Members of the Prohibition Party will meet in Buffalo, New York, later this Spring for the Prohibition National Convention. The convention will run from May 7 to May 9 at the Holiday Inn near the Niagara International Airport, with the formal business session occurring on Monday and Tuesday.
While the election is still a whole year away, members of the Prohibition Party will select the party’s 2024 presidential ticket and ratify the party platform for the foreseeable future. Voting will be open to all dues-paying members who registered before the April 15 cut-off date. Several candidates have since declared their intention to pursue the Prohibition presidential nomination ahead of the convention.
Among them is former Division I football player and health and fitness coach Zack Kusnir, more commonly known by his professional alias “Zack Strength.” Kusnir, the Treasurer of the National Prohibition Party, wants to educate the public on the detriments of processed and chemical-laden foods and the benefits of refraining from alcohol and unnecessary prescriptions. Independent Political Report wrote about the Kusnir campaign earlier this year.
Joining him in the running is Michael Wood, CEO of VCE Virtual Chip Exchange Inc. and member of both the Prohibition National Committee and Executive Committee of the Prohibition Party. While Wood has yet to list exact platform positions on his campaign site, he has noted that the platform of the past will no longer perform as effectively as it did and is supportive of the convention modernizing the Prohibition platform for the current era. According to Reform Party leadership, Wood is also pursuing the nomination of the Reform Party in addition to the Prohibition Party.
The convention keynote speaker will be Mark Lawrence Schrad, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Pennsylvania’s Villanova University. Schrad, also the Director of Villanova’s Russian Areas Studies, frequently speaks out against the dangers of alcohol. He has written several books, including Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History of Prohibition and Vodka Politics: Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State.
The Prohibition Party is the oldest existing third party in the United States and the third-longest active party. It seeks to advance “social and political reforms aimed at protecting life, advancing public wellbeing, promoting good governance, and upholding ethical public service.” The party reports a presence in at least eleven states.