 Presidential campaign for the US Taxpayers Party really begins with columnist, pundit, and speechwriter Pat Buchanan's bid for the Republican nomination. His surprisingly popular insurgent effort sounded the call for the forces of the rapidly growing hard Right and evangelical wings of the Republican Party. He called them his "Pitchfork Army" in the best of Populist demagogue traditions. Some of his critics called him "David Duke without the sheets" but the US Taxpayers Party really wanted Buchanan on their ticket and made no secret about it.

Howard Phillips, who basically was the US Taxpayers Party and had been the first Presidential nominee of the new party in 1992, watched as Buchanan gave Sen. Bob Dole a big scare early in the season but then bombed out on Super Tuesday in Mar. 1996 and suspended his campaign. This made Buchanan a free agent in the eyes of Phillips, who told a reporter, "My first choice is Pat Buchanan as an active candidate. My second choice is Pat Buchanan as an inactive candidate." The plan, if Buchanan was tied up, was to run someone else for President and still electioneer as the Party of Buchanan. Then, after they won the election, instruct the Electors to brush aside whatever name was officially in the ballot and cast their lots for Pat Buchanan.

For his part, Buchanan was playing coy and openly considered running in the third party if they gained ballot access in all 50 states (they didn't make it). He used that leverage to influence the Republican ticket, saying if Dole did not select a strong pro-life running-mate, then maybe a Party of Buchanan wouldn't be such a bad idea. Dole's subsequent selection of Rep. Jack Kemp was apparently sufficient and Buchanan came on board and endorsed the Republican ticket. So that was the end of that.

So once again the new party turned to Howard Phillips as the Presidential nominee. It would be the second of three runs for him. He described his long range plans for the US Taxpayers Party: "Our main constituencies are pro-lifers, home-schoolers and those concerned with the expansion of government. We want to establish a firm enough position so that as the Republican Party dissolves, as I believe it will, ours will be seen as an alternative."

Platform issues included: Balancing the Federal budget "immediately" -- abolishing the IRS, Dept. of Education, NEA, HUD, ATF, CIA -- Pull the US out of the UN, NATO, NAFTA, GATT -- Impose a moratorium on immigration -- Oppose abortion -- Support states' rights

Phillips opposed what he called the "Satanzation of America." He wrote, "The goal of the New World Order is to remove God from His throne and replace Him with power-seekers who desire not freedom UNDER God, but freedom FROM GOD." He also said, "My comprehensive object is to restore American jurisprudence to its biblical presuppositions and the federal government to its constitutional boundaries."

The campaign had some support from other third parties. The American Independent Party in California had become an affiliate and would remain so for the next decade. The Right to Life in New York, which had endorsed the Republicans in 1992, backed Phillips in 1996. The Concerned Citizens Party, based in Connecticut, signed on as well.

The US Taxpayers Party drafted Herbert W. Titus as the VP in 1996, but Phillips was on the ballot with four other running-mates as well, all considered stand-ins: Albion Knight his 1992 running-mate was on the ballot in Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia -- Joseph A. Zdonczyk in Connecticut and Illinois -- Samuel Blumenfeld in Kentucky -- and Robert J. Meucci Sr. in Mississippi. In Arizona no VP was listed.

At one time he was a Leftist who opposed the Vietnam War, supported abortion and Gay Rights, and worked for the ACLU. Then as a result of an apparent family crisis, Titus made a dramatic conversion to Christ in the last weekend of July 1975. From that point onward this attorney only saw the law through a theocratic lens. He left his mainstream tenured law professor position at the University of Oregon and signed to teach at Oral Roberts University. After a few years of that he moved over to become the dean of the law school that became Regent University, which operated under the eye of none other than Pat Robertson.

Two factoids here before I continue. Titus was born in Oregon, so add that to my PNW trivia list. Second, Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson himself was a third party Vice-Presidential candidate, in 1992 with Billy Joe Clegg in the Loyal USA Party-- although Pat probably did not give his permission to be on the ticket.

Onward.

In the previous two or so years leading up to the 1996 election, Titus had made headlines for being forced out of his job at Regent University which sparked protests from students and faculty alike. On the administration/Robertson side, it was said Titus was "too radical" [!!!], an autocrat in the classroom who had a low tolerance for free discussion and that his extremist reputation and presence might hurt the school's chances of being accredited. On the Titus side, he said he was defamed by being portrayed as a white supremacist, conspired against, and had is professional life wrecked. Titus filed a suit for $12.5 million. Robertson and company settled out of court a day before the trial was set, during the heat of the election in Aug. 1996. How much of this Right wing Christian in-house cause célèbre was a factor in Titus' selection as a running-mate I do not know and cannot guess.

Phillips and Titus were both residents of Virginia, which would have posed a Constitutional entanglement in the event of their victory.

Phillips won 184,820 popular votes (0.19%). About two thirds of that was with Titus. On the ballot in 27 states the Phillips/Titus ticket had their strongest showings in: Missouri 0.53%, Idaho 0.45%, Wisconsin 0.40%, Utah 0.39%, Alaska 0.38%, Nevada and New York 0.37% each, Kansas 0.33%, Nebraska 0.28%, New Hampshire 0.27%, Rhode Island 0.26%, Maine and Oregon 0.25% each.

Election history:
1999 - Constitution Party nomination for President - defeated

Other occupations: attorney, author, Special Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, law professor, regional director with the American Civil Liberties Union, radio host

Notes:
If Titus had won the 1999 Constitution Party Presidential nomination, his choice for a potential
 running-mate was reported to have been [Washington State trivia alert!!!] Ellen Craswell.
"God is the source of law and liberty. If there is no law, there is no liberty."--Herbert Titus.
Drafted the Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 with Alabama Judge Roy Moore.