Richard Vincent Campagna

Richard Vincent Campagna, May 5, 1952 (New York, NY) -

VP candidate for Libertarian Party (aka Independent) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Michael John Badnarik (b. 1954)
Popular vote: 397,265 (0.32%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Michael Badnarik, a software engineer from Texas, began his quest for the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination shortly after the 2002 midterm elections. He had previously made a couple bids for the Texas House of Representatives in 2000 and 2002 under the Libertarian banner and was now heading for a more ambitious goal.

By the time of the Party convention in late May 2004 he was considered the dark horse in a three-way race between himself and the better known Gary Nolan and Aaron Russo. Conventional wisdom (pun intended) was that the debate between the prospective nominees that took place on C-Span during the event turned the tide in favor of Badnarik. After the second ballot Nolan threw his support to Badnarik. In spite of being outspent at least 3 to 1 by Russo, the Party had an unexpected nominee when Badnarik won on the third ballot. "If I can win the nomination, there's no reason I can't win this election," Badnarik proclaimed.

Badnarik was initially drawn to the Libertarians on the issue of gun rights, but also had strong feelings about other issues in line with the Party. He said he had not filed income tax for several years and would not "until such time as the IRS provides them with an explanation of its authority to collect the tax." Apparently his campaign made sure this potential problem was handled before the election. He also refused to obtain a drivers license since Texas required the applicant to provide fingerprints and Social Security numbers. He also refused to use Zip Codes because they delineated "federal territories" he deemed as illegal.

For the VP position the convention nominated Richard Campagna of Iowa, a self-described "multi-disciplinary professional" with a law degree and an interest in existential philosophy. During his campaign for the nomination, Campagna assembled this intriguing list:

Ten Things

(I've learned so far while pursuing the Libertarian Party's Nomination for the Vice Presidency of the U.S.) - by Richard Campagna

    1. I DON'T have 1,000 friends (yet) scattered nationwide who will contribute $100 or more towards my VP campaign but I DO have about 500-600 such friends and supporters.
    2. I will dedicate much of my time to profitable ventures in order to expand my travel budget. Print media and talk radio, in Iowa and elsewhere, is increasingly supportive of our efforts.
    3. There are many eclectic, free thinking business executives out there who love personal and political liberty.
    4. Many people in the mainstream (my principal constituency) still think Libertarians are racially and ethnically insensitive individuals with a penchant for conspiracy theory. They also think that Lyndon LaRouche was and is our standard bearer. My campaign aims to disabuse them of such preposterous thought patterns and if I accomplish this, I will consider it successful.
    5. This is a relatively painless process because I believe in and love what I am doing.
    6. I would be delighted to run with any Libertarian who gets the party's nod for President. I am open to a draft for any position in which I can serve the party.
    7. I am still trying to analyze the effect of Schwarzenegger's entry into politics on our party's future. I welcome input from party members with respect to the recall effort and Arnold's political philosophy.
    8. There is a great deal of enthusiastic support for my campaign in the midwest, southwest, southeast and California. I am making overtures to the Latino and Portuguese communities and am making symbolic trips to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
    9. My personal philosophy of optimistic, spiritual existentialism and my political philosophy of "traditional Libertarianism" do in fact go hand in hand. In fact, they mesh well with the principles and beliefs of the Judeo-Christian tradition, those of all other religions as well as with those of individuals who profess no religion whatsoever.
    10. By the time of our national convention, I will know, as well as the party's delegates, whether I am the right person for this nomination. I respect our party's process enormously in this regard. The campaign continues, the slightly revised strategy for fund raising is in place and our Iowa Libertarian Party and the National Party are stronger and more national/international in scope and appeal than before, as a consequence of all our joint efforts in this endeavor. I thank you for all you have done so far and all you will continue to do.

Badnarik was a very active campaigner. His campaign website provided what I would term an elevator speech version of his views on the issues:

    Immigration, Borders and National Security
        Immigration and borders are two separate issues. When they are mixed, the result is both deadly to peaceful immigrants and subversive of the security of the United States.

    Civil Liberties
        The erosion of our civil liberties since 9/11 does not represent a new phenomenon. It represents an acceleration of long-existing trends.

    Rights of the Accused
        Of all the infringements upon our Constitutionally protected rights, the most egregious in living memory may be the post-9/11 "detention" of individuals—American and non-American—in secrecy and without charges or access to counsel.

    The Draft
        If a free America were ever subjected to attack, most Americans would be more than willing to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against the foreign aggressors.

    Free Trade vs. State Corporatism
        The twin tenets of peace and free trade are mutually dependent. As French visionary Frederic Bastiat once said, "If goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." When countries rely upon each other in peaceful commerce, the people of those countries have every incentive to avoid violent conflict.

    How to Stop Crime Before It Starts
        "Crime rates go down when offenders must compensate their victims and responsible citizens are permitted to carry concealed weapons. Privatizing police gives them incentive to emphasize prevention and focus on violent, rather than victimless, crimes."

    Military Policy and the War in Iraq
        More and more Americans are coming to oppose the war, the war hawks and high government officials are beginning to distance themselves from the president, and the U.S. seems more willing than ever to pull out of Iraq.

    How to Make Health Care Affordable
        "Health care and insurance costs will plummet if excess regulation is eliminated and malpractice awards are made only on the basis of strict liability. Lower costs, along with the savings from downsizing regulatory bureaucracy, will fund tax credits for those who establish Health Savings Accounts for themselves, their families, Medicare/Medicaid recipients, and the needy."

    Gun Control Means Being Able to Hit your Target
        If I have a "hot button" issue, this is definitely it. Don't even THINK about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.

    How to Empower Minorities Without Reverse Discrimination!
        "Prejudice is fading, yet minorities still lag behind economically. A labyrinth of licensing laws and regulations constitute the hidden roots of modern racial and ethnic discrimination."

    Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry?
        "Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of religious freedom."

    How to Keep the Economy Up and Unemployment Down!
        "Excess regulation and government spending destroy jobs and increase unemployment. Every regulator we fire results in the creation of over 150 new jobs, enough to hire the ex-regulator, the unemployed, and the able-bodied poor."

    Medical Marijuana and the Federal War on Drugs
        In the 2000 campaign for president, George W. Bush said that the federal government should not interfere with the medical marijuana policies of the several states. Like so many other promises, he went back on his word and has closed down medical marijuana facilities permitted by state governments.

    How to Slash Pharmaceutical Prices Virtually Overnight
        "Excess regulation has increased new drug development time by a decade since the 1960s and multiplied development costs 5-fold. Consequently, our seriously ill die waiting for life-saving medicines and pay exorbitant prices when they finally can purchase them. Since these excess regulations kill many more people than they save, they can be safely eliminated, slashing pharmaceutical prices virtually overnight!"

One of the tempests in the teapot regarding the ticket was Campagna's Ph.D. from the American College of Metaphysical Theology, which was regarded as an unaccredited diploma mill where one could earn the title of "Dr." for less than 300 dollars. Campagna himself also had an impressive roster of degrees from Brown University (B.A.), New York University (M.A.), St. John's University (J.D.), and Columbia University (M.A.), but it was the ACMT that drew attention from critics. It was enough of a distraction that Campagna felt obliged to address the issue on July 29, 2004:

To be quite frank, I am proud of the ACMT degree and the unique methodology I employed to obtain same. It has served me and my students well in the fields of education, counseling and spiritual development. It has also served to provide a useful "political" experience. The institution in question is not a fraud; it does exactly what it says it will do. It promises no qualifications for licensure. It has theologically based underpinnings. For the record, the ACMT degree requires reading of approximately 20 full length books, preparation of a detailed annotated resume and the preparation of a substantial essay, similar to, although obviously far less rigorous than a traditional Ph.D. thesis. Considering the travels I have engaged in, the practical experience obtained and the time, energy and moneys expended to finally obtain this degree, I do not feel compelled to blush from mentioning this degree in my resume.

The manner of obtaining this degree (and all of my education and professional experience, both formal and informal) is part of my campaign, part of my identity and in a way, part of my platform stance on "freedom of choice" in education.

On the ballot in 48 states + DC, and write-ins in New Hampshire (Oklahoma was the only state where they were not an option), the Libertarians saw their popular vote slightly increase since 2000, but their percentage actually dipped. They remained in sort of a holding pattern while Nader had once again elbowed his way into the position of the first third party choice.

The Badnarik/Campagna ticket's strongest percentages: Indiana 0.73%, Idaho 0.64%, Illinois 0.62%, Arizona 0.59%, Georgia 0.56%, Alaska 0.54%, Texas and Massachusetts 0.52% each, Wyoming 0.48%, Washington 0.42%, California and Oregon 0.40% each. 

Badnarik had teamed up with the Green Party Presidential candidate David Cobb on at least two occasions. First, both were arrested when trying to crash one of the Bush-Kerry Presidential debates. Second, they became partners in seeking a recount of votes for Ohio.

Election history:
2002 - Lt. Governor of Iowa (Libertarian Party) - defeated

Other occupations: psychologist, interpreter, college professor, specialty travel agency, attorney, author

Notes:
Fluent in six languages.
Moved to Iowa in 1991.
"In education, law and life, the 'existential' and 'libertarian' approaches are most consistent with the
 human condition. Isn't it about time we introduced these philosophies and approaches into our daily
 existence and our government?"--Richard V. Campagna
Supported Ron Paul in the 2012 Republican primaries.

James N. Clymer

James N. Clymer, May 4, 1948 -

VP candidate for Independent (aka Constitution Party) (2004)
VP candidate for Constitution Party (aka Independent aka American Constitution Party aka US Taxpayers Party aka Independent American Party) (2012)

Running mate with nominee (2004): Michael Anthony Peroutka (b. 1952)
Running mate with nominee (2012): Virgil Hamlin Goode, Jr. (b. 1946)
Popular vote (2004): 2,899 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2012): 122,417 (0.09%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2012): 0/538

The campaign (2004):

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 of 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, by default apparently since no Big Names stepped forward, 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."

With no real competition in the form of a marquee candidate like 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.

In the course of meeting filing deadlines before their actual convention, Party Chairman Jim Clymer was inserted as a stand-in name for Vice-President. He made it clear to the media he had no intention of becoming the permanent VP, "Michael Peroutka is running, I'm not."

It seems they were unable to replace Clymer with Baldwin only in Kansas, where the Peroutka/Clymer ticket finished 5th place out of five with 0.24% of the vote in that state. Clymer was also running as the 2004 Constitution Party candidate for the US Senate in Pennsylvania in a race won by Arlen Specter.

The campaign (2012):

Virgil Goode had covered several political affiliations by the time he became the 2012 Constitutional Party Presidential nominee. As a member of the Virginia Senate 1973-1997 and US Congress from Virginia 1997-2009 he started out as a Democrat, declared himself an independent 2000-2002, and joined the Republicans 2002-2010. He was defeated for re-election in 2008.

In most third parties someone with Goode's extensive public service in elected office would be a plus, but in the Constitution Party it could prove to be fatal particularly since Goode's voting record included supporting some neoconservative issues such as the Patriot Act and Bush administration military initiatives. However at the convention Goode was nominated over 2008 VP nominee Darrell Lane Castle. It seemed to be an indicator the Party was starting to mature as they were willing to embrace a true professional politician and all the real-life compromises that entails.

In a game of political musical chairs, Constitution Party 2004 VP and 2008 Presidential nominee Chuck Baldwin had rejoined the Republican Party about the same time Goode was leaving it.

Goode selected Jim Clymer, who was the outgoing national Party chair, as his running-mate.

Among other things Goode advocated the use of troops and walls to halt Mexican illegal immigrants from crossing the border, eliminating Obamacare, pulling the US military out of Afghanistan, ending free trade agreements, and replacing income and estate tax with sales tax.

But the press didn't really cover Goode's platform as much as they speculated how much his campaign was going to hurt Republican Mitt Romney. And for sure it seemed Goode spent more energy attacking Romney than Obama. News coverage of the Constitution Party's struggle for ballot access in the face of active Republican opposition (e.g. Pennsylvania) also overshadowed their message.

Nationally the Goode/Clymer ticket finished in 5th place and they did not end up playing the role of spoiler in any state that I can ascertain. On the ballot in 26 states and write-ins in 14 more, their strongest percentages were in South Dakota 0.65%, Wyoming 0.58%, North Dakota 0.37%, Idaho and Michigan and Virginia 0.34% each, Nevada 0.32%, Missouri 0.29%, Utah and Washington 0.28% each, Colorado and Tennessee 0.24% each.

Election history:
1992 - Pennsylvania Auditor General (Libertarian Party) - defeated
1994 - Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania (Constitution Party) - defeated
1998 - Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania (Constitution Party) - defeated
2000 - Pennsylvania Attorney General (Constitution Party) - defeated
2003 - Lancaster County Board of Commissioners (Penn.) (Constitution Party) - defeated
2004 - US Senate (Penn.) (Constitution Party) - defeated
<2013/14 - 2020> - Manor New East Precinct, Manor Township, Penn. Judge of Elections (Constitution Party)

Other occupations: attorney, Chair of the Constitution Party

Notes:
Clymer is one of the few Constitution Party members  to win an elected office.
Goode endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 election

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.

Patricia Helen LaMarche

Patricia Helen LaMarche, November 26, 1960 (Providence, RI) -

VP candidate for Green Party of the United States (aka Green Party aka D.C. Statehood Green Party aka Independent aka Green Independent Party aka Green-Rainbow Party aka Pacific Green Party) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: David Keith Cobb (b. 1962)
Popular vote: 119,910 (0.10%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The Green Party was at a crossroads in the 2004 national election. Still smarting from the perhaps unfair perception that they were the spoilers in the 2000 election-- and handing the White House to George W. Bush especially in Florida-- the Party had some significant differences of opinion within their ranks on how to proceed. Generally speaking there were three factions at play here.

The first group desired to endorse Ralph Nader's independent run. Nader himself had announced in Dec. 2003 he would not seek the Green nomination, but later he realized the Party's endorsement would come in handy in terms of ballot access although he had no intention of joining the Greens himself. The pro-Nader faction was energized when a week before the Green convention Nader had selected GP activist Peter Camejo as his running-mate. Camejo in fact had won the most popular votes in the Green Party primaries for President.

The second group wanted to run a campaign with a "pure" Green candidate (David Cobb was the frontrunner) rather than ride on the star power of a political celebrity who was not necessarily in line with the Party platform. Cobb, a California attorney and Party activist, had worked hard to gain the nomination as he electioneered across the country gathering delegates.

The third group promoted the idea of sitting out the 2004 Presidential contest and instead concentrate on elections at the grassroots local level. A leaflet from this faction at the convention included, "Choosing No Candidate will allow Greens to build strength at the grassroots, avoiding a punishing national media fight we cannot win ... Our best route to national influence is building local power."

On June 26, 2004 Cobb won the nomination on the second ballot. He named Pat LaMarche, a Green Party activist in Maine, as his running-mate.

Unlike Nader/Camejo the Cobb/LeMarche ticket adopted a "safe state" strategy of not campaigning hard in swing states where they thought they could possibly tip the scales in favor of Bush. Cobb rationalized, "In California, Cobb-LaMarche's message is going to be, 'Progressives, don’t waste your vote.' Because if a progressive casts a vote for the corporate militarist John Kerry in California, it does not help to unelect Bush, and you can only send a message that you actually support policies that you don't. That's a wasted vote. Simple message: progressives, don't waste your vote. In the other states where it's very much closer, we have the same, in-depth, scathing critique of both the Democratic and Republican parties, and then conclude with, 'but think carefully before you cast your vote.' You know, that is completely respecting the voter, and it is really challenging those voters to think about why we have a system where I have to vote against what I hate, rather than support what I want."

LaMarche started a "Left-Out Tour" as a way of campaigning, staying in homeless shelters and domestic violence safehouses in her journeys "to draw attention to those living on the edge of society." Her experiences were later published in a monograph, Left Out in America (2006).

There were a few negatives with LaMarche on the ticket. Low on the political Richter Scale was her switching her registration from Democratic to Green just before she ran for Governor of Maine in 1998. And her short stay in jail after a DWI in 1997. In the Big Picture those were not huge issues, after all both Bush and Cheney had been busted for drunk driving too. What really riled those on the Left was her statement she was not sure who she voting for and suggested she just might pull the level for the Democrat on Election Day, "If the race is tight, I'll vote for Kerry."

A swath of the Left felt the Greens were capitulating to the Democrats far too much. The Vermont Green Party broke ranks and endorsed Nader/Camejo. Cobb did not appear on the ballot there. In Utah the Greens experienced concerted activity to keep them off the ballot and Nader's supporters were accused of being complicit in that effort.

The ticket was on the ballot in 27 states + DC with enough Electors to theoretically win the Presidency with 270 electoral votes. An additional 14 states recorded write-in votes for the ticket. The Cobb/LaMarche team finished with their strongest popular vote percentages in: Connecticut 0.61%, Hawaii and Maine 0.40% each, Massachusetts 0.36%, Alaska 0.34%, California 0.33%, District of Columbia 0.32%, Rhode Island 0.30%, and Oregon 0.29%.

The Green Party Presidential popular vote result in 2004 is the nadir on the graph of their Electoral history. Get it?

Election history:
1998 - Governor of Maine (Green Independent Party) - defeated
2006 - Governor of Maine (Green Independent Party) - defeated

Other occupations: teacher, radio talk show host, DJ, columnist, author, novelist, lecturer

Notes:
1998 opponents included Angus King (winner).
Maternal grandparents were Irish immigrants.

Janice Jordan

Janice Jordan, 1964 (Ojai, Calif.) -

VP candidate for Peace and Freedom Party (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Leonard Peltier (b. 1944)
Popular vote: 27,607 (0.02%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In 1998, The Peace and Freedom Party of California lost their status as a ballot qualified party in California after failing to attain the minimum 2% vote requirement for any statewide candidate. But in 2003 after considerable effort they regained their ballot qualification. Having skipped the 2000 Presidential election, in 2004 they passed over independent Ralph Nader and Socialist Walter F. Brown to nominate Leonard Peltier.

Peltier, a Turtle Mountain Chippewa who was previously active in the American Indian Movement (AIM) had been in prison for almost three decades in 2004. He was convicted of aiding and abetting the 1975 shooting at point blank range of a couple of FBI agents at the Pine Ridge Reservation, SD. Peltier became a fugitive but was arrested a couple months later in Alberta. His case quickly drew controversy while gaining  supporters contending he is a political prisoner and the "Free Leonard Peltier" movement was born.

Agitation to create a Peltier Freedom Party and run him for President had been around even before the previous election in 2000 and disorganized write-in efforts had been promoted that year. Apparently there was some buzz in 2003 of the Peace and Freedom Party endorsing an all-convict ticket of Mumia Abu Jamal for President and Leonard Peltier for VP. Momentum had been building for Peltier to the point where in Feb. 2004 he selected his attorney Barry Bacharach as his running-mate which was serious enough that a button had even been produced.

In March 2004, the same month Peltier won the PFP Presidential primary, his civil rights lawsuit against the FBI for constructing an "officially sanctioned campaign of misinformation and disinformation" was dismissed. 

By the time of the convention on Aug. 1, 2004 Peltier was easily the choice but the Party substituted Bacharach with proven PFP candidate and activist Janice Jordan.

In an interview with Third Party Watch in 2006, Jordan explained how she gravitated to the Peace and Freedom Party--

In 1990, I witnessed the United States Congress declare "Operation Desert Shield" against a poor country, a country of people of color-Iraq. Looking at the sea of wealthy European-American male faces in Washington DC, many of whom were Democrats disgusted me. I grew up in a Democrat stronghold, however at that moment I knew the party wasn't for me anymore. I searched out another political party and I found the Peace & Freedom Party.

Jordan's statement of acceptance as the 2004 VP nominee mirrored the Party platform--

Statement by Janice Jordan

I am honored to be the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peace and Freedom Party of California, the only socialist and feminist party with ballot status in the most populous state in the United States. I have lived in California all of my life, and been active from a very young age in social justice, human services and environmental issues.

The current situation of international violence and occupation could have been avoided through dialogue and diplomacy, approaches that Leonard Peltier and I take pride in as social justice and human rights advocates. There is only one political party in power (the Republicans and the Democrats) in the United States, and unfortunately diplomacy, justice, civil rights and human rights take a backstage to unregulated military spending, unchecked human rights violations and police crime. The United States is not a leader in democracy or freedom; it has alienated itself from the rest of the world and from many of its own people.

Over the years, I have worked to end the disproportionate incarceration of poor people and people of color; the rise of homelessness among women, men, children and families (especially veterans); rampant military spending; police brutality; and the environmental destruction of reservations. I continue to fight for low-cost housing availability, livable wages, free speech, free healthcare, access to higher education, social security safety for seniors, same-sex marriage rights, and medical marijuana, in coalition with local and national grassroots groups and organizations. Government policies to benefit the working-class and working poor should be a priority not a problem. Healthcare, education, jobs and a livable wage are rights, not privileges.

One or two people cannot cure the ills created over centuries of abuse and neglect. However, Leonard Peltier and I intend to listen to communities that have been overlooked and ignored, and to advocate that each person has the right to live a healthy, productive and safe life in the richest country in the world. Working for effective change will happen by voting your conscience, not your fear.

Only on the ballot in California, the Peltier/Jordan ticket finished with 0.22% of the popular vote in that state.

Election history:
1996 - US House of Representatives (Calif.) (Peace and Freedom Party) - defeated
1998 - US House of Representatives (Calif.) (Peace and Freedom Party) - defeated
2000 - Mayor of San Diego, Calif. (Nonpartisan) - primary - defeated
2001 - San Diego (Calif.) City Council (Nonpartisan) - defeated
2006 - Governor of California (Peace and Freedom Party) - defeated

Other occupations: activist, writer, social worker, physical education teacher

Notes:
Winner of 1996 elections was Duncan Hunter.
Opponents in 2006 were Arnold Schwarzenegger (winner), Peter Camejo, James E. Harris, and Art
 Olivier.
Washington State trivia alert!!!-- Peltier was co-owner of an auto body shop in Seattle ca1965-1972.
 In July 2000 the Washington State Democratic Party passed a resolution in support of executive
 clemency for Peltier.

Mary Alice Herbert

Mary Alice Herbert, February 28, 1935 (Dover, Del.) -

VP candidate for Socialist Party of the United States of America (aka Socialist Party USA aka Socialist Party aka Natural Law Party aka United Citizens Party aka Protecting Working Families) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Walter Frederick Brown (b. 1926)
Popular vote: 10,606 (0.01%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In 2004 the Socialist Party of the United States of America nominated 78 year old attorney Walter F. Brown for President. He was a former Democratic State Senator in Oregon (PNW trivia alert!!!) with a long record of progressive activism including being a member of the Socialist Party in earlier days. Mary Alice Herbert, a perennial candidate with the Liberty Union Party in Vermont, was nominated for Vice-President.

Herbert had a political alliance with Eric Chester and ran as his provisional VP in 2004 and in 2008. In the former campaign she retained the position of official running-mate even after the Party selected Walter F. Brown as the nominee.

Even though the SPUSA campaign webpage included: "We support the rights of all women to birth control information and supplies, and to all reproductive health services (including abortion)," it turned out Presidential nominee Brown held anti-abortion views and as a result there was an effort by some factions of the Party to rescind his nomination. Party leaders were also not enamored with Brown's style, as politics1 reported, "Some SPUSA insiders gripe that Brown insists upon total day-to-day control of all aspects his own campaign, even writing his own press releases, newspaper ads, etc. They note it took over a week after Brown won the nomination for him to finalize the press release announcing his victory."

The Liberty Union Party in Vermont, which had endorsed the SPUSA in half of the previous eight Presidential elections including 1996 and 2000, endorsed the Workers World Party for the first and only time in their history. Although Herbert was a long-time member and was listed on their campaign webpage promoting her as the SPUSA VP, Brown's name was totally absent.

Even so, the Brown/Herbert team picked up endorsements from a couple local remaining remnants of the now defunct Natural Law Party in Delaware and Michigan, and the United Citizens Party in South Carolina. In Louisiana they were called Protecting Working Families. 

The Brown/Herbert ticket was on the ballot in 7 states and certified write-ins in 9 others. Their strongest vote results: South Carolina 0.13%, Louisiana 0.09%, Florida 0.05%, and Delaware 0.03%.

Mary Cal Hollis, the 2000 VP was on the ballot with Brown in Colorado only.

In spite the non-support from much of the Party after the abortion issue, the SPUSA enjoyed their highest national vote result since it was founded in 1976 and the number not been matched since then. It was thought the SPUSA picked up a significant amount of voters on the Left  disappointed with Nader's independent run as well being disenchanted with the Greens.

Election history:
1984 - Vermont State House of Representatives (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
1990 - Vermont Secretary of State (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
1992 - Vermont Secretary of State (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
1994 - Vermont Secretary of State (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
1996 - Governor of Vermont (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
2006 - Lt. Governor of Vermont (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
2008 - Socialist Party of the United States of America nomination for US Vice-President - defeated
2012 - Vermont Secretary of State (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
2014 - Vermont Secretary of State (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
2016 - Vermont Secretary of State (Progressive Party) - primary - defeated
2016 - Vermont Secretary of State (Liberty Union Party) - defeated
2018 - Vermont Secretary of State (Progressive Party) - primary - defeated
2018 - Vermont Secretary of State (Democratic Party) - primary - defeated
2018 - Vermont Secretary of State (Liberty Union Party) - defeated

Other occupations: teacher

Notes:
She was Republican earlier in life.
1996 opponents included Howard Dean (winner) and Denny Lane.
First third party VP I have located who was born in Delaware.

Arrin T. Hawkins

Arrin T. Hawkins, July 25, 1975 - 

VP candidate for Socialist Workers Party (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Róger Calero (b. 1969)
Popular vote: 3,689 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Martin Koppel, who had been the Socialist Workers Party provisional Presidential nominee in 2004, was suddenly shifted into running for the US Senate in New York. I say sudden because campaign buttons for Koppel and his running-mate Arrin Hawkins had already been manufactured. In 2002 Koppel and Hawkins had run as a team for Governor and Lt. Governor of New York.

A new Presidential nominee was substituted and made official at the convention but the SWP ticket faced a double whammy as far the Constitution was concerned. The Presidential nominee was Róger Calero, who was born in Nicaragua, and the VP was still Arrin Hawkins, who was 29-- little details that made both of them ineligible to hold the offices they sought. Many states would not allow the duo to be listed on their ballots, so the Harris/Trowe ticket of 2000 returned as stand-ins. As it turned out there were more states with the substitute team for this Castroist party on their ballots than there were with the official 2004 nominees.

Calero was not only not born a US citizen, but he had nearly been deported stemming from an arrest back in 1988 concerning a felony-level sale of marijuana. This case came up in 2002 when Calero attempted to re-enter the US after a journalistic trip to Cuba.

The SWP said Hawkins was 28 or 29 years old, but some sources claimed she was actually two or three years older-- still too young to serve as VP in either case. Records indicate she was born on July 25, 1975.

This double ticket situation takes some figuring, and it doesn't help that several trusted sources have conflicting information. From what I can sort out Harris/Trowe were on the ballot in Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. They were write-ins in Delaware and Ohio. Calero/Hawkins were on the ballot in Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont. They were write-ins in Connecticut. Math is not my strongest subject but I count 7108 votes for Harris/Trowe, 3689 for Calero/Hawkins.

The Calero/Hawkins ticket finished with 0.08% in Vermont, 0.03% in New York, and 0.01% in Minnesota, Nebraska, and New Jersey.

Election history:
2002 - Lt. Governor of New York (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated
2005 - Manhattan Borough President (NY) (Socialist Workers Party) - defeated

Other occupations: airline baggage handler, meat packer, garment worker

Notes:
In the 2002 election she was apparently a write-in candidate.

Jennifer A. Ryan

Jennifer A. Ryan

VP candidate for Christian Freedom Party (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Thomas James Harens (b. 1954)
Popular vote: 2,387 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Thomas J. Harens had been a former legislator in the Minnesota House of Representatives (1981-1982) as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Stating he did not feel welcome in that organization due to his anti-abortion views, he joined the Reform/Minnesota Independence Party under which banner he ran for Mayor of Saint Paul in 1997. In 2004 when he formed the Christian Freedom Party, he said he also considered himself a member of the Minnesota Independence Party as well.

Raised as a Catholic, Harens called himself a progressive Christian and had a platform with a liberal economic agenda. In many ways he anticipated the present American Solidarity Party. "There are millions of progressive Christians who don't feel represented," he told the press. "In this new testament chapter the Democrats are the amoral rabble, by the Christian Right Wing and their allies of republicanism are the new Pharisees, the ones Jesus chased out of the temple," he also said.

The candidate, frequently adorned with a beret that had a paramilitary style to it, did enjoy some statewide press coverage and managed a webpage that had no mention of his running-mate Jennifer A. Ryan who was also apparently a resident of Minnesota. If indeed she was a Minnesotan then the duo would have faced a Constitutional problem in the event of their victory.

Republicans wondered if Harens was a stalking horse for the Kerry campaign, designed to hurt the Republican vote. Harens denied any contact with the Democrats.

Only on the ballot in Minnesota the Harens/Ryan ticket won 0.08% of the popular vote in that state.

Election history: ?

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Another mystery VP

James Lawrence

James Lawrence, 1939/1941 -

VP candidate for Socialist Equality Party (2004)

Running mate with nominee: William Van Auken (b. 1950)
Popular vote: 1,859 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The Socialist Equality Party did not run a Presidential ticket in 2000, but in 2004 the Party was back on the national scene. The SEP ticket was comprised of veteran members Bill Van Auken of New York and Jim Lawrence of Ohio.

Lawrence was a retired auto worker for General Motors and a member of the United Auto Workers. Some critics felt the ticket would have better been served if Van Auken and Lawrence had flipped their positions on the ballot.

The SEP had the sort of platform consistent with being a Trotskyist party, with a particular emphasis on anti-imperialism. They also had sort of a reputation of not playing well with other groups on the Left and going it alone, similar to the now nearly defunct Socialist Labor Party.

In a round-up essay profiling rival Left-wing political parties in the US in 2004, the Freedom Socialist Party summarized their view of the SEP thusly-- "The Socialist Equality Party is running Bill Van Auken and Jim Lawrence. Best known for the World Socialist Website, the SEP has never made it into the 21st century — barely into the 20th. The party disdains the battles for civil rights, feminism and gay liberation, and says unions are a waste of time. And it has a history of using the bosses' courts to try to destroy other Marxist groups." I found plenty of sources in 2004 where the SEP spoke up for civil rights, but then again the FSP seemed to be writing from some experience of interacting with the SEP.

On the ballot in five states, Van Auken/Lawrence finished with 0.02% in Colorado, Minnesota and New Jersey, and 0.01% in Iowa and Washington.

Election history:
1996 - US House of Representatives (Ohio) (Socialist Equality Party) - defeated

Other occupations: auto worker, union activist

Notes:
His son David Lawrence was a SEP candidate for US Congress in Ohio also in 2004.
The website 4truthseekers.org identified Van Auken in 2004 as a "Reptilian/human hybrid," so there
 you have it.