The Pirate National Committee has formally established a new Vetting Committee tasked with reviewing candidates seeking the endorsement of the United States Pirate Party in response to concerns over its previous endorsement process.
In a statement this week, the party said the new Vetting Committee consists of party Captain Jolly Mitch Davilo of Illinois, Vice Captain Blase Henry of Arizona, Captains Emeritus Liz Gorski of New York and Drew Bingaman of Pennsylvania, Ewa Kruzel of Arizona, and Public Relations Director Rowan Tipping of Illinois. The party added that Tipping is serving temporarily and will be replaced once the party elects a new PR director.
The committee was made official during the PNC’s August 23 meeting, one week after members first approved its creation, and will be responsible for screening candidates seeking the organization’s formal support moving forward. Members established its structure during that earlier meeting, requiring it to include the captain, vice captain, PR director, a captain emeritus, and two additional national representatives.
The new committee follows the Pirate National Committee’s decision earlier this month to rescind its endorsement of Jacob Anders, an independent candidate in Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District, whom the PNC first voted to back in late July by a 4-3 vote. The party later said the meeting had been rushed, and Anders returned during an August 2 meeting to answer additional questions that had not been fully addressed during the earlier session. The party then publicly announced the endorsement two days later.
On August 9, however, the PNC unanimously voted to rescind the endorsement. In a statement on the decision published shortly afterward, the party said additional information about Anders had since come to light and that maintaining the endorsement would be “inappropriate and unbecoming of the United States Pirate Party.” The party did not go into detail about what motivated its reversal.
“We will not take lightly the weight of an endorsement from the United States Pirate Party, and we will not give it to candidates without more proper time and energy dispensed into knowing who it is we are endorsing,” the party said.
The Pirate Party also acknowledged shortcomings in how it had historically handled its endorsements. The party conceded that its previous endorsement process had been overly informal, with candidates generally being asked to appear on the party’s Talk the Plank! program, then attend a PNC meeting to answer questions before members voted. The party said that process had previously been enough but had proven inadequate as more candidates sought its support during the 2026 election cycle.
“It has been largely a blessing to have so many candidates seeking our endorsement, and it’s been a pleasure to support candidates from all walks, both independents and members of other minor parties,” the party said. “Minor party unity is essential to defeating the duopoly, but endorsements still must be carefully considered.”
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