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{{short description|American political party}} | |||
{{Infobox_American_Political_Party | | |||
{{About|the party founded by Ross Perot|the party dedicated to the ]|Reform Party (Hawaii)|the short-lived party formed in Wisconsin in 1873 |Reform Party (19th-century Wisconsin)|the Mormon Reform Party|Reform Party (Mormon)}} | |||
party_name = Reform Party | | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2016}} | |||
party_logo = ] | | |||
{{Infobox political party | |||
party_wikicolourid = Reform | | |||
| name = Reform Party of the<br />United States of America | |||
chairman = ] | | |||
| logo = Reform Party of the United States of America logo.png | |||
senateleader= None| | |||
| colorcode = {{party color|Reform Party (United States)}} | |||
houseleader= None| | |||
| foundation = {{start date and age|1995}} | |||
| ideology = {{no wrap|]<br />]}} | |||
| headquarters = ], Texas | |||
international = none | | |||
| website = {{URL|https://reformparty.org/}} | |||
colours = ] & ]| | |||
| country = United States | |||
headquarters = Box 126437<br>]<br>76126| | |||
| founder = ] | |||
website = | | |||
| chairperson = Nicholas Hensley | |||
footnotes = | |||
| membership = {{decrease}} 6,819 (2021 {{estimation}})<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winger |first=Richard |title=March 2021 Ballot Access News Print Edition |url=http://ballot-access.org/2021/03/28/march-2021-ballot-access-news-print-edition/ |access-date=April 1, 2021 |website=Ballot Access News|date=March 28, 2021 }}</ref> | |||
| position = ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/28/politics.ventura.reut/index.html|title=Minnesota's Jesse Ventura punches out a new book|date=August 28, 2000|publisher=CNN}}</ref> | |||
| seats1_title = Elected offices | |||
| seats1 = '''11 (2024)'''{{Citation needed|month=November 2024|reason=This number needs a source that has recorded it|date=November 2024}} | |||
| colors = {{Color box|Purple|border=darkgray}} ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Reform Party of the United States of America''' ('''RPUSA'''), generally known as the '''Reform Party USA''' or the '''Reform Party''', is a ] ] in the United States, founded in 1995 by ]. | |||
Perot believed Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues. After he received 18.9 percent of the popular vote as an independent candidate in the ], he founded the Reform Party and presented it as a viable alternative to ] and ].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Stone |first1=Walter J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hccTYGs99RoC |title=Three's a Crowd: The Dynamic of Third Parties, Ross Perot, and Republican Resurgence |last2=Rapoport |first2=Ronald B. |date=2005-11-09 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-11453-5 |language=en}}</ref> As the Reform Party presidential nominee, Perot won 8.4 percent of the popular vote in the ]. While he did not receive a single electoral vote, no other ] has since managed to receive as high a share of the popular vote. | |||
{{disputed}} | |||
The party has nominated other presidential candidates over the years, including ] and ].<ref name="indy weekly">{{cite news |date=October 8, 2008 |title=Q&A with Socialist Party presidential candidate Brian Moore |url=http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A266409 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104184456/http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A266409 |archive-date=January 4, 2016 |access-date=November 25, 2008 |work=] |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="FEC 2013">{{cite web |year=2005 |title=Federal Elections 2004 |url=https://www.fec.gov/resources/cms-content/documents/federalelections2004.pdf#page=11 |access-date=February 24, 2024 |website=Federal Election Commission |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> Its most significant victory came when ] was elected ] in ], although he left the party shortly into his term. ] was a member of the Reform Party during his brief ]. In around the year 2000, party infighting and scandals led to a major decline in the party's strength. Beginning with ] in the ], no Reform Party presidential nominee since 1996 has been able to gather 1 percent of the popular vote. | |||
The '''Reform Party of the United States of America''' (abbreviated '''Reform Party USA''' or '''RPUSA''') is a ] in the ], founded by ] in ] who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues--and desired a viable alternative to the ] and ] Parties. It is usually referred to simply as the '''Reform Party''' within the United States. | |||
==The Ross Perot movement== | |||
The Party grew out of ]'s efforts in the ], where—running as an Independent—he became the first non-major party candidate since ] to have been considered viable enough to win the presidency. Perot made a splash by bringing a focus to fiscal issues such as the ] and ]; government reform issues such as ], ], and lobbying reform; and issues on trade. A large part of his following was grounded in the belief he was addressing vital problems largely ignored by the two major parties. While at one point in the race he led in polls, Perot ended up receiving about 18.9% of the popular vote. He continued being politically involved after the election, concentrating on defeating the ] trade agreement. | |||
===Ross Perot's 1992 presidential election campaign=== | |||
The party grew out of ]'s efforts in the ], where—running as an independent—he became the first non-major party candidate since 1912 to have been considered viable enough to win the presidency. Perot received attention for focusing on fiscal issues such as the ] and ]; government reform issues such as ]s, ], and lobbying reform; and issues on trade. A large part of his following was grounded in the belief he was addressing vital problems largely ignored by the two major parties.<ref name="reformparty.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.reformparty.org|title=Welcome to the Reform Party National Committee website|website=Reform Party National Committee}}</ref> | |||
A Gallup poll showed Perot with a slim lead; however, on July 19, he suspended his campaign, accusing Republican operatives of threatening to sabotage his daughter's wedding.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.|date=2019-07-09|title=Ross Perot, Brash Texas Billionaire Who Ran for President, Dies at 89|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/us/politics/ross-perot-death.html|access-date=2021-11-02|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=H. Ross Perot, eccentric billionaire who made two independent runs for president, dies at 89|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/ross-perot-eccentric-billionaire-who-made-two-independent-runs-for-president-dies-at-89/2019/07/09/d1debf90-a253-11e9-b732-41a79c2551bf_story.html|access-date=2021-11-02|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> He was accused by '']'' of being a "quitter" in a well-publicized cover-page article.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Newsweek Staff|date=1992-07-26|title=The Quitter: Why Perot Bowed Out..Se.-Campaign|url=https://www.newsweek.com/quitter-why-perot-bowed-out-se-campaign-200392|access-date=2021-11-02|website=Newsweek|language=en}}</ref> After resuming his campaign on October 1, Perot was dogged by the "quitter" moniker and other allegations concerning his character.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Trueheart|first=Charles|date=1992-10-06|title=ROSS PEROT: HE'S BACK, AND UNDER ATTACK|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/10/06/ross-perot-hes-back-and-under-attack/332843cc-8b24-4082-a146-221b4d209c00/|access-date=2021-11-02|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> On Election Day, many voters were confused as to whether Perot was actually still a candidate. He ended up receiving about 18.9 percent of the popular vote, a record level of popularity not seen in an independent candidate since former President ] ran on the "Bull Moose" ] ticket in 1912. He continued being politically involved after the election, turning his campaign organization (]) into a lobbying group. One of his primary goals was the defeat of the ] during this period.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
Though in ] the ] who took power in Congress tried to deal with many of Perot's fiscal issues, Perot and his supporters were still dissatisfied and by ] sought to found a third party which would rival the ] and ]. There were several names suggested for the party, including 'Independent Party' and 'Independence Party', which were designed to appeal to the belief that voters identified as 'independent' and not aligned with the two parties or other third parties had a common voice. Because of legal reasons, the party ended up being called the 'Reform Party'. There was a drive to get the party on the ballot in all 50 states, which ended up involving lawsuits challenging state ] requirements. It also involved incorporating minor parties in many states which formed since 1992 on Perot's principles, such as the ], and ], the organization through which Perot had coordinated his 1992 campaign. | |||
==Foundation and rise of the party== | |||
When the ] arrived Perot at first held off from entering the contest for the Reform Party's nomination, calling for others to try for the ticket. The only person who announced such an intention was ], former Governor of ]. After the ] indicated only Perot and not Lamm would be able to secure federal matching funds--because his 1992 campaign was as an Independent--Perot entered the race. Some were upset that Perot wouldn't give Lamm the chance at running, and this built up to the beginning of a splinter within the movement when it was alleged certain problems in the primary process, such as many Lamm supporters not receiving ballots, were Perot's doing. Eventually, Perot was nominated and he chose economist ] as his vice-presidential candidate. After a decision that they would not be allowed in the presidential debates, Perot and Choate tried legal efforts but failed. In the end, they won 8% of the vote. | |||
In 1995, Republicans took control of the ], largely on the strength of the "]", which recognized and promised to deal with many of the issues Perot's voters had mobilized to support in 1992. However, two of the major provisions (Constitutional amendments for term limits and the balanced budgets) failed to secure the two-thirds congressional majorities required to be submitted to the states. | |||
Dissatisfied, the grassroots organizations that had made Perot's 1992 candidacy possible began to band together to found a ] intended to rival the Republicans and Democrats. For legal reasons, the party ended up being called the "Reform Party" ("Independent Party" was preferred, but already taken, as were several variants on the name). A drive to get the party on the ballot in all fifty states succeeded, although it ended with lawsuits in some regions over state ] requirements. In a few areas, minor parties became incorporated as state party organizations.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
Between then and the next election, raucous conventions were held in which dissenters upset at Perot's perceived control over the party fought with those who held party offices. Eventually a small group split to establish the ]. | |||
==Apex: 1996 presidential election== | |||
In ], the Reform Party received a victory by electing ] governor of Minnesota, the highest office win for a national third party since the beginning of the century. | |||
The Minnesota Independence Party had agreed to affiliate with the Reform Party, and the party (along with Ventura) broke off their affiliation with the Reform Party when Patrick Buchanan tried to take over the party. | |||
===Nomination campaign=== | |||
By the ], any presidential candidate nominated by the party was qualified for the federal matching funds--$12.5 million--and this had made it an attractive takeover target. Both former ] ]--supported by Choate and ]--and ] of the ] attempted to win control of the Reform Party. An internecine struggle ensued with each claiming to be the official candidate. Many members who supported Hagelin were upset that Buchanan had enlisted his long-time supporters to swamp local party chapters to ensure him delegates and worried about potential changes to the party platform that would match Buchanan's positions on social issues. | |||
At first, when the ] arrived, Perot held off from entering the contest for the Reform Party's presidential nomination, calling for others to try for the ticket. The only person who announced such an intention was ], former Governor of ]. After the ] indicated only Perot and not Lamm would be able to secure federal matching funds—because his 1992 campaign was as an independent—Perot entered the race. Some were upset that Perot changed his mind because, in their view, Perot overshadowed ] run for the party nomination. This built up to the beginning of a splinter within the movement, when it was alleged certain problems in the primary process—such as many Lamm supporters not receiving ballots, and some primary voters receiving multiple ballots—were Perot's doing. The Reform Party claimed these problems stemmed from the petition process for getting the Reform Party on the ballot in all of the states since the party claimed they used the names and addresses of petition signers as the basis of who received ballots. Primary ballots were sent by mail to designated voters. Eventually, Perot was nominated for president and he chose economist ] as his vice presidential running mate.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> The results of the party's presidential primary were: Perot 32,145, Lamm 17,121. | |||
===Exclusion from the debates=== | |||
There were several high profile individuals who also made it known they were considering to run for the Reform Party nomination. This included the celebrities ] and ]; their aspirations were not taken too seriously by the public, and both later decided not to run. Former ] Governor and Senator ], with the support of Ventura, also considered a run but did not want to get in the middle of the fight between Buchanan and Hagelin supporters. | |||
Between 1992 and 1996, the ] changed its rules regarding how candidates could qualify to participate in the presidential debates. As Perot had previously done very well in debates, it was a decisive blow to the campaign when the Commission ruled that he could not participate on the basis of somewhat vague criteria — such as that a candidate was required to have already been endorsed by "a substantial number of major news organizations," with "substantial" being a number to be decided by the commission on a case-by-case basis. Perot could not have qualified for the debates in 1992 under these rules, and was able to show that various famous U.S. presidents would likewise have been excluded from the modern debate by the Commission on Presidential Debates.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
Despite legal action by the Perot team, and an 80 percent majority of Americans supporting his participation in the debates, the Commission refused to budge and Perot was reduced to making his points heard via a series of half-hour "commercials". In the end, Perot and Choate won 8 percent of the vote.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
That struggle culminated in August 2000, when Buchanan was nominated by the party's convention in ] and Hagelin was nominated by a rump convention of delegates who walked out of the one dominated by Buchanan supporters. The split was characterized by heated arguments and even shoving matches between the Buchanan and Hagelin factions. | |||
==Plateau and decline== | |||
Buchanan was ruled by the ] to be the official candidate and therefore eligible for the federal election funds. In the 2000 election, Buchanan and Vice-Presidential running mate ] received 448,895 votes, or 0.4% of the popular vote, failing to meet the 5% threshold to receive federal election funds in 2004. John Hagelin received 83,714 votes--mainly on the Natural Law Party line--which amounted to barely 0.1% of the popular vote. | |||
===1997=== | |||
The Minnesota branch of the Reform Party, which helped elect Ventura, disaffiliated from the national party after the Buchanan takeover and renamed itself the ]. | |||
By October 1997, factional disputes began to emerge with the departure of a group that believed Perot had rigged the 1996 party primary to defeat Lamm. These individuals eventually established the "American Reform Party" (ARP). The ARP is actually a minor ]. Then chairman, Roy Downing, said the split came about when it was "...discovered was a top-down party instead of a bottom-up organization."<ref>{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Although members of the group attempted to persuade former ] Governor ] – Perot's chief rival for the nomination – to run for president as an Independent, he declined, pointing out that he had promised before running that he would not challenge the party's decision. During this time, Perot himself chose to concentrate on lobbying efforts through ].<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
====American Reform Party==== | |||
The final Reform Party split occurred in April 2002, when former Buchanan supporters left in droves to form the right-wing ]. Buchanan supporters took at least eight affiliated state parties with them when they quit, badly hurting the Reform Party's future prospects. | |||
{{anchor|American Reform Party}} | |||
When the ARP was founded, ] noted in the '']'': "At its founding meeting in Kansas City in 1997, the 40 black delegates in the room, led by the country's foremost African-American independent – ] – represented the first time in US history that African-Americans were present at the founding of a major national political party."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0216/Tea-party-activists-Don-t-confuse-them-with-independents |title=Tea party activists: Don't confuse them with independents |publisher=CSMonitor.com |date=February 16, 2010 |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> | |||
The ARP has yet to organize in more than a few states. In the ], ], and ] elections, the American Reform Party supported ] for president. The ARP is not a political party in the conventional sense. It does not have ballot access in any state, and it does not run candidates. It supports third-party candidates and independents who support the primary principles of the Party's platform. | |||
By the ] convention the Reform Party was organized in only thirty states (many of which were rump affiliates controlled by the America First Party) and had ] for the ] in only seven. In most of those seven states, the party organizations had recently left the national party or were about to disaffiliate from it. Ballot status was not expected to be gained in any other states. | |||
About 2010–2011, the party shifted from a relatively ] platform to a ]-style ] one. In the ], the ARP endorsed Republican Party nominee ] against incumbent president ].<ref></ref> In the ], the Party endorsed the Republican candidate ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.americanreformparty.net/blog/comments/the-american-reform-party-endorses-donald-trump-for-president-of-the-united|title=The American Reform Party endorses Donald Trump for President of the United States {{!}} American Reform Party|last=Party|first=American Reform|website=www.americanreformparty.net|access-date=2016-12-08}}</ref> | |||
The Reform Party was presented with a surprise opportunity to retain ballot status in some states when ] announced that he would not run as a Green Party candidate. More than two thirds of the 41 participants in a presidential candidate nominating session held May 12, 2004 voted to nominate Nader as the RPUSA candidate for President. | |||
=====Affiliates===== | |||
People against Nader's role in the race, mainly Democrats, tried to vigorously argue that the Reform Party, which had somewhat broken down, was no longer viable and did not constitute a national party by ] regulations. By August 11, 2004 it appeared that whatever remained of the Reform Party USA was over, as the national party treasurer, ], informed Federal Election Commission officials the party had only $18.18 left in the bank and should be ended. As of that date, the party was more than $300,000 in debt. In response, the Reform Party leadership suspended Chapman from his post. | |||
*In New York State, the Integrity Party is an ARP affiliate. The group, led by Darren Johnson, used the state's fusion election system in cross-endorsing a Democratic sheriff candidate, Vincent Demarco, in Suffolk County, helping him narrowly win the election. The party had also run a host of other candidates and attempted to go statewide in 2006, fielding ] as a candidate in the ]. Legere and the party did not qualify for the November ballot. | |||
*The ] was an affiliate of the ARP. The group was founded by former ] ], who was dissatisfied with the ].<ref>{{cite news|last=Dandan|first=Zaldy|title=New Party organized|volume=26|number=9|page=3|newspaper=Mariana's Variety|date=April 12, 1999|access-date=June 11, 2023|url=https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10524/51417/1/Marianas%20Variety%20Vol.%2026%2c%20No.%2019%2c%201999-04-12.pdf}}</ref> The territory-level party was notable for electing a member to the ] in the ], their first and only elected official.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-07-24 |title=The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands American Reform Party Application |url=http://www.americanreform.org/Mariana-Islands/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724040943/http://www.americanreform.org/Mariana-Islands/ |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}</ref> The party would lose their only elected official in the ] and would cease political activities afterwards. | |||
===Mid-term elections of 1998=== | |||
The 2004 RPUSA convention was scheduled to be held July 22-25 in ] but the location and date were changed to August 27-28 in ]. Sixty-three delegates attended the Irving Nominating Convention, which chose ] to be the party's nominee for President. Ohio and a few other states suspended participation in the National Organization due both the change in location and the nomination of Mr. Nader. | |||
In 1998, the Reform Party received a boost when ] was ] Governor of Minnesota. | |||
According to the ], the Reform Party USA obtained more votes nationwide in 1998 than did any other third party in America (without those garnered by Ventura). Counting Ventura's performance, Reformers took in more votes than all other third parties in the United States combined, establishing the Reform Party as America's third-largest party.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
===2000 presidential election=== | |||
In early September, the appeals to have Nader's name stricken from the Florida and Colorado ballots on the basis that the party was no longer a "national" party choosing its nominee by a "national" convention were denied by the courts in those states. | |||
{{see also|Donald Trump 2000 presidential campaign}} | |||
{{see also|Pat Buchanan 2000 presidential campaign}} | |||
The Reform Party's presidential nominee for the ] was due federal matching funds of $12.5 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=12500000|start_year=1996}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}), based on Perot's 8 percent showing in 1996. Early on, there was a failed effort to draft ].<ref name="reformparty.org"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.politics1.com/reform.htm |title=Presidency 2000 - The Reform Party Candidates |publisher=Politics1 |date=September 13, 2000 |access-date=June 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028101426/http://www.politics1.com/reform.htm |archive-date=October 28, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> | |||
In early ], press releases from the Reform Party have indicated that the party is in the process of rebuilding, with appeals for donations, attempts to reconstitute state party affiliates which were lost during the breakaways of such groups as the Independence Party of Minnesota and the America First Party, and the election of new party officials. | |||
] entered the race briefly, giving television interviews outlining his platform. Trump was progressive on social issues, and supported allowing ] soldiers in the military, saying: "it would not disturb me".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indegayforum.org/news/show/26834.html |title=Independent Gay Forum - Pat Buchanan: On the Record |publisher=Indegayforum.org |access-date=June 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613005525/http://indegayforum.org/news/show/26834.html |archive-date=June 13, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Trump considered himself a conservative, but criticized ], saying: "I'm on the conservative side, but Buchanan is ]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sph.umich.edu/~rwatt/old_nw3.htm |title=Richard Watanabe - Newsweek Quotes, 1999 |publisher=Sph.umich.edu |access-date=June 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221205300/http://www.sph.umich.edu/~rwatt/old_nw3.htm |archive-date=December 21, 2008 }}</ref> He withdrew from the race citing the party's infighting,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-14-2000/headlines---men-behaving-bradley |title=Video: Headlines - Men Behaving Bradley | The Daily Show | Comedy Central |publisher=The Daily Show |date=February 14, 2000 |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> as did Jesse Ventura and the Minnesota Reform Party. Donald Trump stated: "So the Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr. Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani. This is not company I wish to keep."<ref>{{cite news |date=February 14, 2000 |title=QUOTATION OF THE DAY |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/14/nyregion/quotation-of-the-day-815233.html |newspaper=The New York Times }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaczynski |first1=Andrew |last2=Massie| first2=Christopher |date= August 26, 2015 |title=Top Racists And Neo-Nazis Back Donald Trump |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/meet-the-prominent-white-nationalists-fired-up-to-support-do#.vuV8WvAdp |newspaper=BuzzFeed News }}</ref> "Mr. Duke" was a reference to ], a former Grand Wizard of the ]. | |||
Buchanan decided to leave the Republican Party because: "The Republican Party at the national level has ceased to be my party. This divorce began around the end of the Cold War when President (George) Bush declared it to be a New World-order party and began intervening all over the world. While he and I were allies and friends during the Cold War, I just felt that once the Cold War was over the United States should return to a more traditional non-intervention foreign policy."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buchananreform.com/ |title=Buchanan Foster - home |date=October 18, 2000 |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001018122148/http://www.buchananreform.com/ |archive-date=October 18, 2000}}</ref> | |||
After a bitter fight, Buchanan secured ] over ] of the ]. Hagelin and an anti-Buchanan faction walked out and held a separate convention across the street, where they nominated Hagelin as the party's presidential candidate. The dispute went to the courts and the FEC decided that Buchanan was the legitimate nominee and awarded him $12.6 million in campaign funds.<ref>{{cite news |title=FEC rules Buchanan due $12.6 million in campaign funds – Reform Party faction also claimed money|first=Eun-Kyung|last=Kim|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|date=September 13, 2000|page=A.10}}</ref> Buchanan's vice presidential running mate was ]. Buchanan got 449,225 votes, just 0.4 percent of the popular vote, and the party lost its ] for 2004.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
In 2002, Buchanan returned to the Republican Party.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Alberta|first=Tim|title='The Ideas Made It, But I Didn't'|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/22/pat-buchanan-trump-president-history-profile-215042|access-date=2021-11-02|website=POLITICO Magazine|date=May 8, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Following this, a number of far-right extremists remained with the party.<ref name="SPLC">{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Martin A. |date=September 20, 2002 |title=Patrick Buchanan's Reform Party Begins to Unravel |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2002/patrick-buchanan’s-reform-party-begins-unravel |access-date=March 14, 2021 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> | |||
===2004 presidential election=== | |||
By the October 2003, National Convention, the Reform Party had only begun rebuilding, but several former state organizations had elected to rejoin now that the interference from the Freedom Parties was gone. They increased their ranks from 24 to 30 states and managed to retrieve ballot access for seven of them. (Buchanan's poor showing in 2000 had lost ballot access for almost the entire party.)<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
Because of organizational and financial problems in the party, it opted to support the independent campaign of ] as the best option for an independent of any stripe that year. While the endorsement generated publicity for Nader and the Reform Party, the party was only able to provide Nader with seven ballot lines<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2004/0501.html#11 |title=LAWSUIT NEWS, Ballot Access News |publisher=Ballot-access.org |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> down from the 49 of 51 guaranteed ballot lines the party had going into the 2000 election.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ballot-access.org/2000/1001.html#09 |title=PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT STATUS, Ballot Access News |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020618140231/http://ballot-access.org/2000/1001.html#09 |archive-date = June 18, 2002}}</ref> | |||
==Collapse== | |||
===Activities of the party in 2005=== | |||
In 2005, a dispute arose for the number of National Committee members required under the party's by-laws to call meetings of the National Committee. These members came from several states including ], ], and ]. At both meetings, it was determined that a national convention would be called and held in ]. The chairman at the time and National Committee members from ], ], and ] boycotted the National and executive committee meetings, claiming the meetings were illegitimate. As a result, those states held a second convention in Yuma, Arizona.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
In response to a suit filed by the group that met in Tampa, leaders of the Reform Party filed a ] (RICO) complaint claiming the Tampa group were extremists and guilty of conspiracy.<ref>http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/NEWS01/706270314/1002{{Dead link|date=June 2010}}</ref> | |||
===2006 candidates=== | |||
In 2006, the Reform Party nominated candidates in Arizona, and petitioned to regain ballot access in several other states where state Reform Party organizations were active. The Reform Party of Kansas nominated a slate of candidates, led by Iraq War veteran Richard Ranzau. In ], "fiscal conservative" ] (a former assistant ] administrator and Navy veteran) ran on the Reform Party ticket.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thirdpartywatch.com/page/2/ |title=Third Party Watch |publisher=Third Party Watch |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> He received 11.28 percent of the vote, five times the winning candidate's margin of victory;<ref>{{cite web|author=John Eichler |url=http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/electionresults2006G/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206233124/http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/electionresults2006G/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 6, 2006 |title=Colorado Cumulative Report|publisher=Sos.state.co.us |date=December 13, 2006 |access-date=June 13, 2010 }}</ref> he later switched his affiliation to the Democratic Party.<ref>{{cite web |first=Greg|last=Campbell |url=http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20071002/NEWS/71002020 |title=Eidsness withdraws from 4th District race |publisher=Greeley Tribune |date=October 2, 2007 |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> The Florida Reform Party granted use of its ballot line for governor to Max Linn of Florida Citizens for Term Limits (a Republican-leaning organization) in the ]. Linn retained professional campaign staff with connections to the Perot and Ventura campaigns,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rpfla.org/ |title=Reform Party of Florida site |publisher=Rpfla.org |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=June 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628175744/http://www.rpfla.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://maxlinn.com |title=Max Linn's website |publisher=Maxlinn.com |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> but received only 1.9 percent of the vote. By March 2007, the Reform Party had ballot access for the 2008 presidential election in four states (Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi) and had already started petitioning in an additional four.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2007/030107.html |title=BallotAccess.org |publisher=BallotAccess.org |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> | |||
===2008 National Convention=== | |||
The Reform Party held its 2008 National Convention in ], July 18–20.<ref>, www.ballot-access.org, July 7, 2008</ref> | |||
At the national convention, ] of Mississippi was nominated to be the party's 2008 presidential candidate. Frank McEnulty of California, the 2008 presidential candidate of the ], was nominated to be the party's 2008 vice-presidential candidate. David Collison of Texas was elected national chairman of the party. However, the party could not announce the results of the national convention on its web site until October because of a court order obtained by a dissident faction associated with the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reformpa.web.aplus.net/news.htm |title=Reform Party of the United States of America |access-date=2008-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924035234/http://reformpa.web.aplus.net/news.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Therefore, the Weill/McEnulty ticket appeared on the ballot only in Mississippi, in which it received 481 votes.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
An erroneous news report was broadcast by ] that stated the party had endorsed ].<ref>https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=6012839 {{Dead link|date=June 2010}}</ref> Frank MacKay of the dissident ] faction had made the endorsement, not the Reform Party USA. Reform Party USA Reference<ref name="reformparty.org"/> David Collison, the Reform Party's chairman, said during a 2009 interview, "Do you believe that any legitimate national party would endorse the Republican candidate for President rather than have a candidate of their own?"<ref name="reformparty.org"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ahherald.com/index.php/Third-Party-Voices/rebuilding-the-reform-party.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115200213/http://www.ahherald.com/index.php/Third-Party-Voices/rebuilding-the-reform-party.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 15, 2017 |title=Rebuilding the Reform Party | Third Party Voices |publisher=Ahherald.com |date=August 6, 2009 |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> | |||
The candidates for the nomination included:<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
* ], a former ] and ] candidate | |||
* Frank McEnulty, who eventually became the vice presidential nominee | |||
* ], an activist from ] who eventually became the presidential nominee | |||
* ], who later joined the ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://conservativepresident2008.blogspot.com/2007/02/imperato-looking-for-reform-party.html |title=Conservative President 2008: Imperato Looking For Reform Party Nomination |publisher=Conservativepresident2008.blogspot.com |date=February 15, 2007 |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> | |||
* Gene Chapman, a blogger from ] | |||
===2009 legal action=== | |||
A long-standing feud in the party involved John Blare, of the Reform Party of California, and the Reform Party officers. | |||
On December 4, 2009, a New York Federal judge heard ''MacKay v Crews'' on the question of who are the legal Reform Party officers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/04/federal-judge-in-new-york-hears-reform-party-lawsuit/ |title=Ballot Access News " Blog Archive " Federal Judge in New York Hears Reform Party Lawsuit |date=December 4, 2009 |publisher=Ballot-access.org |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> On December 16, 2009, the judge ruled in favor of David Collison's faction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/12/16/federal-court-in-new-york-issues-ruling-in-internal-reform-party-dispute/comment-page-1/#comment-782094 |title=Ballot Access News " Blog Archive " Federal Court in New York Issues Ruling in Internal Reform Party Dispute |date=December 16, 2009 |publisher=Ballot-access.org |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> | |||
Collison said: "After over two years of litigation in Texas and New York, it is my profound pleasure to announce that US District Court Judge Joseph Bianco of the Eastern District of New York has ruled in our favor, and has further reinforced the 2008 ruling of Judge Carl Ginsberg of the 193rd District Court in Texas."<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
===2010=== | |||
In January 2010, ] (CIA) operations officer ] announced his support of the party in '']'': "I have decided to throw in my lot with the Reform Party of the United States."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.reform0121,0,2661831.story |title=Corruption : Corruption News and Photos |publisher=baltimoresun.com |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=February 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216202944/https://www.baltimoresun.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Faddis later left the party, and ran in ] for ] as a Republican. | |||
In February 2010, former Reform Party Chairman ] emerged to discuss the appeal of the ], contrasting it with Ross Perot's party, saying: "The difference with the Tea Party is it's been heavily pushed by a bunch of talk-show conservatives. You have the Republican Party attempting to use this as a means to pull independents or conservative independents to their policies, to their agenda."<ref>{{cite web |author=All Things Considered |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123447238&ft=1&f=1014 |title=Pat Choate, Historian Michael Kazin On Tea Party's Appeal |publisher=NPR |date=February 6, 2010 |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> | |||
In February, ] candidates filed to run as Reform Party candidates in all four of ]'s congressional districts, but none for any statewide offices.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12063153 |title=Challengers file in 4 Miss. congressional races - WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS |publisher=Wlbt.com |date=March 1, 2010 |access-date=June 13, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Among these were Barbara Dale Washer, Tracella Lou O'Hara Hill, and Anna Jewel Revies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thegreenpapers.com/G10/MS|title=Mississippi 2010 Midterm Election|website=thegreenpapers.com}}</ref> | |||
In April 2010, former ] ] condemned the Reform Party on ], saying: "Many remember the Reform Party of the 1990s, which formed around the candidacy of Ross Perot. I sure do, because it eliminated any chance that President George H.W. Bush and I would prevail over Bill Clinton and Al Gore in 1992. Speaking on behalf of the Bush-Quayle campaign, to this day we firmly believe that Perot cost the Republican Party the White House."<ref>{{cite news |last=Finn |first=Tyler |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001664-503544.html |title=Finn, Tyler. "Dan Quayle Urges Tea Party Not to 'Go Perot'" ''CBS News'' April 2, 2010 |publisher=Cbsnews.com |date=April 2, 2010 |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=April 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405183958/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001664-503544.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Pat Choate in an April 28, 2010 interview with ]'s student newspaper remained suspicious of the Tea Party movement, saying: "At these events, a professional Republican always speaks. What to me is questionable is that the Tea Parties endorse candidates, but never endorse Democrats—they seem to be a front for the Republican Party. We were seen as very serious. Perot gave millions, we fielded candidates, and we were a real threat to the status quo. The media treats the Tea Parties as a sign of dissatisfaction, and views them skeptically."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reformpartynj.org/archives/139 |title=Reform Party of New Jersey Pat Choate on Tea Parties, Foreign Policy, and NAFTA | |publisher=Reformpartynj.org |date=April 28, 2010 |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115200228/http://reformpartynj.org/archives/139 |archive-date=January 15, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
], the ] ] involved in the ] scandal, announced on June 27, 2010, that she was running for governor on an independent line in New York State using the name, Reform Party without Reform Party authorization after failing to secure the ] nomination. Davis condemned the ] and Republicans for catering to wealthy white males, saying: "Where are the women, the Hispanics, the African-Americans, and the gay people? We must reject their tired old thinking...."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/06/27/kristin-davis-new-york-gubernatorial-candidate-will-petition-under-reform-party-label/|title=Kristin Davis, New York Gubernatorial Candidate, Will Petition under Reform Party Label|website=ballot-access.org|date=June 27, 2010 }}</ref> | |||
On June 29, 2010, Reform Party National Committee chairman David Collison delivered Davis a cease-and-desist notice demanding that she immediately change the name under which she was seeking to run for governor. Davis made no attempt to obtain permission to run as an official Reform Party candidate, and therefore withdrew her use of the Reform Party name. Davis was not a member of the Reform Party.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> Davis changed her Independent Ballot Line name and filed as an independent candidate by obtaining the required signatures needed in New York State to run for governor on the "Anti-Prohibition" line.<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
===2012 presidential election=== | |||
The Reform Party held its 2012 National Convention in ], August 11–12, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/08/13/reform-party-chooses-andre-barnett-for-president/ |title=Reform Party chooses Andre Barnett for president; |publisher=Ballot Access News |date=August 13, 2012 |access-date=November 9, 2012}}</ref> | |||
At the national convention, the Reform Party nominated ] from New York for president and Ken Cross from Arkansas for vice president. Among those who sought the presidential nomination before dropping out several months prior to the convention were former ] football coach ], economist ], historian Darcy Richardson, and former Louisiana Governor ]. | |||
===2016 presidential election=== | |||
The Reform Party co-nominated the ]'s presidential and vice-presidential candidates ] and ] as their 2016 presidential ticket. However, in 2016, De La Fuente ran as a Democrat in the presidential and U.S. Senate primaries too.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-08-01|title=Opinion: Failed California serial candidate 'Rocky' De La Fuente wants to help Trump so he can beat him|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-07-31/rocky-de-la-fuente-trump|access-date=2021-11-02|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
===2020 presidential election=== | |||
On June 20, 2020, during a virtual convention, the Reform Party again nominated Rocky de la Fuente for president. De la Fuente defeated three other recognized candidates, ], ], and Ben Zion (formerly the nominee for the ]).<ref>{{cite web |url= https://reformparty.org/convention-2020/ |title= 2020 Reform Party National Convention |website= Reform Party |publisher= Reform Party National Committee |access-date=2020-06-20}}</ref> Darcy Richardson from Florida was nominated for vice president. | |||
===2024 presidential election=== | |||
In September 2023, the Reform Party lost its ballot access in ], leaving the party with no state ballot lines.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Winger |first1=Richard |title=Reform Party Loses its Qualified Status in Florida |url=https://ballot-access.org/2023/09/19/reform-party-loses-its-qualified-status-in-florida/ |access-date=24 May 2024 |work=Ballot Access News |date=19 September 2023}}</ref> At their party convention on May 23, 2024, the Reform Party nominated the ] for president and vice president respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Reform Party Nominates Robert Kennedy Jr. For President of the United States |url=https://reformparty.org/the-reform-party-nominates-robert-kennedy-jr-for-president-of-the-united-states/ |website=Reform Party |access-date=24 May 2024 |archive-date=May 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524034156/https://reformparty.org/the-reform-party-nominates-robert-kennedy-jr-for-president-of-the-united-states/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Reform Party filed paperwork for re-qualification in May 2024, which would place Kennedy and Shanahan on the ballot in Florida.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Jordan Willow |title=Florida Reform Party Works to Restore Party Status and Ballot Access After 2023 Revocation |url=https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2024/05/florida-reform-party-works-to-restore-party-status-and-ballot-access-after-2023-revocation/ |access-date=24 May 2024 |work=Independent Political Report |date=23 May 2024}}</ref> Kennedy withdrew from the race in August and endorsed ]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/23/politics/rfk-jr-suspends-campaign/index.html|title=RFK Jr. suspends presidential campaign and endorses Trump|first1=Aaron|last1=Pellish|first2=Edward-Isaac|last2=Dovere|publisher=CNN|date=August 23, 2024|accessdate=August 23, 2024}}</ref> and withdrew his name from the Florida ballot on August 23.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/08/26/g-s1-19634/rfk-jr-withdraw-ballot-battleground-states-michigan-north-carolina|title=RFK may be unable to withdraw his name from ballots in some swing states|website=NPR|date=August 26, 2024|access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref> | |||
=== Best results in major races === | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|+ | |||
!Office | |||
!Percent | |||
!District | |||
!Year | |||
!Place | |||
!Candidate | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="3" |'''President''' | |||
|{{Percentage bar|14.19|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Maine | |||
|] | |||
|3rd | |||
| rowspan="3" |] | |||
|- | |||
|{{Percentage bar|13.56|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Montana | |||
|] | |||
|3rd | |||
|- | |||
|{{Percentage bar|12.71|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Idaho | |||
|] | |||
|3rd | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="3" |'''US Senate''' | |||
|{{Percentage bar|15.42|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Mississippi | |||
|] | |||
|2nd | |||
|] | |||
|- | |||
|{{Percentage bar|8.37|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Kansas | |||
|] | |||
|3rd | |||
|] | |||
|- | |||
|{{Percentage bar|6.98|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Minnesota | |||
|] | |||
|3rd | |||
|] | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="3" |'''US House''' | |||
|{{Percentage bar|33.70|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Florida District 5 | |||
|] | |||
|2nd | |||
|] | |||
|- | |||
|{{Percentage bar|21.09|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|California District 21 | |||
|] | |||
|2nd | |||
|] | |||
|- | |||
|{{Percentage bar|20.99|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Mississippi District 1 | |||
|] | |||
|2nd | |||
|Barbara Dale Washer | |||
|- | |||
| rowspan="3" |'''Governor''' | |||
|'''{{Percentage bar|36.99|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}}''' | |||
|'''Minnesota''' | |||
|] | |||
|'''1st''' | |||
|''']''' | |||
|- | |||
|{{Percentage bar|15.33|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|Kentucky | |||
|] | |||
|3rd | |||
|] | |||
|- | |||
|{{Percentage bar|2.08|c={{party color|Reform Party (United States)}}}} | |||
|New Hampshire | |||
|] | |||
|3rd | |||
|] | |||
|} | |||
==Presidential tickets== | ==Presidential tickets== | ||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||
*] - ] and ] (lost) | |||
! Year | |||
*] - ] and ] (lost) | |||
! width=3| Presidential nominee | |||
*] - ] and ] (lost) | |||
! Home state | |||
! width=30| Previous positions | |||
! width=300| Vice presidential nominee | |||
! Home state | |||
! width=300| Previous positions | |||
! Votes | |||
! Notes | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
| ]<br />''']'''<br />(]) | |||
| {{flag|Texas}} | |||
| {{small|Businessman<br />Candidate for President of the United States<br />(])}} | |||
| ]<br />''']''' | |||
| {{flag|District of Columbia}} | |||
| {{small|Economist}} | |||
| 8,085,294 (#3) (8.4%)<br />0 EV | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
|]<br />''']'''<br />(]) | |||
| {{flag|Virginia}} | |||
| {{small|]<br />(1985–1987)<br />Candidate for President of the United States<br />(]; 1996)}} | |||
| <br />''']''' | |||
| {{flag|California}} | |||
| {{small|Activist<br />Candidate for ]<br />(1986)}} | |||
| 448,895 (#4) (0.4%)<br />0 EV | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
| ]<br />''']'''<br />(]) | |||
| {{flag|Connecticut}} | |||
| {{small|Lawyer, activist<br />Candidate for President of the United States<br />(1996; 2000)}} | |||
| ]<br />''']''' | |||
| {{flag|California}} | |||
| {{small|Candidate for ]<br />(1967)<br />Candidate for President of the United States<br />(])<br />Candidate for ]<br />(]; ])}} | |||
| 465,151 (0.4%)<br />0 EV | |||
| <ref>While Nader and Camejo ran as independents, they also received the nomination of the Reform Party.</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
|<br />''']''' | |||
| {{flag|Mississippi}} | |||
| {{small|Nominee for ] from Mississippi<br />(])}} | |||
| '''Frank McEnulty''' | |||
| {{flag|California}} | |||
| {{small|Businessman}} | |||
| 481 (0.0004%)<br />0 EV | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
| ''']''' | |||
| {{flag|New York}} | |||
| {{small|Entrepreneur}} | |||
| '''Ken Cross''' | |||
| {{flag|Arkansas}} | |||
| {{small|Engineer, businessman}} | |||
| 962 (0.001%)<br />0 EV | |||
| <ref>{{Cite web|title=Reform Party Chooses Andre Barnett for President {{!}} Ballot Access News|date=August 13, 2012 |url=http://ballot-access.org/2012/08/13/reform-party-chooses-andre-barnett-for-president/|access-date=2021-03-27|language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
| ]<br />''']'''<br />(]) | |||
| {{flag|California}} | |||
| {{small|Businessman}} | |||
| ]<br />''']''' | |||
| {{flag|Florida}} | |||
| {{small|Lawyer<br />Candidate for Florida's 47th ] district<br />(2002; 2010)<br />Candidate for ]<br />(])}} | |||
| 33,136 (#9) (0.02%)<br />0 EV | |||
| <ref>De La Fuente and Steinberg were also the nominees of the ].</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
| ]<br />''']'''<br />(]) | |||
| {{flag|California}} | |||
| {{small|Businessman<br />Candidate for President of the United States<br />(])}} | |||
| ] <br />'''Darcy Richardson''' | |||
| {{flag|Florida}} | |||
| {{small|Historian<br />Author<br />2018 Reform Party Nominee for ]}} | |||
| 88,238 (#5) (0.06%)<br />0 EV | |||
| <ref>{{Cite web|last=Mauger|first=Craig|title=Michigan sheriff's conspiracy-laden election lawsuit stalls on the runway|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/08/michigan-sheriffs-conspiracy-laden-election-lawsuit-stalls-runway/6487894002/|access-date=2021-03-27|website=The Detroit News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|number=1274441081200017409|user=ReformParty|title=The Reform Party has nominated Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente @JoinRocky for President of the United States. ¡Felicitac…<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=June 20, 2020}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| ] | |||
| ]<br />''']'''<br />(]) | |||
| {{flag|California}} | |||
| {{small|Attorney, activist}} | |||
| ''']''' | |||
| {{flag|California}} | |||
| {{small|Attorney, technologist}} | |||
| 681,450 (#4) (0.46%)<br />0 EV | |||
| | |||
|} | |||
==Platform== | ==Platform== | ||
The Reform Party platform includes the following: | The Reform Party platform includes the following:<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | ||
*Maintaining a balanced budget, ensured by passing a ] and changing budgeting practices, and paying down the federal debt. | |||
*], including strict limits on campaign contributions and the outlawing of ] | |||
*Enforcement of exisiting ] laws | |||
*Opposition to ] agreements like ] and CAFTA, and a call for withdrawal from the ]. | |||
*] on ] and ]. | |||
*Direct election of the United States President by popular vote. | |||
* Maintaining a balanced budget, eventually passing a ] and changing budgeting practices, and paying down the federal debt | |||
A noticeable absence from the Reform Party platform has been what are social issues, including abortion and gay rights. Reform Party representatives had long stated beliefs that their party could bring together people from both sides of these issues, which they consider divisive, to address what they considered to be more vital concerns as expressed in their platform. The idea was to form a large coalition of moderates; but this aspect of the platform is something severely criticized by other minor party candidates who have argued that the disunity on these issues has in part led to the party's breakdown over the years. | |||
* ], including strict limits on campaign contributions and the outlawing of ]s | |||
* Enforcement of existing ] laws and opposition to ] | |||
* ]s on ] and ] | |||
* Direct election of the United States President by popular vote and other election system reforms | |||
* Federal elections held on weekends or Election Day (on a Tuesday) made a national holiday | |||
A noticeable absence from the Reform Party platform has been social issues, including abortion and gay rights. Reform Party representatives had long stated beliefs that their party could bring together people from both sides of these issues, which they consider divisive, to address what they considered to be more vital concerns as expressed in their platform.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} The idea was to form a large coalition of moderates; that intention was overridden in 2001 by the Buchanan takeover which rewrote the RPUSA Constitution to include platform planks opposed to any form of abortion. The Buchananists, in turn, were overridden by the 2002 Convention which reverted the Constitution to its 1996 version and the party's original stated goals.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} | |||
==Active state affiliates== | |||
The party's active state affiliates are:<ref name="reformparty.org"/> | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] (reorganized in 2010)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Benjamin |first=Pat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AhJuBIGuom8C&dq=reform+party+of+new+jersey+Ross+Perot&pg=PA99 |title=The Perot Legacy: A New Political Path |date=2013-03-01 |publisher=Morgan James Publishing |isbn=978-1-61448-473-8 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*] | * ] | ||
*] | * ] | ||
*] | * ] | ||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
== |
==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
* | |||
* | |||
==Further reading== | |||
{{USParty}} | |||
{{Further|Ross Perot#Further reading|1992 United States presidential election#Further reading|1996 United States presidential election#Further reading}} | |||
* Green, John C., and William Binning. "Surviving Perot: The origins and future of the Reform Party." in ''Multiparty Politics in America'' (1997): 87–102. | |||
* Herron, Michael, and Jeffrey Lewis. "Did Ralph Nader spoil a Gore presidency? A ballot-level study of Green and Reform Party voters in the 2000 presidential election." ''Quarterly Journal of Political Science'' 2.3 (2007): 205–226. | |||
* Jelen, Ted G., ed. ''Ross for boss: The Perot phenomenon and beyond'' (SUNY Press, 2001). | |||
* Owen, Diana, and Jack Dennis. "Anti‐partyism in the USA and support for Ross Perot." ''European Journal of Political Research'' 29.3 (1996): 383–400. | |||
* Stone, Walter J., Ronald B. Rapoport, and Monique B. Schneider. "Party Members in a Three-Party Election: Major-Party and Reform Activism in the 1996 American Presidential Election." ''Party Politics'' 10.4 (2004): 445–469. | |||
* Stone, Walter J., et al. "The Activist Base of the Reform Party in 1996: Problems and Prospects." in ''The State of the Parties: The Changing Role of Contemporary American Parties'' (1999): 190–211. | |||
==External links== | |||
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Latest revision as of 15:32, 16 December 2024
American political party This article is about the party founded by Ross Perot. For the party dedicated to the U.S. Annexation of Hawaii, see Reform Party (Hawaii). For the short-lived party formed in Wisconsin in 1873, see Reform Party (19th-century Wisconsin). For the Mormon Reform Party, see Reform Party (Mormon).‹ The template Infobox political party is being considered for merging. ›
Reform Party of the United States of America | |
---|---|
Chairperson | Nicholas Hensley |
Founder | Ross Perot |
Founded | 1995; 29 years ago (1995) |
Headquarters | Dallas, Texas |
Membership | 6,819 (2021 est.) |
Ideology | Populism Radical centrism |
Political position | Center |
Colors | Purple |
Elected offices | 11 (2024) |
Website | |
reformparty | |
The Reform Party of the United States of America (RPUSA), generally known as the Reform Party USA or the Reform Party, is a centrist political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot.
Perot believed Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues. After he received 18.9 percent of the popular vote as an independent candidate in the 1992 presidential election, he founded the Reform Party and presented it as a viable alternative to Republicans and Democrats. As the Reform Party presidential nominee, Perot won 8.4 percent of the popular vote in the 1996 presidential election. While he did not receive a single electoral vote, no other third-party or independent candidate has since managed to receive as high a share of the popular vote.
The party has nominated other presidential candidates over the years, including Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader. Its most significant victory came when Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1998, although he left the party shortly into his term. Donald Trump was a member of the Reform Party during his brief 2000 presidential campaign. In around the year 2000, party infighting and scandals led to a major decline in the party's strength. Beginning with Buchanan's poor showing in the 2000 election, no Reform Party presidential nominee since 1996 has been able to gather 1 percent of the popular vote.
The Ross Perot movement
Ross Perot's 1992 presidential election campaign
The party grew out of Ross Perot's efforts in the 1992 presidential election, where—running as an independent—he became the first non-major party candidate since 1912 to have been considered viable enough to win the presidency. Perot received attention for focusing on fiscal issues such as the federal deficit and national debt; government reform issues such as term limits, campaign finance reform, and lobbying reform; and issues on trade. A large part of his following was grounded in the belief he was addressing vital problems largely ignored by the two major parties.
A Gallup poll showed Perot with a slim lead; however, on July 19, he suspended his campaign, accusing Republican operatives of threatening to sabotage his daughter's wedding. He was accused by Newsweek of being a "quitter" in a well-publicized cover-page article. After resuming his campaign on October 1, Perot was dogged by the "quitter" moniker and other allegations concerning his character. On Election Day, many voters were confused as to whether Perot was actually still a candidate. He ended up receiving about 18.9 percent of the popular vote, a record level of popularity not seen in an independent candidate since former President Theodore Roosevelt ran on the "Bull Moose" Progressive Party ticket in 1912. He continued being politically involved after the election, turning his campaign organization (United We Stand America) into a lobbying group. One of his primary goals was the defeat of the North American Free Trade Agreement during this period.
Foundation and rise of the party
In 1995, Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, largely on the strength of the "Contract with America", which recognized and promised to deal with many of the issues Perot's voters had mobilized to support in 1992. However, two of the major provisions (Constitutional amendments for term limits and the balanced budgets) failed to secure the two-thirds congressional majorities required to be submitted to the states.
Dissatisfied, the grassroots organizations that had made Perot's 1992 candidacy possible began to band together to found a third party intended to rival the Republicans and Democrats. For legal reasons, the party ended up being called the "Reform Party" ("Independent Party" was preferred, but already taken, as were several variants on the name). A drive to get the party on the ballot in all fifty states succeeded, although it ended with lawsuits in some regions over state ballot access requirements. In a few areas, minor parties became incorporated as state party organizations.
Apex: 1996 presidential election
Nomination campaign
At first, when the 1996 election season arrived, Perot held off from entering the contest for the Reform Party's presidential nomination, calling for others to try for the ticket. The only person who announced such an intention was Dick Lamm, former Governor of Colorado. After the Federal Election Commission indicated only Perot and not Lamm would be able to secure federal matching funds—because his 1992 campaign was as an independent—Perot entered the race. Some were upset that Perot changed his mind because, in their view, Perot overshadowed Lamm's run for the party nomination. This built up to the beginning of a splinter within the movement, when it was alleged certain problems in the primary process—such as many Lamm supporters not receiving ballots, and some primary voters receiving multiple ballots—were Perot's doing. The Reform Party claimed these problems stemmed from the petition process for getting the Reform Party on the ballot in all of the states since the party claimed they used the names and addresses of petition signers as the basis of who received ballots. Primary ballots were sent by mail to designated voters. Eventually, Perot was nominated for president and he chose economist Pat Choate as his vice presidential running mate. The results of the party's presidential primary were: Perot 32,145, Lamm 17,121.
Exclusion from the debates
Between 1992 and 1996, the Commission on Presidential Debates changed its rules regarding how candidates could qualify to participate in the presidential debates. As Perot had previously done very well in debates, it was a decisive blow to the campaign when the Commission ruled that he could not participate on the basis of somewhat vague criteria — such as that a candidate was required to have already been endorsed by "a substantial number of major news organizations," with "substantial" being a number to be decided by the commission on a case-by-case basis. Perot could not have qualified for the debates in 1992 under these rules, and was able to show that various famous U.S. presidents would likewise have been excluded from the modern debate by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Despite legal action by the Perot team, and an 80 percent majority of Americans supporting his participation in the debates, the Commission refused to budge and Perot was reduced to making his points heard via a series of half-hour "commercials". In the end, Perot and Choate won 8 percent of the vote.
Plateau and decline
1997
By October 1997, factional disputes began to emerge with the departure of a group that believed Perot had rigged the 1996 party primary to defeat Lamm. These individuals eventually established the "American Reform Party" (ARP). The ARP is actually a minor political action committee. Then chairman, Roy Downing, said the split came about when it was "...discovered was a top-down party instead of a bottom-up organization." Although members of the group attempted to persuade former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm – Perot's chief rival for the nomination – to run for president as an Independent, he declined, pointing out that he had promised before running that he would not challenge the party's decision. During this time, Perot himself chose to concentrate on lobbying efforts through United We Stand America.
American Reform Party
When the ARP was founded, Jackie Salit noted in the Christian Science Monitor: "At its founding meeting in Kansas City in 1997, the 40 black delegates in the room, led by the country's foremost African-American independent – Lenora Fulani – represented the first time in US history that African-Americans were present at the founding of a major national political party."
The ARP has yet to organize in more than a few states. In the 2000, 2004, and 2008 elections, the American Reform Party supported Ralph Nader for president. The ARP is not a political party in the conventional sense. It does not have ballot access in any state, and it does not run candidates. It supports third-party candidates and independents who support the primary principles of the Party's platform.
About 2010–2011, the party shifted from a relatively centrist platform to a Tea Party-style fiscal conservative one. In the 2012 presidential election, the ARP endorsed Republican Party nominee Mitt Romney against incumbent president Barack Obama. In the 2016 presidential election, the Party endorsed the Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Affiliates
- In New York State, the Integrity Party is an ARP affiliate. The group, led by Darren Johnson, used the state's fusion election system in cross-endorsing a Democratic sheriff candidate, Vincent Demarco, in Suffolk County, helping him narrowly win the election. The party had also run a host of other candidates and attempted to go statewide in 2006, fielding Phoebe Legere as a candidate in the 2006 New York gubernatorial election. Legere and the party did not qualify for the November ballot.
- The Reform Party of Northern Mariana Islands was an affiliate of the ARP. The group was founded by former governor Froilan Tenorio, who was dissatisfied with the Democratic Party. The territory-level party was notable for electing a member to the Northern Mariana Islands Senate in the 1999 general elections, their first and only elected official. The party would lose their only elected official in the 2003 general elections and would cease political activities afterwards.
Mid-term elections of 1998
In 1998, the Reform Party received a boost when Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota. According to the League of Women Voters, the Reform Party USA obtained more votes nationwide in 1998 than did any other third party in America (without those garnered by Ventura). Counting Ventura's performance, Reformers took in more votes than all other third parties in the United States combined, establishing the Reform Party as America's third-largest party.
2000 presidential election
See also: Donald Trump 2000 presidential campaign See also: Pat Buchanan 2000 presidential campaignThe Reform Party's presidential nominee for the 2000 election was due federal matching funds of $12.5 million (~$22.4 million in 2023), based on Perot's 8 percent showing in 1996. Early on, there was a failed effort to draft Ron Paul.
Donald Trump entered the race briefly, giving television interviews outlining his platform. Trump was progressive on social issues, and supported allowing openly gay soldiers in the military, saying: "it would not disturb me". Trump considered himself a conservative, but criticized Pat Buchanan, saying: "I'm on the conservative side, but Buchanan is Attila the Hun." He withdrew from the race citing the party's infighting, as did Jesse Ventura and the Minnesota Reform Party. Donald Trump stated: "So the Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr. Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani. This is not company I wish to keep." "Mr. Duke" was a reference to David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
Buchanan decided to leave the Republican Party because: "The Republican Party at the national level has ceased to be my party. This divorce began around the end of the Cold War when President (George) Bush declared it to be a New World-order party and began intervening all over the world. While he and I were allies and friends during the Cold War, I just felt that once the Cold War was over the United States should return to a more traditional non-intervention foreign policy."
After a bitter fight, Buchanan secured the Reform Party's presidential nomination over John Hagelin of the Natural Law Party. Hagelin and an anti-Buchanan faction walked out and held a separate convention across the street, where they nominated Hagelin as the party's presidential candidate. The dispute went to the courts and the FEC decided that Buchanan was the legitimate nominee and awarded him $12.6 million in campaign funds. Buchanan's vice presidential running mate was Ezola B. Foster. Buchanan got 449,225 votes, just 0.4 percent of the popular vote, and the party lost its matching funds for 2004.
In 2002, Buchanan returned to the Republican Party. Following this, a number of far-right extremists remained with the party.
2004 presidential election
By the October 2003, National Convention, the Reform Party had only begun rebuilding, but several former state organizations had elected to rejoin now that the interference from the Freedom Parties was gone. They increased their ranks from 24 to 30 states and managed to retrieve ballot access for seven of them. (Buchanan's poor showing in 2000 had lost ballot access for almost the entire party.)
Because of organizational and financial problems in the party, it opted to support the independent campaign of Ralph Nader as the best option for an independent of any stripe that year. While the endorsement generated publicity for Nader and the Reform Party, the party was only able to provide Nader with seven ballot lines down from the 49 of 51 guaranteed ballot lines the party had going into the 2000 election.
Collapse
Activities of the party in 2005
In 2005, a dispute arose for the number of National Committee members required under the party's by-laws to call meetings of the National Committee. These members came from several states including Texas, Michigan, and Florida. At both meetings, it was determined that a national convention would be called and held in Tampa, Florida. The chairman at the time and National Committee members from Arizona, California, and Oklahoma boycotted the National and executive committee meetings, claiming the meetings were illegitimate. As a result, those states held a second convention in Yuma, Arizona.
In response to a suit filed by the group that met in Tampa, leaders of the Reform Party filed a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) complaint claiming the Tampa group were extremists and guilty of conspiracy.
2006 candidates
In 2006, the Reform Party nominated candidates in Arizona, and petitioned to regain ballot access in several other states where state Reform Party organizations were active. The Reform Party of Kansas nominated a slate of candidates, led by Iraq War veteran Richard Ranzau. In Colorado's 4th congressional district, "fiscal conservative" Eric Eidsness (a former assistant U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator and Navy veteran) ran on the Reform Party ticket. He received 11.28 percent of the vote, five times the winning candidate's margin of victory; he later switched his affiliation to the Democratic Party. The Florida Reform Party granted use of its ballot line for governor to Max Linn of Florida Citizens for Term Limits (a Republican-leaning organization) in the 2006 Florida gubernatorial election. Linn retained professional campaign staff with connections to the Perot and Ventura campaigns, but received only 1.9 percent of the vote. By March 2007, the Reform Party had ballot access for the 2008 presidential election in four states (Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi) and had already started petitioning in an additional four.
2008 National Convention
The Reform Party held its 2008 National Convention in Dallas, July 18–20.
At the national convention, Ted Weill of Mississippi was nominated to be the party's 2008 presidential candidate. Frank McEnulty of California, the 2008 presidential candidate of the New American Independent Party, was nominated to be the party's 2008 vice-presidential candidate. David Collison of Texas was elected national chairman of the party. However, the party could not announce the results of the national convention on its web site until October because of a court order obtained by a dissident faction associated with the Independence Party of New York. Therefore, the Weill/McEnulty ticket appeared on the ballot only in Mississippi, in which it received 481 votes.
An erroneous news report was broadcast by ABC News that stated the party had endorsed John McCain. Frank MacKay of the dissident Independence Party of New York faction had made the endorsement, not the Reform Party USA. Reform Party USA Reference David Collison, the Reform Party's chairman, said during a 2009 interview, "Do you believe that any legitimate national party would endorse the Republican candidate for President rather than have a candidate of their own?"
The candidates for the nomination included:
- Alan Keyes, a former diplomat and Republican candidate
- Frank McEnulty, who eventually became the vice presidential nominee
- Ted Weill, an activist from Mississippi who eventually became the presidential nominee
- Daniel Imperato, who later joined the Libertarian Party
- Gene Chapman, a blogger from Denton, Texas
2009 legal action
A long-standing feud in the party involved John Blare, of the Reform Party of California, and the Reform Party officers.
On December 4, 2009, a New York Federal judge heard MacKay v Crews on the question of who are the legal Reform Party officers. On December 16, 2009, the judge ruled in favor of David Collison's faction.
Collison said: "After over two years of litigation in Texas and New York, it is my profound pleasure to announce that US District Court Judge Joseph Bianco of the Eastern District of New York has ruled in our favor, and has further reinforced the 2008 ruling of Judge Carl Ginsberg of the 193rd District Court in Texas."
2010
In January 2010, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations officer Charles S. Faddis announced his support of the party in The Baltimore Sun: "I have decided to throw in my lot with the Reform Party of the United States." Faddis later left the party, and ran in 2016 for Maryland's 5th congressional district as a Republican.
In February 2010, former Reform Party Chairman Pat Choate emerged to discuss the appeal of the Tea Party movement, contrasting it with Ross Perot's party, saying: "The difference with the Tea Party is it's been heavily pushed by a bunch of talk-show conservatives. You have the Republican Party attempting to use this as a means to pull independents or conservative independents to their policies, to their agenda."
In February, Congressional candidates filed to run as Reform Party candidates in all four of Mississippi's congressional districts, but none for any statewide offices. Among these were Barbara Dale Washer, Tracella Lou O'Hara Hill, and Anna Jewel Revies.
In April 2010, former Vice President Dan Quayle condemned the Reform Party on CBS, saying: "Many remember the Reform Party of the 1990s, which formed around the candidacy of Ross Perot. I sure do, because it eliminated any chance that President George H.W. Bush and I would prevail over Bill Clinton and Al Gore in 1992. Speaking on behalf of the Bush-Quayle campaign, to this day we firmly believe that Perot cost the Republican Party the White House."
Pat Choate in an April 28, 2010 interview with Monmouth University's student newspaper remained suspicious of the Tea Party movement, saying: "At these events, a professional Republican always speaks. What to me is questionable is that the Tea Parties endorse candidates, but never endorse Democrats—they seem to be a front for the Republican Party. We were seen as very serious. Perot gave millions, we fielded candidates, and we were a real threat to the status quo. The media treats the Tea Parties as a sign of dissatisfaction, and views them skeptically."
Kristin M. Davis, the Manhattan madam involved in the Eliot Spitzer scandal, announced on June 27, 2010, that she was running for governor on an independent line in New York State using the name, Reform Party without Reform Party authorization after failing to secure the Libertarian Party nomination. Davis condemned the Democrats and Republicans for catering to wealthy white males, saying: "Where are the women, the Hispanics, the African-Americans, and the gay people? We must reject their tired old thinking...."
On June 29, 2010, Reform Party National Committee chairman David Collison delivered Davis a cease-and-desist notice demanding that she immediately change the name under which she was seeking to run for governor. Davis made no attempt to obtain permission to run as an official Reform Party candidate, and therefore withdrew her use of the Reform Party name. Davis was not a member of the Reform Party. Davis changed her Independent Ballot Line name and filed as an independent candidate by obtaining the required signatures needed in New York State to run for governor on the "Anti-Prohibition" line.
2012 presidential election
The Reform Party held its 2012 National Convention in Philadelphia, August 11–12, 2012.
At the national convention, the Reform Party nominated Andre Barnett from New York for president and Ken Cross from Arkansas for vice president. Among those who sought the presidential nomination before dropping out several months prior to the convention were former Savannah State University football coach Robby Wells, economist Laurence Kotlikoff, historian Darcy Richardson, and former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer.
2016 presidential election
The Reform Party co-nominated the American Delta Party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates Rocky de la Fuente and Michael Steinberg as their 2016 presidential ticket. However, in 2016, De La Fuente ran as a Democrat in the presidential and U.S. Senate primaries too.
2020 presidential election
On June 20, 2020, during a virtual convention, the Reform Party again nominated Rocky de la Fuente for president. De la Fuente defeated three other recognized candidates, Max Abramson, Souraya Faas, and Ben Zion (formerly the nominee for the Transhumanist Party). Darcy Richardson from Florida was nominated for vice president.
2024 presidential election
In September 2023, the Reform Party lost its ballot access in Florida, leaving the party with no state ballot lines. At their party convention on May 23, 2024, the Reform Party nominated the Kennedy Jr./Shanahan ticket for president and vice president respectively. The Reform Party filed paperwork for re-qualification in May 2024, which would place Kennedy and Shanahan on the ballot in Florida. Kennedy withdrew from the race in August and endorsed Donald Trump and withdrew his name from the Florida ballot on August 23.
Best results in major races
Office | Percent | District | Year | Place | Candidate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
President | 14.19% | Maine | 1996 | 3rd | Ross Perot |
13.56% | Montana | 1996 | 3rd | ||
12.71% | Idaho | 1996 | 3rd | ||
US Senate | 15.42% | Mississippi | 2002 | 2nd | Shawn O'Hara |
8.37% | Kansas | 2002 | 3rd | George Cook | |
6.98% | Minnesota | 1996 | 3rd | Dean Barkley | |
US House | 33.70% | Florida District 5 | 1998 | 2nd | Jack Gargan |
21.09% | California District 21 | 1998 | 2nd | John Evans | |
20.99% | Mississippi District 1 | 2004 | 2nd | Barbara Dale Washer | |
Governor | 36.99% | Minnesota | 1998 | 1st | Jesse Ventura |
15.33% | Kentucky | 1999 | 3rd | Gatewood Galbraith | |
2.08% | New Hampshire | 1996 | 3rd | Fred Bramante |
Presidential tickets
Year | Presidential nominee | Home state | Previous positions | Vice presidential nominee | Home state | Previous positions | Votes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | Ross Perot (campaign) |
Texas | Businessman Candidate for President of the United States (1992) |
Pat Choate |
District of Columbia | Economist | 8,085,294 (#3) (8.4%) 0 EV |
|
2000 | Pat Buchanan (campaign) |
Virginia | White House Director of Communications (1985–1987) Candidate for President of the United States (1992; 1996) |
Ezola Foster |
California | Activist Candidate for California's 48th State Assembly district (1986) |
448,895 (#4) (0.4%) 0 EV |
|
2004 | Ralph Nader (campaign) |
Connecticut | Lawyer, activist Candidate for President of the United States (1996; 2000) |
Peter Camejo |
California | Candidate for Mayor of Berkeley (1967) Candidate for President of the United States (1976) Candidate for Governor of California (2002; 2003) |
465,151 (0.4%) 0 EV |
|
2008 | Ted Weill |
Mississippi | Nominee for United States Senator from Mississippi (1996) |
Frank McEnulty | California | Businessman | 481 (0.0004%) 0 EV |
|
2012 | Andre Barnett | New York | Entrepreneur | Ken Cross | Arkansas | Engineer, businessman | 962 (0.001%) 0 EV |
|
2016 | Rocky De La Fuente (campaign) |
California | Businessman | Michael Steinberg |
Florida | Lawyer Candidate for Florida's 47th State House of Representatives district (2002; 2010) Candidate for Florida's 11th congressional district (2006) |
33,136 (#9) (0.02%) 0 EV |
|
2020 | Rocky De La Fuente (campaign) |
California | Businessman Candidate for President of the United States (2016) |
Darcy Richardson |
Florida | Historian Author 2018 Reform Party Nominee for Governor of Florida |
88,238 (#5) (0.06%) 0 EV |
|
2024 | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (campaign) |
California | Attorney, activist | Nicole Shanahan | California | Attorney, technologist | 681,450 (#4) (0.46%) 0 EV |
Platform
The Reform Party platform includes the following:
- Maintaining a balanced budget, eventually passing a Balanced Budget Amendment and changing budgeting practices, and paying down the federal debt
- Campaign finance reform, including strict limits on campaign contributions and the outlawing of political action committees
- Enforcement of existing immigration laws and opposition to illegal immigration
- Term limits on U.S. Representatives and Senators
- Direct election of the United States President by popular vote and other election system reforms
- Federal elections held on weekends or Election Day (on a Tuesday) made a national holiday
A noticeable absence from the Reform Party platform has been social issues, including abortion and gay rights. Reform Party representatives had long stated beliefs that their party could bring together people from both sides of these issues, which they consider divisive, to address what they considered to be more vital concerns as expressed in their platform. The idea was to form a large coalition of moderates; that intention was overridden in 2001 by the Buchanan takeover which rewrote the RPUSA Constitution to include platform planks opposed to any form of abortion. The Buchananists, in turn, were overridden by the 2002 Convention which reverted the Constitution to its 1996 version and the party's original stated goals.
Active state affiliates
The party's active state affiliates are:
- Reform Party of California
- Reform Party of Montana
- Reform Party of New Jersey (reorganized in 2010)
- Reform Party of North Carolina
- Reform Party of New York State
- Reform Party of Tennessee
- Reform Party of Texas
- Reform Party of Virginia
- Reform Party of Wisconsin
- Reform Party of Florida
See also
References
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- "Challengers file in 4 Miss. congressional races - WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS". Wlbt.com. March 1, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- "Mississippi 2010 Midterm Election". thegreenpapers.com.
- Finn, Tyler (April 2, 2010). "Finn, Tyler. "Dan Quayle Urges Tea Party Not to 'Go Perot'" CBS News April 2, 2010". Cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- "Reform Party of New Jersey Pat Choate on Tea Parties, Foreign Policy, and NAFTA |". Reformpartynj.org. April 28, 2010. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- "Kristin Davis, New York Gubernatorial Candidate, Will Petition under Reform Party Label". ballot-access.org. June 27, 2010.
- "Reform Party chooses Andre Barnett for president;". Ballot Access News. August 13, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- "Opinion: Failed California serial candidate 'Rocky' De La Fuente wants to help Trump so he can beat him". Los Angeles Times. August 1, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- "2020 Reform Party National Convention". Reform Party. Reform Party National Committee. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- Winger, Richard (September 19, 2023). "Reform Party Loses its Qualified Status in Florida". Ballot Access News. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- "The Reform Party Nominates Robert Kennedy Jr. For President of the United States". Reform Party. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- Evans, Jordan Willow (May 23, 2024). "Florida Reform Party Works to Restore Party Status and Ballot Access After 2023 Revocation". Independent Political Report. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- Pellish, Aaron; Dovere, Edward-Isaac (August 23, 2024). "RFK Jr. suspends presidential campaign and endorses Trump". CNN. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- "RFK may be unable to withdraw his name from ballots in some swing states". NPR. August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- While Nader and Camejo ran as independents, they also received the nomination of the Reform Party.
- "Reform Party Chooses Andre Barnett for President | Ballot Access News". August 13, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- De La Fuente and Steinberg were also the nominees of the American Delta Party.
- Mauger, Craig. "Michigan sheriff's conspiracy-laden election lawsuit stalls on the runway". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- @ReformParty (June 20, 2020). "The Reform Party has nominated Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente @JoinRocky for President of the United States. ¡Felicitac…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Benjamin, Pat (March 1, 2013). The Perot Legacy: A New Political Path. Morgan James Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61448-473-8.
Further reading
Further information: Ross Perot § Further reading, 1992 United States presidential election § Further reading, and 1996 United States presidential election § Further reading- Green, John C., and William Binning. "Surviving Perot: The origins and future of the Reform Party." in Multiparty Politics in America (1997): 87–102.
- Herron, Michael, and Jeffrey Lewis. "Did Ralph Nader spoil a Gore presidency? A ballot-level study of Green and Reform Party voters in the 2000 presidential election." Quarterly Journal of Political Science 2.3 (2007): 205–226. online
- Jelen, Ted G., ed. Ross for boss: The Perot phenomenon and beyond (SUNY Press, 2001).
- Owen, Diana, and Jack Dennis. "Anti‐partyism in the USA and support for Ross Perot." European Journal of Political Research 29.3 (1996): 383–400.
- Stone, Walter J., Ronald B. Rapoport, and Monique B. Schneider. "Party Members in a Three-Party Election: Major-Party and Reform Activism in the 1996 American Presidential Election." Party Politics 10.4 (2004): 445–469.
- Stone, Walter J., et al. "The Activist Base of the Reform Party in 1996: Problems and Prospects." in The State of the Parties: The Changing Role of Contemporary American Parties (1999): 190–211.
External links
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