Chuck Baldwin 2008 presidential campaign

Last updated
Baldwin 2008
Baldwin logo.jpg
Campaign U.S. presidential election, 2008
Candidate Chuck Baldwin, 2004 Constitution Party Vice Presidential nominee
Darrell Castle, Lawyer
Affiliation Constitution Party
StatusLost election November 4, 2008
Headquarters Pensacola, FL
Key peopleDarrell Castle (Running mate) Mary Starrett (National Communications Director)
Lowell Patterson (Campaign Finance Director)
Receipts US$.131 (2008-08-31)
Website
baldwin08.com
(archived - November 4, 2008)

The Chuck Baldwin presidential campaign of 2008 began April 10, 2008 as pastor and radio host Chuck Baldwin of Florida announced his candidacy for the Constitution Party presidential nomination. He previously served as the party's vice-presidential nominee in 2004. Baldwin's main opposition for the nomination was former ambassador Alan Keyes, who had just left the Republican Party. After a campaign touting his stands on civil liberties, foreign affairs, and religion, Baldwin won the nomination at the April 26 Constitution Party National Convention. Attorney Darrell Castle was selected as his running mate.

Contents

During the general election, Baldwin expressed paleo-conservative positions on a number of issues including protectionism on trade, nonintervention in foreign affairs, religious practice in the public sphere, and nativism. He cast himself as a close ally of 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Representative Ron Paul, who ultimately endorsed Baldwin's campaign.

With 199,750 votes, about 0.15% of the total, Baldwin finished fifth in the race, ahead of Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney, but behind both independent Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr, as well as Republican nominee John McCain and the eventual winner, Democratic nominee Barack Obama. [1]

Background

Chuck Baldwin was initially a Democrat, but changed his party affiliation to Republican in 1980. In the 1970s, he founded Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, which President Ronald Reagan recognized for its growth and influence. As a Republican, Baldwin headed the Florida branch of Moral Majority, which promoted social conservatism. He also hosted a radio show called Chuck Baldwin Live, which focused on conservative issues. It made its national radio debut on the Genesis Communications Network in 2001. [2]

Baldwin left the Republican Party in 2004, believing it had become a "second big-government, big-spending party" that could be characterized as "more liberal than the Democratic Party...in practice." [3] He joined the Constitution Party, but still considered himself a political independent. [4] That year, Constitution Party presidential candidate Michael Peroutka asked Baldwin to be his running mate. The ticket won the nomination at the 2004 Constitution Party National Convention. [2] In the general election, they received 143,630 popular votes for 0.12%. [5]

Early stages

While considering a run for president, during an October 2006 interview with The Conservative President 2008 website, Baldwin expressed his frustration with the Republican Party, which he believed was on a course of "self-destruction" and that was only kept afloat by the "absurd liberalism of Democrats." [3] He praised Congressmen Tom Tancredo and Ron Paul as well as activists Pat Buchanan and Alan Keyes, but stated that the Republican Party had steered too far to the left for him to support any of their candidates for president. [3] When asked if he would run for president in 2008 he stated that he had "no desire to run" but that he was "always open to God's will." [3] Baldwin endorsed Ron Paul for the Republican presidential nomination in a message posted to YouTube on December 19, 2007. [6]

During a March 25, 2008 interview with Miller Politics, two weeks before Baldwin officially entered the race, he commended Alan Keyes as a possible Constitution Party candidate but stated that he "needs to clarify his foreign policy positions for the party." He described Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr as a "very attractive candidate" whom he "like[s]...very much." When asked about his own presidential aspirations, he responded by saying that "There are many great people in our party that, in my opinion, are much more qualified [to be the presidential nominee] than I am. I have always tried to be open to God's will. At this time, however, I have no inclination that this is God's will for me." [7]

2008 Constitution Party National Convention

Baldwin announced on April 10, 2008 that he would seek the Constitution Party presidential nomination at the party's April 23–26 convention in Kansas City, Missouri. [8] His run was believed to have arisen from draft efforts within the Constitution Party, who feared the party would nominate a pro-Iraq War candidate like Alan Keyes. [9] Until the convention, Baldwin did not campaign and in an April 17 interview with Miller Politics, he stated that he was "not running" but merely placing his name into consideration, "trusting that God will reveal His will accordingly." [9]

During the convention, the party's founder Howard Phillips endorsed Baldwin and gave a passionate speech in which he referred to Keyes as "the Neocon candidate" who "lingered in the Republican Party until a week ago." [10] Afterwards, Baldwin defeated Keyes, 383.8 to 125.7, winning approximately 74% of the delegates. He won the majority of delegates from most states with the exceptions of Missouri, Maryland, and Oklahoma, where Keyes narrowly edged Baldwin. [11] At Baldwin's request, the delegates then chose attorney Darrell Castle of Tennessee as his running mate. [12]

General election campaign

Though Baldwin was not included on many mainstream polls, a May 2008 Fox News opinion poll revealed favorable news for the campaign. It showed that 47% of the public were open to voting for a third-party presidential candidate such as Baldwin, compared to 39% who were not. Moreover, a Zogby poll discovered that 42% of conservatives (whom the Baldwin campaign targeted) said they would never vote for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and found that 86% of "very conservative" respondents were displeased. [13]

Campaign photo of Baldwin. CBaldwin08.jpg
Campaign photo of Baldwin.

Baldwin expressed his own discontent with the Republican Party in a May 22 interview with Montana News. He expressed frustration with evangelicals who "coalesc[e] around John McCain" despite his "twenty-plus year track record of liberal policies." [14] Baldwin highlighted globalism as the main threat to the nation stating that "Immigration, the U.N...., NATO, NAFTA, CAFTA, the North American Union, the Superhighway, the war in Iraq, China's threat to our peace...are connected" [14] through globalism. Baldwin stated that Iran would only be a threat "by sneaking people into our country. And that would be far more difficult with a sealed border." [14] He stated that the border could be sealed by deploying troops to those areas. [14]

At the end of May and the beginning of June, several controversial developments concerning the Baldwin campaign hit the press. Comments surfaced that were made by Baldwin, raising the possibility of a 9/11 conspiracy theory of a controlled demolition stating, "I don't know whether there was any kind of an inside apparatus involved in this or not... If there's duplicity involved in some kind of conspiracy, then let's find out who it is and prosecute whoever's involved." [15]

Endorsements

Growing media interest

The campaign also increased a drive for ballot access, appealing to supporters for help to get on the presidential ballot in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, and West Virginia. [27]

The campaign began in August by announcing its plans to participate in a demonstration against illegal immigration in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. Baldwin was joined by Bob Barr, Alan Keyes and Tom Tancredo at the "Rally Against Illegal Immigration" during the first day of the convention. [28] Later in August, Baldwin campaigned in Spartanburg, South Carolina where he criticized both parties' presidential nominees as "globalists". He declared his opposition to the Federal Reserve, which he stated has "subjugated" the nation to "foreign dependence". He railed against the use of the National Guard in the Iraq War remarking that the forces should be used to "repel" the "invasion" of illegal aliens from the southern border, and described the United Nations as "a sinister organization run by Marxists, socialists and communists." Baldwin criticized both major parties for not cutting spending stating that "the only difference between Democrats and Republicans is Democrats want to tax and spend and Republicans want to borrow and spend." He promised that slashing spending would be a priority in his administration. [29]

On September 10, Baldwin appeared on the Lou Dobbs Tonight television program on CNN where he proclaimed that if elected president he would release U.S. Border agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. The agents were sentenced to 11 and 12-year terms in prison, respectively, after shooting a drug smuggler on the US-Mexico border. Baldwin promised he would release the men during his first day on the job as president. [30]

Final stages

Baldwin-Castle ballot access. Chuck Baldwin ballot access in the 2008 United States presidential election.svg
Baldwin-Castle ballot access.

In October, Baldwin was interviewed by NPR where he discussed his opposition to the Federal Reserve, which he described as a "fraudulent system" and which he blamed for the financial crisis of 2007–2008. He attacked Republicans for "reneg[ing] on their promises" in 1994's Contract with America to "eliminate five federal departments, such as Department of Education, Energy, Commerce..." and to "slash spending." He also criticized Republicans' failure to criminalize abortion during their years in government. As president Baldwin stated he would eliminate the IRS and cut government spending as well. He stated that the "responsibility of government [is] to protect life, even life in the womb." [31]

Baldwin participated in a third party debate with Independent candidate Ralph Nader on October 23, broadcast on CSPAN-2. During the debate, Baldwin often agreed with Nader on as wide-ranging issues as corporations and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He stood in solidarity with Nader in expressing the need to open the presidential debates to third-party candidates. He emphasized his connections to Congressman Ron Paul throughout the debate, even suggesting that as president he would appoint "somebody like Ron Paul" as United States Secretary of Treasury. He articulated his opposition to the USA PATRIOT Act and questioned how an ideological conservative could support the legislation. But, he marked a disagreement with Nader on health care, criticizing government involvement in favor of free market solutions but with use of regulation to lower health care costs. Baldwin stated that if elected his first priority would be to secure the border. Throughout the debate Baldwin repeated his party's pro-life platform and support for the right to bear arms. [32]

On election day, Baldwin was on ballot in 37 states. [33] He was a write-in candidate in eleven additional states including Montana where Ron Paul was listed as the party's nominee. Baldwin was completely absent from ballots in Oklahoma, North Carolina and the District of Columbia. [1]

Results

Baldwin's campaign ended after receiving 199,314 or 0.15% of the popular vote on Election Day. He finished in fifth place, but won the largest percentage of votes for his party since Howard Phillips in 1996. 14,865 of his votes were won in Michigan, but he won his largest percentage in Utah with 1.26% of the state's votes. [1]

Aftermath

Baldwin relocated to Montana in 2010, and founded the Liberty Fellowship, [2] believing the people of the state responded well to his constitutionalist message. In 2012, he briefly ran for Lieutenant Governor of Montana as the running mate of Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Bob Fanning, but dropped out due to the lack of campaign funds.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution Party (United States)</span> American political party

The Constitution Party, named the U.S. Taxpayers' Party until 1999, is an ultra-conservative political party in the United States that promotes a religiously conservative interpretation of the principles and intents of the United States Constitution. The party platform is based on originalist interpretations of the Constitution and shaped by principles which it believes were set forth in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reform Party of the United States of America</span> American political party

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Independent Party</span> Political party in the United States

The American Independent Party (AIP) is a far-right political party in the United States that was established in 1967. The AIP is best known for its nomination of Democratic then-former Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five states in the 1968 presidential election running on a populist, hard-line anti-Communist, pro-"law and order" platform, appealing to working-class white voters and widely understood by political analysts as having pro-segregationist or white supremacist undertones, against Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. In 1976, the party split into the modern American Independent Party and the American Party. From 1992 until 2008, the party was the California affiliate of the national Constitution Party. Its exit from the Constitution Party led to a leadership dispute during the 2008 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Cobb (activist)</span> American activist and politician

David Keith Cobb is an American political activist who was the Green Party presidential candidate for the 2004 election. Cobb later became the campaign manager for fellow Green Jill Stein for her presidential run in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Baldwin</span> American politician (born 1952)

Charles Obadiah Baldwin is an American right-wing politician, radio host, and founder-former Independent Baptist pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. As of January 2011 he is leading pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, Montana. He was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party for the 2008 U.S. presidential election and had previously been its nominee for vice president in 2004. He hosts a daily one-hour radio program, Chuck Baldwin Live, and writes a daily editorial column carried on its website, as well as on VDare. He is a former editor of NewsWithViews.com.

The Independent Greens of Virginia was the state affiliate of the Independence Party of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It became a state party around 2003 when a faction of the Arlington local chapter of the Green Party of Virginia (GPVA) split from the main party. As of 2011, it bills itself as a "fiscally conservative, socially responsible green party", with an emphasis on rail transportation and "more candidates". In support of wider ballot participation, it endorses many independent candidates who are not affiliated with the party.

The following is a timeline of major events leading up to and immediately following the United States presidential election of 2008. The election was the 56th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008, but its significant events and background date back to about 2002. The Democratic Party nominee, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, defeated the Republican Party's nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona.

In early 2007, Ron Paul, a congressman from Texas, announced his candidacy for the Republican Party's nomination for president of the United States in the 2008 election. Initial opinion polls during the first three quarters of 2007 showed him consistently receiving support from 3% or less of those polled. In 2008, Paul's support among Republican voters remained in the single digits, and well behind front-runner John McCain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Keyes 2008 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

The 2008 presidential campaign of Alan Keyes, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from Maryland began on September 14, 2007, after being encouraged to enter the 2008 race by the committee We Need Alan Keyes. He initially ran in the 2008 presidential primaries, against Arizona Senator John McCain, Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney and Texas Representative Ron Paul for his party's nomination, but after failing to gain any traction left to the Constitution Party and then to the American Independent Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Barr 2008 presidential campaign</span> American presidential campaign

The 2008 presidential campaign of Bob Barr, former Congressman of Georgia began on May 12, 2008. He announced his candidacy for the Libertarian Party's president after months of grassroots draft efforts. Barr was criticized by Libertarians who opposed his efforts in Congress, which included sponsorship of the Defense of Marriage Act and votes in favor of the USA PATRIOT Act and authorization of the War in Iraq, but he was supported by others who accepted his regret for those positions. Barr won the party's nomination after six rounds of balloting at the 2008 Libertarian Party National Convention. Former contender Wayne Allyn Root was named as his running mate. Reason magazine senior editor Radley Balko called Barr "the first serious candidate the LP has run since I've been eligible to vote."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Reform Party presidential primaries</span>

Following Ross Perot's impressive showing during the 1996 presidential election, the Reform Party of the United States of America became the country's largest third party. The party's 2000 presidential candidate would be entitled to $12.5 million in matching funds. Several high-profile candidates vied for the nomination, including Donald Trump, Pat Buchanan, and physicist John Hagelin. For a brief time, Congressman John B. Anderson and Congressman Ron Paul, who previously ran third party campaigns for President in 1980 and 1988 respectively, were considered potential candidates. Both Anderson and Paul ultimately declined to seek the nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia McKinney 2008 presidential campaign</span> Political campaign for United States presidency

The 2008 presidential campaign of Cynthia McKinney, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 11th district (1993–97) and 4th district, began on December 16, 2007, as a candidate for the Green Party presidential nomination via YouTube. She and her running mate Rosa Clemente accepted the Green Party's presidential nomination July 12, 2008 at the 2008 Green National Convention. Her campaign focused on issues such as racial profiling, September 11, 2001 attacks, and the Green Party's 10 key values. She also supported statehood for the District of Columbia, slavery reparations, electoral reforms including instant runoff voting, and calls for abolishing the death penalty and the War on Drugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Republican Party presidential primaries</span>

Voters of the Republican Party elected state delegations to the 2012 Republican National Convention in presidential primaries. The national convention then selected its nominee to run for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. There were 2,286 delegates chosen, and a candidate needed to accumulate 1,144 delegate votes at the convention to win the nomination. The caucuses allocated delegates to the respective state delegations to the national convention, but the actual election of the delegates were, many times, at a later date. Delegates were elected in different ways that vary from state to state. They could be elected at local conventions, selected from slates submitted by the candidates, selected at committee meetings, or elected directly at the caucuses and primaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Draft Ron Paul movement</span> Efforts to convince Ron Paul to run for a particular office

The Draft Ron Paul movement refers to any of several grassroots efforts to convince United States Congressman Ron Paul of Texas to run for particular office, often president of the United States, as in the 2008 and 2012 elections.

Andre Nigel Barnett is an American entrepreneur, politician, and model. After founding an information technology company, he was the presidential candidate of the Reform Party in the 2012 United States presidential election, and later sought a New York seat in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican.

The Virgil Goode presidential campaign of 2012 began when former U.S. Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia announced his decision to seek the 2012 presidential nomination of the Constitution Party in February 2012. During the nomination campaign, he put forth a four-point plank that included his plans to restrict immigration, balance the federal budget, decrease the size of government, and institute congressional term limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries</span>

The 2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries and caucuses allowed electors to indicate non-binding preferences for the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate. These differed from the Republican or Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in that they did not appoint delegates to represent a candidate at the party's convention to select the party's nominee for the United States presidential election. The party's nominee for the 2016 presidential election was chosen directly by registered delegates at the 2016 Libertarian National Convention, which ran from May 26 to 30, 2016. The delegates nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson for President and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld for Vice President.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrell Castle 2016 presidential campaign</span> Political campaign for United States presidency

The 2016 presidential campaign of Darrell Castle of the Constitution Party began on the eve of the Constitution Party National Convention in April 2016. On April 16, the Constitution Party nominated Castle on the first ballot, after he won 184 votes out of the 339.5 cast to win the nomination with 54.19%. His running mate, Scott Bradley, was nominated by voice vote.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "2008 Official Presidential General Election Results" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 "Chuck's Bio". Chuck Baldwin Live. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Miller, Ben (October 6, 2006). "Rev. Chuck Baldwin on the Republican Party and Possible Run for the White House". Conservative President 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  4. ↑ Baldwin, Chuck (May 2, 2006). "Me in a Nutshell". NewsWithViews.com. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  5. ↑ "2004 Election Results" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  6. ↑ Baldwin, Chuck (December 19, 2007). "Chuck Baldwin Endorses Ron Paul". YouTube . Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  7. ↑ "Baldwin Answers Questions". Miller Politics. March 25, 2008. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  8. ↑ "Chuck Baldwin Declares for Constitution Party Presidential Nomination". Ballot Access News. April 10, 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  9. 1 2 Dance, George (April 25, 2008). "Ron Paul supporter Chuck Baldwin runs for President". Nolan Chart. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Howard Phillips endorses Chuck Baldwin at Constitution Party Convention". 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  11. ↑ McManus, John (18 May 2008). "Constitution Party Chooses Baldwin". The Constitution Party. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  12. ↑ Mannies, Jo (April 26, 2008). "At KC convention, Constitution Party picks pastor for president". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri Constitution Party. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  13. ↑ "Zogby Poll: Election of Our Discontent? 48% of Likely Voters Dissatisfied With Current Crop of Presidential Candidates". Zogby International. May 14, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-10-17. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "BALDWIN 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF". Montana News Association. 22 May 2008. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  15. ↑ Weigel, Dave (May 29, 2008). "Candidates for Truth!". reason.tv. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  16. ↑ Brimelow, Peter (November 3, 2008). "Peter Brimelow". The American Conservative. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  17. ↑ Corsi, Jerome (August 13, 2008). "The Obama Nation". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Former US Congressman John Hostettler to attend Constitution Party event". November 23, 2008.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Conservative Endorsements Rolling in for Chuck Baldwin". November 3, 2008. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013.
  20. ↑ Dice, Mark (November 3, 2008). "The Resistance Forum". Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
  21. ↑ "Former GOP Congressman Will Speak to Constitution Party National Committee Meeting". Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
  22. ↑ Preston, Mark (September 9, 2008). "Ron Paul to announce presidential endorsement plans". CNN. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  23. ↑ Paul, Ron (September 22, 2008). "A New Alliance". Campaign For Liberty. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  24. ↑ Skousen, Joel (May 2, 2008). "Joel Skousen's World Affairs Brief" . Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  25. ↑ Sobran, Joseph (November 3, 2008). "Joseph Sobran". The American Conservative. Archived from the original on October 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  26. ↑ Carney, Timothy (November 3, 2008). "Rebels Without a Candidate: How should a dissident conservative vote?". Culture11. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  27. ↑ "Baldwin appeals for ballot access help". Third Party Watch. July 23, 2008. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  28. ↑ "MASSIVE Anti-Illegal Immigration Rally at the Democrat Convention". August 25, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  29. ↑ Spencer, Jason (August 27, 2008). "3rd party candidate lashes out at Obama and McCain". GoUpstate.com. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  30. ↑ "Baldwin promises to release Compean and Ramos if Elected". Third Party Watch. September 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.[ permanent dead link ]
  31. ↑ Baldwin, Chuck; Scott Simon (October 18, 2008). "Chuck Baldwin On His Run For President". NPR. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  32. ↑ "Third Party Presidential Debate (Full Video)". C-SPAN. October 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  33. ↑ Recio, Maria (November 3, 2008). "Even the little parties are getting in on the action". The Houston Chronicle. Hearst. Retrieved 8 January 2010.[ dead link ]

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.