Politics1 - Guide to the 2004 Constitution Party Presidential Candidates

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PRESIDENCY 2004:

MICHAEL A. "MIKE" PEROUTKA of Maryland
Constitution Party
Presidential Nominee

Note: Peroutka will also appear on some state ballots as the nominee of
the Alaskan Independence Party (AKIP), the Independent American Party (IAP),
and the American Independent Party of California (AIP).

MICHAEL PEROUTKA BIOGRAPHICAL FACTS:

POLITICAL: State Chair, Constitution Party of Maryland. Member, Constitution Party National Executive Committee. Founder and Director, Institute on the Constitution (conservative non-profit organization).

PROFESSIONAL: Health Initiatives Analyst/Attorney, US Department of Health & Human Services, 1976-87. Attorney (private practice),1987-present. Founder and Director, American College for Cultural Studies (Biblical-Constitutionalist education program).

EDUCATION: B.A., Loyola College. J.D., University of Baltimore, 1981.

PERSONAL: Born 1952. Married to Diane Peroutka. Three children.

CHUCK BALDWIN of Florida
Constitution Party
Vice Presidential Nominee

Dr. Chuck Baldwin is a Baptist pastor, longtime conservative activist, and radio talk show host. While he originally planned on a career in law enforcement, Baldwin "answered the divine call to Gospel ministry" and decided instead to attend Bible school. He ultimately earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in theology, and was later awarded two honorary doctorates in the field. After moving from Indiana to Pensacola, Florida, Baldwin and five others founded the Crossroads Baptist Church in 1975. Within a few years, the church had a weekly attendance that frequently exceeded 1,000 members. Often, Baldwin would invited prominent leaders such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan, Roy Moore and others to speak at his church. In the early 1980s, he also served as State Chair of Falwell's Moral Majority group. On top of his conservative Christian radio show, Baldwin also is a regular columnist on several conservative websites. Baldwin, 52, and his wife Connie are the parents of three children and grandparents of six.

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LINKS:

Peroutka for President - Official Campaign Site.
Constitution Party - Official National Party Site.
Institute on the Constitution - Peroutka Organization.
American College for Cultural Studies - Peroutka Organization.
FaceTheTruth.com - Peroutka Organization.
Chuck Baldwin Live - Baldwin's Radio Show.
Food for Thought: Chuck Baldwin Archives - Baldwin's Columns.
Constitution Party State Affiliates - Directory.
Constitution Party Platform - CP Platform.
Young Constitutionalists - CP Youth Affiliate.
Live Free or Die! Campaign Supply - Official Campaign Store.

ANALYSIS:

Maryland attorney Michael Peroutka is the party's Presidential candidate for 2004 -- but not for a lack of trying to find someone else to run in his place. Peroutka repeatedly said -- even after he was designated the CP's provisional Presidential nominee in 2004 -- that he would gladly step-aside if the party found a "big name" person willing to run under the party's banner. The CP leadership offered deposed Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore (R) the nomination in November 2003 -- in the place of Peroutka -- but Moore quickly responded then that he was not interested in leaving the GOP. By early 2004 -- with the gay marriage firestorm raging -- Moore briefly appeared to reconsider (but again stayed out of the race). That cemented Peroutka's position as the CP nominee, a status that was cemented at the party's national convention in May 2004. Peroutka has a long record of social conservative activism, particularly on behalf of the pro-life and pro-gun causes. The main vehicle for this activism is through the Institute on the Constitution, a conservative non-profit organization Peroutka founded and directs. He spent 11 years working for the federal government to create health care programs, but eventually left in the lates 1980s after deciding that the programs on which he worked "had no constitutional foundation." Peroutka is also the founder and director of the American College for Cultural Studies (a biblical-constitutionalist education program), and is active in several church and civic organizations. He opposed the US action in Iraq on constitutional grounds: "It's not that Congress doesn't have the authority to declare war. It's just that it hasn't done so." However, he emphasizes that he strongly supported the US troops in Iraq while opposing "the unconstitutional procedures under which they were committed to fight." Peroutka's strong Christian beliefs also influence his political views. He advocates the view that the Constitution is founded on the Bible and it can't be sustained without a biblically-grounded judiciary. Baptist Pastor and social conservative political activist Chuck Baldwin has already been designated as Peroutka's VP runningmate. Based on the party's history, the Peroutka-Baldwin ticket will likely obtain ballot access in at least 30 states.

OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN CONTACT INFORMATION:

Michael Peroutka for President
8028 Ritchie Highway
Suite 303
Pasadena, MD 21122
877-627-2004
E-mail: info@peroutka2004.com