Historian Darcy Richardson, an IPR contributor, is still seeking the presidential nomination of the Reform Party, however, a new party in the works has grabbed his attention.
The Alliance Party, founded in 2018 with a merger of the American Moderates Party, the Modern Whig Party, the American Party of South Carolina, and later joined by the Independence Party of Minnesota, the American Alliance Party, and the Independent Party of Connecticut, plans to pick a presidential ticket April 25 in an online convention. Businessman Rocky De La Fuente, the Reform Party’s 2016 presidential nominee, is seeking the nomination and has tapped Richardson as his running mate.
“Rocky and I won’t stand a snowball’s chance in November,” says Richardson, “but both of us will go down fighting for the country we love.”
Richardson wishes to use the Alliance Party as a vehicle for that fight and has high hopes about its prospects:
“The Alliance Party is the most promising new party movement to emerge in this country in decades, perhaps in my lifetime,” he declares. “One and all, they’re a pretty impressive group and they certainly have the country’s best interests at heart.”
The party’s national chairman, former South Carolina Superintendent of Education Jim Rex, is the last Democrat to win a statewide race in South Carolina. Richardson admires Rex and “sort of” wishes Rex was seeking the nomination.
Before his 2006 election as Superintendent, Rex served as Dean of Education at Winthrop University and Coastal Carolina University, Vice president at the University of South Carolina, and president of Columbia College. During his four year term as Superintendent, he replaced the state’s standardized test, championed public school choice, and pressured Governor Mark Sanford to accept funds from the 2009 Recovery Act. He ran for governor in 2010 but finished second in the Democratic primary.
Others involved include vice chairs Michelle Griffith, former director of America’s Moderate Party, and Michael Burger, former director of the Modern Whig Party. Accountant Connie Tewes is the national treasurer, and Reviving Solutions founder and CEO Ayana Crawford is the national recording secretary. Retired corporate attorney Kim Sanchez is the national corresponding secretary.
The party is based on four principles:
- Restore ethics, civility, and fairness in government
- End stagnation and corruption in government
- Take responsibility for the future of the United States
- Hold candidates and elected officials accountable
Its position on the issues is centrist with a mixture of left and right leaning views. It champions a green economy, net neutrality, campaign finance reform, ranked choice voting, gun legislation, a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, strong borders, fair trade, national debt reduction, term limits, and a robust military.
Richardson, who cites the federal reserve’s movement of $6.5 trillion to the nation’s largest banks during a six week period in late 2019 as evidence the nation’s economic problems precede the current coronavirus pandemic, says today’s political climate creates a unique opportunity for the party.
“Given the nation’s twin crises — the administration’s badly-mishandled initial response to the coronavirus pandemic and what will almost certainly be an ensuing deep depression from which the country won’t soon recover,” he argues, “this is the perfect time for the Alliance Party to make its national debut.”
The party’s website says it is accepting nominations for president until April 15. The process for accepting candidates includes meeting with the executive and national committees and receiving an invitation to the national convention.
According to Ballot Access News, the party has ballot access in South Carolina and possibly Connecticut (see Richard Winger’s comment below) .
Your point is well taken, Anonymous.
My full quote was, “The extreme hyper-partisanship and polarization of American politics, alas, pretty much guarantees that Rocky and I won’t stand a snowball’s chance in November, but both of us will go down fighting for the country we love.”
It’s not that we don’t want to win — we very much do — but we’re really just trying to be realistic given the tremendous obstacles facing anyone running outside the duopoly, particularly in this environment where the 2020 presidential election is likely to be a referendum on the megalomaniac in the White House and petitioning may be all but impossible for minor parties struggling to get on the ballot across the country this fall.
If it’s any consolation, I’ve modified my subsequent response to our viability by saying, “We don’t intend to lose.”
In a worst-case scenario, the American people, after all, can still carry a pen or pencil to the polls on November 3rd.
“Rocky and I won’t stand a snowball’s chance in November,” Gee, that sure inspires me to donate and work my tail off for this campaign! Terrible messaging.
I agree with Rev. James W. Clifton. Darcy is a more impressive candidate.
Richardson should seek the top spot.
Thanks Richard. I added “possibly” before Connecticut.
The Connecticut Independent Party is ballot-qualified for a majority of federal and state offices, but it is not ballot-qualified for president. However the Secretary of State of Connecticut has suggested to the Governor that he should proclaim that any party that is ballot-qualified for any statewide race should be deemed qualified for all partisan offices.
Woo Hoo! Go Darcy! If the Libertarians nominate another Republican the Alliance could look pretty good.
Another day, another Nomination….
The Modern Whig Party is no more. They are now the Modern Whig Institute. http://www.modernwhig.org
What……………….. no Whig Party anymore? Maybe I will start a toupee party.