Author Archives: Peter B. Gemma

About Peter B. Gemma

Peter B. Gemma, an award-winning freelance writer, has penned more than 100 commentaries for USA Today and written for such publications as TheDailyCaller.com, The Washington Examiner, AmericanThinker.com. and Op/EdNews. Website: www.peterbgemma.com

Darcy Richardson, FL Reform Party gubernatorial nominee, endorsed by Libertarian

6 Replies

by Peter B. Gemma

Richardson, who recently switched from a bid for State Representative as an Independent, is now running for Florida Governor as the nominee of the Reform Party. In 2016, he was a candidate for the party’s presidential nomination.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 28, 2018

MEDIA CONTACT
Austin Cassidy, Campaign Manager
Email: austin@richardson2018.com
Phone: (904) 868-5963

DARCY RICHARDSON SCORES AN EARLY ENDORSEMENT

[JACKSONVILLE, FL] – Darcy Richardson, the Reform Party of Florida’s nominee for governor, received an early endorsement from a prominent former Libertarian on Thursday.… Read more ...

“Paper PACs” Scamming Conservative Donors

8 Replies

by Peter B. Gemma

What do former Congressman Alan West, commentator Laura Ingraham, and Sheriff David Clarke have in common? All are well-known conservatives and a ton of money is being raised for their respective US Senate campaigns.

And here’s a twist: none of them are actually running for office.

Mail boxes of conservatives are filling up with fake solicitations, offering great promises and dire warnings designed to scare up some money.… Read more ...

Author and Political Activist Darcy Richardson Files for Florida State House Seat

8 Replies

by Peter B. Gemma

Darcy Richardson, well known to IPR readers as a political and campaign historian via his many books, has a lifetime record as a candidate — running on third party lines.  He was the Consumer Party nominee for US Senate in Pennsylvania in 1988 while serving as the national campaign manager of former Senator Eugene McCarthy’s presidential campaign.… Read more ...

Former Independent Prez Candidate Seeking Green Party Nod for Congress

1 Reply

by Peter B. Gemma

Lynn S. Kahn, who was an independent candidate for President in 2016 (she was on the ballot in Arkansas and Iowa and received some 5,700 votes nationwide), is seeking the Green Party nomination for New York’s 21st Congressional District. She will announce her candidacy at the Warren County Green Party meeting on Monday, February 12 and will have until April 8 to file 250 signatures on Green Party nomination petitions.… Read more ...

Post Election Survey of Third Party Movement Leaders; Part Three – Where to Now

126 Replies

by Peter B. Gemma

 

In the December 8th edition of The Hill, under the headline “After 2016 drubbing, what’s next for third parties,” author and journalist Dan Arel writes: “Endless analysis has been written about how Trump beat his primary rival Hillary Clinton, and for a short time everyone wanted to blame Jill Stein and Gary Johnson.… Read more ...

Post Election Survey of Third Party Movement Leaders; Part Two – What Went Wrong

42 Replies

by Peter B. Gemma

 sss-1-500x250“We simply got off to a late start and didn’t have enough time or manpower to get it done for 2016.  We now know the nuances in each state, however, so we are prepared moving forward.”

That’s the post election assessment of the American Solidarity Party presidential nominee Mike Maturen.… Read more ...

Post Election Survey of Third Party Movement Leaders; Part One – The Good News

58 Replies

by Peter B. Gemma

6a00d8341bfae553ef019b00baf5c2970c-800wi“I believe 2016 was a phenomenal breakthrough for independent candidates and 3rd parties; the fact that independent candidates formed networks to support each other and to push the independent message is a development they cannot be underestimated.”

That’s Lynn Kahn’s overview of this year’s election. Kahn, who ran for President as an independent, was on the ballot in two states and qualified as a write-in in 10 more.… Read more ...

Peter Gemma: Election Prediction Challenge

29 Replies

I want to keep this prediction for 3rd party candidates simple: percentage for the Big Two (Green and Libertarian), and, for other 3rd party and independent candidates, vote totals or specific guesses on states.  Since there are so many in the later category, I thought it best to leave those entries open ended; list as many as you wish.… Read more ...

Peter Gemma: In Defense of the Electoral College

31 Replies

by Peter B. Gemma

Originally published at The Daily Caller

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The Electoral College should need no justification – the Founding Fathers were pretty smart when structuring our unique republic. They debated and tweaked the idea through 16 votes at the Constitutional Convention. However, every four years James Madison, principal author of the Constitution, has to come back and make the case against “democratic” presidential elections.… Read more ...

Wrapping-up Third Party Presidential Candidates Series

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images-1by Peter B. Gemma

I have to wrap-up the series of interviews with third party presidential candidates as I am going away until just before the election. Almost every campaign was cooperative, forthright, and appreciative of the opportunity.

Despite several inquiries, I did not get the courtesy of a reply from the Gary Johnson and Jill Stein campaigns.… Read more ...

Interview with Dan Vacek, Legal Marijuana Now Presidential Nominee

3 Replies

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by Peter B. Gemma

In 1998, Legal Marijuana Now was organized as a grass roots movement to coordinate petition drives to place pro-cannabis candidates on Minnesota ballots.  Legal Marijuana Now earned recognition as a political party in the state when its candidate, Dan Vacek, earned 57,604 votes (three percent) in the 2014 race for Minnesota Attorney General. … Read more ...

Prediction: 3rd Parties Will Win

9 Replies

by Peter B. Gemma

Commentary originally published by OpEdNews

piechartelection2016-1-56-06-pmIn a vacuum of serious policy decisions and debates, minor parties can be effective catalysts for issues that are eventually absorbed by the major parties. In his book The Other Candidates: Third Parties in General Elections, author Frank Smallwood observed that alternative political candidates, “have often been successful in advancing initiatives that have later been incorporated into our political life.… Read more ...