United We Stand America

Last updated

United We Stand America was the name selected by Texas businessman H. Ross Perot for his citizen action organization after his 1992 independent political campaign for President of the United States. Perot's 19% showing in the 1992 election was sufficient to entitle him to federal matching funds for the 1996 campaign. [1] After the campaign, Perot announced, on January 11, 1993, the formation of a non-profit watchdog organization named United We Stand America (UWSA). [2]

Contents

History

In the early 1990s, many people were talking about forming a new political party. These discussions centered around populist themes. [3] [4] The eventual result of the movement that followed was United We Stand America, followed by the Reform Party, and in some states the Independence Party. The early history of UWSA revolved around establishment of chapters in all 50 states and citizen activism against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). [5] The organization also supported Ross Perot's fiscally conservative and socially liberal platform.

In November 1993, Perot and Vice-president Al Gore conducted a nationally televised debate about NAFTA on Larry King Live, which had been the highest rated CNN program until the Republican presidential debate in September 2015. [6]

UWSA remained active under Perot's leadership until late 1995 when the paid staff was moved to a new organization dubbed "Citizens for the Reform Party" which actively campaigned to petition the Reform Party on to the ballot in all 50 states for the 1996 presidential election. The name of Perot's organization conflicted with that of a United Way-type LGBT advocacy group that had already copyrighted the name 'United We Stand'.

The Independent Movement and Founding of the Reform Party

The movement to the political center ignited and began taking shape in one form or another all around the country in 1992. In Minnesota, the Independence Party was formed in 1992 by supporters of Ross Perot, and fielded Dean Barkley that year as a candidate for a seat in the US House of Representatives. Other supporters led by Don Dow, State Director, and Victoria Staten, Assistant State Director and Ross Perot's spokesperson on NAFTA, worked as part of United We Stand America, and some eventually found their way to the Independence Party after the elections. In later years, the party began to field candidates in races of other states. In 1995 the Independence Party of Minnesota became affiliated with the national Reform Party and renamed itself the Reform Party of Minnesota. This is the same group that led the effort to elect Jesse Ventura, one of three independent governors in recent years. In 1995 Angus King was elected Governor of Maine. King's election as an independent was not unprecedented in Maine politics; independent James B. Longley had been elected twenty years earlier. Though a member of the Republican Party during his time in Congress, Lowell Weicker left the Republican Party, and in 1991 he became one of the few independents to be elected as a state governor.[ citation needed ]

The Reform Party, founded in 1995 with ballot access in all 50 states, nominated Ross Perot for President after a convention battle between Perot and Richard Lamm, former governor of Colorado. Perot's running mate in 1996 was Pat Choate, a well-known author, economist and professor. The future of the Reform Party was somewhat clouded by the 1996 election results when the Perot/Choate ticket received only 9% of the overall vote. Since many states require a minimum of 10% to retain ballot access, the ability of the party to field candidates without the time and expense of petition drives was limited. However, based on the 1996 results, the party retained the ability to earn federal matching funds in the 2000 Presidential election - a fact that was not lost on Pat Buchanan. The battle for control of the Reform Party between many of the founding members and Buchanan's weakened the Reform Party to the extent that it has diminished as a factor in U.S. politics in the years since the 2000 election.[ citation needed ]

United We Stand America no longer exists today. Archives of material from the original organization can be found at http://www.uwsa.com/books/Uwsabook.html Archived 2000-12-09 at the Wayback Machine , but the original group founded by Ross Perot ceased to be active after the independents organized, and with the formation of the Reform Party in 1995.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural Law Party (United States)</span> Political party associated with Transcendental Meditation

The Natural Law Party (NLP) is a political party in Michigan. It was a national political party in the United States affiliated with the international Natural Law Party. It was founded in 1992. Beginning in 2004, many of its state chapters dissolved. The party's Michigan chapter is still active as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 United States presidential election</span> 53rd quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1996 United States presidential election was the 53rd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton defeated former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican nominee, and Ross Perot, the Reform Party nominee and 1992 independent presidential candidate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 United States presidential election</span> 52nd quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1992 United States presidential election was the 52nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992. Democratic Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeated incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush and independent businessman Ross Perot of Texas. The election marked the end of a period of Republican dominance in American presidential politics that began in 1968, and also marked the end of 12 years of Republican rule of the White House, as well as the end of the Greatest Generation's 32-year American rule and the beginning of the baby boomers' 28-year dominance until 2020. It was the last time the incumbent president failed to win a second term until Donald Trump in 2020, as well as the first election since 1932 in which an elected incumbent Republican president was defeated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Perot</span> American businessman and politician (1930–2019)

Henry Ross Perot Sr. was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an independent campaign in the 1992 U.S. presidential election and a third-party campaign in the 1996 U.S. presidential election as the nominee of the Reform Party, which was formed by grassroots supporters of Perot's 1992 campaign. Although he failed to carry a single state in either election, both campaigns were among the strongest presidential showings by a third party or independent candidate in U.S. history.

<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">Pat Choate</span> American economist (born 1941)

Pat Choate is an American economist who is most known for being the 1996 Reform Party candidate for Vice President of the United States, the running-mate of Ross Perot. Following the 1996 election, the Federal Election Commission certified the Reform Party as a national political party eligible for federal campaign matching funds, a historic first.

The United Citizens Party (UCP) was first organized in 1969 in the U.S. state of South Carolina by John Roy Harper II and others, in response to the state Democratic Party's opposition to nominating black candidates. The party's objective was to elect blacks to the legislature and local offices in counties with black majority populations. The party ran candidates in 1970 and 1972; as a result in 1970 the first three black candidates were elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives since Reconstruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independence Party of New York</span> Third party in New York, United States

The Independence Party was a political party in the U.S. state of New York. The party was founded in 1991 by Gordon Black, Tom Golisano, and Laureen Oliver and acquired ballot status in 1994. They lost their ballot status in 2020 under a change in the New York state election law that required at least 130,000 votes on the party line every two years. Although often associated with Ross Perot, as the party came to prominence in the wake of Perot's 1992 presidential campaign, it was created prior to Perot's run. In 2020, it affiliated with the Alliance Party, but disaffiliated in 2021. It used to have one elected member of the New York State Assembly, Fred Thiele, until Thiele switched his party affiliation to the Democratic Party in 2022. On December 9, 2022, New York governor Kathy Hochul signed S1851A, banning the use of the words "Independent" and "Independence" from use in political party names in New York state.

Laureen Oliver is an American political activist, candidate, and consultant who co-founded the Independence Party of New York (IPNY) in the 1990s. She was the party's first state chair and was twice its nominee for statewide offices including lieutenant governor during the period it was affiliated with the Reform Party of the United States of America. As campaign advisor to Tom Golisano, she led his 1994, 1998, and 2002 bids for governor of New York. She also served on the presidential committee for Governor Richard Lamm of the Reform Party.

<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">1996 United States presidential election in California</span>

The 1996 United States presidential election in California took place on November 5, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters chose 54 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. California, was won by Incumbent President Bill Clinton (D) over Senator Bob Dole (R), with Clinton winning 51.1% to 38.21% by a margin of 12.89%. Billionaire businessman Ross Perot finished in third, with 6.96% of the popular vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independence-Alliance Party</span> Political party in Minnesota

The Independence—Alliance Party, a merger of the Alliance Party and the Independence Party, formerly the Reform Party of Minnesota (1996–2000), is a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was the party of former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura when he left the Reform Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Buchanan 2000 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

The 2000 presidential campaign of Pat Buchanan, conservative pundit and advisor to both President Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, was formally launched on March 2, 1999, as Buchanan announced his intention to seek the Republican Party nomination for the presidency of the United States in the 2000 presidential election. It marked Buchanan's third primary campaign for the presidency, following his bids in 1992 and 1996. Although he had not attained the nomination either time, he had been regarded as a consequential figure within the party. Early primary surveys found Buchanan polling in the single digits, and following the publication of his book A Republic, Not an Empire, which generally advocated for noninterventionist and "America first" foreign policy, some within the Republican Party condemned Buchanan's foreign policy views. There began to be speculation that Buchanan would leave the Republican Party in favor of the Reform Party, a third party which qualified for matching federal campaign funds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russ Verney</span> American political advisor

Russell J. Verney is a political advisor, who served as chairman of the Reform Party of the United States from 1995 to 1999. He worked on the presidential campaigns of Ross Perot and Bob Barr.

This article contains lists of official and potential third party and independent candidates associated with the 1996 United States presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Reform Party presidential primaries</span>

The Reform Party of the United States of America (RPUSA) was founded in 1995 by Ross Perot. Because the party had just recently been formed, the traditional system of presidential primaries in use by the Republican and Democratic parties was not considered practical for the Reform Party to use for its presidential primary in 1996. Instead, a national primary was held through the mail in which Reform Party supporters voted for a number of candidates, while ballot efforts were concentrated entirely towards the general election.

The Reform Party of New Jersey, also known as New Jersey Reform Party, was originally founded as the state party organization for New Jersey of the Reform Party of the United States of America.

This article lists running mates considered by Ross Perot during his 1996 candidacy for President of the United States. Following his 1992 independent candidacy, which attracted nearly 20% of the popular vote, Perot announced the formation of the Reform Party in 1995. Perot ran for president in 1996, and defeated former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm in the Reform Party primaries. On September 11, 1996, Perot announced his choice of economics professor Pat Choate as his running mate. Perot and Choate had previously co-authored the book Save Your Job, Save Our Country, which argued against the ratification of NAFTA. The Perot–Choate ticket took 8.4% of the popular vote in the 1996 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Perot 1996 presidential campaign</span> Political campaign for United States President

The 1996 presidential campaign of Ross Perot, an independent presidential candidate in 1992 and the founder of the Reform Party, was announced on July 10, 1996. Perot said he would seek the Reform Party nomination for president of the United States in the 1996 election during an appearance on Larry King Live.

The 1996 presidential campaign of Richard Lamm, former Democratic Governor of Colorado, was launched on July 9, 1996, as Perot, announced his intention to seek the Reform Party nomination for the presidency of the United States in the 1996 presidential election in Denver, Colorado.

References

  1. ↑ Kellman, Laurie (February 17, 2000). "Perot Supporters Want Him To Run". Associated Press Online. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Perot, 69, founded the Reform Party as United We Stand America after his 19 percent showing as an independent candidate in 1992. Four years later, the billionaire candidate, spent most of the $29.2 million he received in federal matching funds on long-format television time.
  2. ↑ "Perot Courts Cash". Chicago Sun-Times. January 11, 1993. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ Wilentz, Sean (August 8, 1993). "Pox Populi". New Republic.
  4. ↑ Fritz, Sara (August 30, 1993). "Perot Forces Push Agenda in a Summer of Discontent". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ↑ Benjamin, Pat (March 1, 2013). The Perot Legacy: A New Political Path. Morgan James Publishing. pp. 31–. ISBN   978-1-61448-473-8.
  6. ↑ Malloy, Daniel (September 17, 2015). "CNN draws its biggest audience ever: 22.9 million GOP debate viewers". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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.