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DIRECTORY OF U.S. POLITICAL PARTIES
THE TWO MAJOR PARTIES: DEMOCRATIC PARTY (DNC)
- The Democrats won the White House in 2008 and 2012, won some key governorships (PA, NY, MO, MN, and CA) -- but then lost control
REPUBLICAN PARTY (RNC) - Republicans
recaptured the Presidency in 2016, following strong off-year elections in 2010 (recapturing majority status in the US House) and 2014 (recapturing US Senate control). The GOP also
holds several key Governorships (including TX, OH, FL, GA,
MI, IL, WI, MO, MA and MD). Pre-Trump, the Republicans could generally be classified
into several different sub-sets: traditional establishment conservatives
(Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and the Club for Growth),
the
THE THIRD PARTIES: THE
"BIG THREE" THIRD PARTIES: CONSTITUTION PARTY
- The Constitution Party is strongly pro-life, anti-gun control,
anti-tax, anti-immigration, trade protectionist, "anti-New World
Order," anti-United Nations, anti-gay rights, anti-welfare, and
pro-school prayer. Former Nixon Administration official and one-time Conservative
Coalition chair Howard Phillips founded the party, originally named the US Taxpayers Party
(USTP), in 1992. The
USTP renamed itself the Constitution GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES - The
Green Party -- the informal US-affiliate of the leftist, environmentalist
European Greens movement
-- is one of the two largest third parties in the nation. The Greens support strict environmental protection laws, stronger labor rights, expanded social programs, and higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The
party regularly fields candidates for local, state and federal
offices in many states, and has established active state
affiliate parties in nearly all states. The Greens scored
a major political points when it convinced prominent consumer
advocate Ralph Nader to run
as their first Presidential nominee in 1996. Spending LIBERTARIAN PARTY - The LP, founded in
1971, bills itself as "America's largest third party" (and, along
with the Greens, are definitely among the two largest third parties
in the nation). The Libertarians are neither left nor right: they
believe in total individual liberty (pro-drug legalization, pro-gay marriage, pro-home schooling, pro-gun rights, generally pro-choice,
etc.) and
total economic freedom (anti-welfare, anti-government regulation
of business, anti-minimum wage, anti-income tax, pro-free trade).
The LP espouses a classical laissez faire ideology which,
they
SMALLER THIRD PARTIES: AMERICAN
PARTY - The AP is a very small, very conservative, Christian
splinter party formed after a break from the American Independent
Party in 1972. US Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Governor Mel
Thomson (R-NH) AMERICAN FREEDOM PARTY - The American Freedom Party (originally named American Third Position or A3P) is a white supremacist political party (they prefer to call themselves "White Nationalists") founded in 2010. In various policy statements, the AFP state its mission is "to represent White Americans before the political arena." This racist party espouses a non-interventionist foreign policy, calls for strict controls on non-white immigration to the US, and touts the slogan "Diversity is a Codeword for White Genocide." The party began fielding candidates on the ballot in 2011. The AFP nominated white supremaclist activist Merlin Miller for President in 2012, and he achieved ballot status in three states (19th place - 2,714 votes). The party's 2016 nominee, elderly white supremacist Bob Whitaker, failed to achieve any ballot status and captured too few write-in votes to even be tallied by states. The party embraces the Neo-Nazi "Alt-Right" label. AMERICAN INDEPENDENT PARTY - Governor
George C. Wallace
AMERICAN SOLIDARITY PARTY - The American Solidarity Party is founded upon Catholic social teaching. The party is pro-life, anti-death penalty, pro-welfare, anti-gay marriage, pro-universal health care, and anti-military Selective Service/draft. The ASP also wants to cut income taxes on earned wages, while increasing taxes on investment income and corporations. The ASP supports increased banking regulation, wants to end energy and agricultural subsidies, supports clean energy, backs tougher environmental protections, opposes military intervenionism, opposes US arms sales to foreign governments, is anti-pornography, supports decrimnalizations of narcotics, and is pro-labor unions. The ASP's 2016 presidential nominee, Mike Maturen, achieved ballot status in one state and write-in status in several others (16th place - 4,655 votes). The ASP is now trying to establish a few state affiliates, and has a Facebook page. AMERICA'S PARTY - Former Ambassador and frequent GOP Presidential candidate Alan Keyes created this party in 2008, after he quit the Republican race for President and failed to win the Constitution Party's nomination. Originally named America's Independent Party, they shortened their name to America's Party in 2011. The party espouses a social Christian conservative platform: pro-life (no exceptions), anti-gay rights, pro-gun rights, pro-strong military ("peace through strength"), pro-Iraq War, anti-tax (supports total repeal of federal income taxes), and opposes federal spending on any programs not explicitly authorized by the US Constitution. In 2008, Keyes was on the ballot in three states as the party's Presidential nominee and captured a total of 47,768 votes (7th place - 0.04%). In a directly related coup, this party wrested control of the American Independent Party of California away from the Constitution Party, thus capturing ballot status in the state for the 2008/2010 elections. Interestingly, the party does not accept any financial donations. Party national chair Tom Hoefling was the party's 2016 Presidential nominee (17th place - 4,577 votes). Other official site: AmericasPartyNews.com. BETTER FOR AMERICA PARTY - Wealthy conservative GOP donor John Kingston created Better for America as a one-time (2016 election) electoral platform to place an anti-Donald Trump (and anti-Hillary Clinton) center-conservative presidential candidate on state ballots. BFA has already secured ballot status in New Mexico, and is now seeking it "several" more states. Former Gov & GW Bush Administration cabinet member Christie Whitman (R-NJ) is also a leader of the BFA movement. The party did not formally field a 2016 nominee, but many of the BFA leaders generally seemed to support conservative independent Evan McMullin's late candidacy. Running largely as a #NeverTrump Independent, CIA veteran McMullin finished in an impressive 5th place (715,000 votes). CITIZENS PARTY - Not to be confused with the progressive party by the same name in the 1980s, this new Citizens Party was launched in 2004 as the New American Independent Party. In 2011, the party changed its name to Citizens Party. The CP vows to become a national entity. The CP describe their ideology as a "pragmatic ... mixture of what might appear to be liberal, moderate and conservative views." The party supports fair trade (reciprocity), and opposed free trade policies, NAFTA, CAFTA and the WTO; supports gun ownership rights; supports gay marriage and is pro-choice; wants tougher animal cruelty laws; supports legalizing medically assisted suicide; wants to create tax incentives to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US and protect US family farms; opposed the Wall Street bailout; and opposes a "neo-conservative foreign policy." To date the party has only ballot qualified one candidate under its name: a Pennsylvania state legislative candidate in 2006. COMMUNIST PARTY USA - The CPUSA --
once the slavish propaganda tool and spy network for the Soviet
Central Committee -- experienced a forced transformation in recent
years. Highly classified Soviet Politburo records, made public
after the fall of Soviet communism in the 1990s, revealed the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) illegally FREEDOM SOCIALIST PARTY - The
FSP was formed in 1966 by a splinter group of dissident feminist
Trotskyists who broke away from the Socialist Workers Party to
create a new party in the "tradition of
INDEPENDENCE PARTY OF AMERICA - After two years of
openly feuding with Ross Perot's allies in the Reform Party, Minnesota
Governor Jesse
Ventura and his supporters bolted from the party to launch
the new Independence Party in 2000. While
this splinter party shared the Reform Party's call for campaign
finance and other political reforms, the IP shared Ventura's disagreement
with the more social conservative and trade protectionist views
espoused by the Reform Party. The IP -- which describes itself
as "Socially Inclusive and Fiscally Responsible" -- is pro-choice,
pro-gay rights, pro-medical marijuana, pro-gun rights and fiscally
moderate. THE INDEPENDENT PARTY - This small, centrist party was founded in 1976, although they showed no political footprint before 2010. The TIP claim to be affinity descendents of the small Toleration Party of the early 1800s. Their stances are largely platitudes. Example: "We work and advocate for progress on political and social issues, have adopted policies and the platform that effect positive change, insist on free, open, and equal access to the ballot, media, and vote, equal representation by our elected officials, demand fiscal responsibility, and transparency by our SERVANTS of the people!" TIP's party platform is short but rather incomprehensible. The party fielded roughly a dozen federal and state candidates in six states in 2018, and is running Terry Wheelock for President in 2020.
LIGHT PARTY - The Light Party is a miniscule New Age party almost entirely centered around party founder "Da Vid, M.D., Wholistic Physician, Human Ecologist & Artist." He was also the party's write-in candidate for President in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. The party promotes holistic medicine, national health insurance, organic foods, solar energy, nuclear disarmament and a flat tax. The founder is the only candidate this party has ever fielded for office.
OBJECTIVIST PARTY - Founded in 2008, the party "seeks to promote Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism in the political realm." Translation: They support a platform nearly identical to that of the Libertarian Party. Party founder Tom Stevens -- who is also active with the Libertarians, often fighting with party leaders -- was party's nominee for President in 2008 (ballot access in 2 states - 755 votes) and 2012 (ballot access in 2 states - 4,091 votes - 16th place). No candidate nominated in 2016. The Objectivist Party is unaffiliated with the Ayn Rand Institute or any prominent figures from Rand's objectivist movement. PARTY
FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION - The Party
of Socialism & Liberation PEACE AND FREEDOM PARTY
- Founded in the 1960s as a left-wing party opposed to the Vietnam War, the
party reached its peak of support in 1968 when it nominated Black
Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver for President. PIRATE PARTY - The PROHIBITION PARTY - "If
you are a reform-minded conservative and a non-drinker, the REFORM PARTY - Once a rapidly
growing and populist third party, the Reform Party first shifted far
to the right during 1999-2002, before imploding into insignificance
due to factional in-fighting. After the shift, it quickly experienced
massive waves of conservative defections away into the Constitution
Party and the America First Party in 2002, before withering into
an insignificant shadow of its former glory years. First, some history:
after running as an Independent in 1992, billionaire Texas businessman
Ross Perot
founded the Reform Party in 1995 as his vehicle for converting
his independent movement into a permanent political party. In
1996, Perot ran as the Reform Party's presidential nominee (8,085,000
votes - 8%). SOCIALIST PARTY USA - The
SPUSA are true democratic socialists -- advocating left-wing electoral
change versus militant revolutionary change. Many of the SP members
could easily be members SOCIALIST ACTION - Socialist Action is a Trotskyist political party of "revolutionary socialists" originally founded by expelled members of the Socialist Workers Party. While the SA shares the SWP's pro-Castro views, the SA still tries to retain its Trotskyist ideological roots (versus the SWP, which has drifted away from Trotskyism towards a more Soviet communist ideology). The SA states that they "oppose the Democrats and Republicans, all capitalist political parties, and all capitalist governments and their representatives everywhere ... [and] Stalinist and neo-Stalinist regimes from the ex-Soviet Union to China." This communist party has fielded some local political candidates in the San Francisco Bay area over the years, and ran its first congressional candidate in 2010 (in Connecticut). Other official sites: Youth for Socialist Action and VoteSocialistAction. SOCIALIST EQUALITY PARTY - The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) was originally named the Workers League (WL). The WL was founded in 1966 as a Trotskyist communist group closely associated with the electoral campaigns of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). The goal of these Trotskyist groups was a build a working-class labor party in the US affiliated with the International Committee of the Fourth International (the global Trotskyist umbrella network). They believe that "the egalitarian and internationalist legacy of the Russian Revolution" could have succeeded, but was "betrayed by Stalinism" and its progeny. When the SWP drifted away from Trotskyism in the early 1980s, the WL broke with the SWP and began fielding its own candidates. The WL fielded its first Presidential ticket in 1984. The WL later renamed itself as the Socialist Equality Party in 1994. The Michigan-based SEP regularly fields Congressional and local candidates, mainly in Michigan and Ohio. The SEP is very realistic about its candidates, acknowledging a campaign is an opportunity to "present a socialist alternative to the demagogy and lies of the establishment parties and the mass media." Frequent SEP Presidential nominee Jerry White was again the party's nominee in 2016 (29th place - 475 votes). The SEP's news site -- the World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) -- is updated daily with articles, analysis, history, etc., written with a hardcore internationalist, Trotskyist perspective.
TAX WALL STREET PARTY - This party, founded in 2013, appropriated the populist anti-corporate message of the Occupy Wall Street movement -- although the real story of this party is far removed from OWS. The TWSP is run by Webster Tarpley, a vocal conspiracy theorist and longtime activist in the LaRouche political cult. The party supports a 1% sales tax on all Wall Street transactions, wants to "nationalize" the Federal Reserve to make it more responsible to the public, supports single-payer nationalized health care for all, and wants a 15% protectionist tariff (tax) on all imported goods. The party ran a canidate for NYC Mayor in 2013, and a US Senate candidate in Nebraska in 2014 (later disqualified from the ballot).
UNITY PARTY OF AMERICA - This small centrist political party was founded after the 2004 elections. For the first decade the party was only active in Colorado, and began fielding candidates there starting in 2006. In 2016, the party began expanding, launching small affiiates in some states and vowing to field a future presidential ticket. The party supports a balanced budget constitutional amendment, federal term limits, replacing the federal income tax with other reveue sources, development of clean alternative energy sources, and ending gerrymandering by having all election districts drawn by nonpartisan panels of judges. VETERANS
PARTY OF AMERICA - The WORKERS WORLD PARTY - The WWP
was formed in 1959 by a pro-Chinese communist faction that split
from the Socialist Workers Party. Although the WWP theoretically
supports worker revolutions, the WWP supported the Soviet actions
that crushed worker uprisings in Hungary in the 1950s,
OTHER
PARTIES AMERICAN EAGLE PARTY (AMERICAN FREEDOM UNION) - Launched in 2015, the AEP is the political party of the white supremacist splinter group American Freedom Union, which formed from a 2014 split in the American Freedom Party. The AEP/AFU founder is Merlin Miller, who was the AFP's 2012 presidential nominee. Both parties have nearly identical right-wing platforms opposing non-white immigraton to the US, and railing against communism, the "New World Order" and the decline of white "European-American" culture in the US. No candidates fielded to date. AMERICAN PATRIOT PARTY - The APP, established in 2003, was "founded on the basic principals set forth by our founding fathers, that the federal government should only have the powers set forth in the framework of the Constitution and all other power to be delegated back to the states. Although everyone has thier own opinions on all issues, we believe it is up to the states to decide what should and should not be mandated, banned or regulated." The APP supports a crackdown on illegal immigration, making English fluency a requirement of US citizenship, abolishing the IRS and repealing the federal income tax, imposing steeper taxes and tariffs on imported goods, abolition of the centralized Federal Reserve System, withdrawing the US from the Untied Nations, imposing a foreign policy of non-interventionism, and ending federal involvement in education. No candidates fielded to date, but the APP have formed party chapters in several states -- with the Oregon state party group taking the lead in attempting to organize a national effort. The APP vows that their candidates will be "statesmen, not politicians." They endorsed Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) for President in 2008, but did not nominate a candidate. CANARY
PARTY - Founded in 2011, this unusual party is entirely
focused upon the issue of health care -- particularly as relates
to autism. According to the party's official history, CENTRIST PARTY / UNITE AMERICA - Professor Charles Wheelan founded the Centrist Party movement in 2013, based upon ideas espoused in his manifesto book, as a moderate "insurgency of the rational." It has since evolved into the Centrist Project, and now into Unite America. Advocating "country over party," they describe themselves as "a movement of Democrats, Republicans, and independents who are committed to repairing our politics and restoring the American dream for future generations. According to the party's website, they are using a "'Fulcrum Strategy' of electing coalitions of independents to narrowly divided legislatures - on both a state and national level - where they can control the balance of power and use their extraordinary leverage to forge common ground solutions to pressing challenges." The group seems to be mainly be endorsing existing independent candidates (versus fielding candidates of their own). None have qualified for the ballot to date under the party banner. Another newer group with similar goals is Uniters.org, but too soon to tell what they will do electorally. CONSERVATIVE
PARTY USA - DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA - The DSA is the official US full
PROGRESSIVE
LABOR PARTY - The PLP is REVOLUTIONARY
COMMUNIST COMMUNIST PARTY USA - The WORKERS PARTY, USA - The WP-USA is a hardcore Marxist-Leninist political party founded in 1992 by the late Michael Thorburn. The party was established to "bring the working class out as an independent class force." The WP-USA shares much of the CPUSA's ideology. While the WP-USA has yet to field any candidates, the Chicago-based party publishes a bi-weekly newspaper named The Worker and a quarterly theoretical journal named -- not surprisingly -- The Worker Magazine. The WP-USA site features an extensive on-line archive of dogmatic screeds largely denouncing "monopoly capitalists," Western imperialism, the USA, etc. -- and praising the working class and "revolutionary politics." Thorburn's Anti-Imperialist News Service ("assisting the people's struggles against war and militarism") is also affiliated with the WP-USA. WORLD SOCIALIST PARTY OF THE
USA - The WSP-USA are seemingly utopian Marxists. They
believe true socialism can only work when it is established worldwide. |
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of the US House in 2010, lost the US Senate in 2014, and lost the White House in 2016 (while still carrying a plurality of the national popular vote by a margin of over 2.5 million votes). Democrats run the wide gamut from the
near Euro-style democratic-socialist left (
"Religious Right" (
Party in 1999. The party has fielded presidential tickets since 1992 and congressional and state candidates since 1994 (but only in a small number of states). The party received
a brief boost in the media when conservative US Senator Bob Smith
of New Hampshire -- an announced GOP Presidential hopeful -- bolted
from the Republican Party to seek the Constitution Party nomination
in 2000 (but the erratic Smith quit the Constitution Party race
a few weeks later and rejoined the GOP).
At the 1999 national convention, the party narrowly adopted a
controversial change to the platform's preamble which declared
"that the foundation of our political position and moving principle
of our political activity is our full submission and unshakable
faith in our Savior and Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ" -- although
the party officially invites "all citizens of all faiths" to become
active in the party. Any national candidate seeking the party's
nomination is explicitly required to tell the convention of any
areas of disagreement with the party's platform. In 2012, former
GOP Congressman Virgil Goode was the party's Presidential nominee
(5th place - 0.09% - 122,000 votes). Longtime party activist and attorney 
just over $5,000, Nader was on the ballot
in 22 states and carried over 700,000 votes (4th place - 0.8%).
In 2000, Nader raised millions of dollars, mobilized leftist activists
and grabbed national headlines with his anti-corporate campaign
message. Nader ignored pleas from liberal Democrats that he abandon
the race because he was siphoning essential votes away from Al
Gore's campaign. In the end, Nader was on the ballot in 44 states and
finished third with 2,878,000 votes (2.7%). Until
2001, the Greens were largely a collection of fairly autonomous
state/local based political entities with only a weak (and sometimes
splintered) national leadership structure that largely served
to coordinate electoral activities. In 2001, the party officially converted into a formal, unified national party organization. Physician and progressive activist
Jill Stein was the Green presidential nominee in 2012 (4th place - 0.4% - 470,000
votes) and 2016 (4th place - 1.1% - 1,456,500 votes). Official Green Party links include:
argue, means "more freedom, less government and lower taxes."
Over 400 LP members currently hold various -- though fairly low
level -- government offices (including lots of minor appointed
officials like "School District Facilities Task Force Member"
and "Town Recycling Committee Member"). The
LP's biggest problem: Congressmen Ron Paul and Paul Broun, humorist/journalist
PJ O'Rourke, the Republican Liberty Caucus and others in the GOP
who attract ideological libertarians into the political arena
by arguing they can bring about libertarian change more easily
under the Republican label. In 2012, former GOP New Mexico
Governor Gary Johnson was the LP Presidential nominee, had ballot
status in 48 states (3rd place - 1% - 1,276,000 votes). The party's 2016 ticket featured again 
both flirted with the American Party's presidential nomination
in 1976, but both ultimately declined. The party won its strongest
finish in the 1976 presidential election -- nominee Tom Anderson
carried 161,000 votes (6th place) -- but has now largely faded
into almost total obscurity. The party's 1996 Presidential candidate
-- anti-gay rights activist and attorney Diane Templin -- carried
just 1,900 votes. Former California GOP State Senator Don Rogers
-- the 2000 nominee -- did even worse, as he failed
to qualify for ballot status in any states. The party, which
used to field a sizable amount of state and local candidates in
the 1970s, rarely fields any candidates
in recent years. Beyond the pro-life, pro-gun, anti-gay and anti-tax views that you'd
expect to find, the American Party also advocates an end to farm
price supports/subsidies, privatization of the US Postal Service,
opposes federal involvement in education, supports abolition of
the Environmental Protection Agency, supports repeal of NAFTA,
opposes minimum wage laws, opposes land use zoning regulations
and opposes convening a Constitutional convention. The AP also opposes the United Nations, the New World Order, communism,
socialism and the 
(D-AL) founded the AIP and ran as the its first
Presidential nominee in 1968. Running on a fiery populist, right-wing,
anti-Washington, anti-racial integration, anti-communist platform,
Wallace carried nearly 10 million votes (14%) and won 5 Southern
states. Although Wallace returned to the Democratic Party by 1970,
the AIP continued to live on -- but moved even further to the
right. The 1972 AIP nominee, 
funneled
millions of dollars to the CPUSA to finance its activities from
the 1920s to the 1980s. The flow of Soviet dollars to the CPUSA
came to an abrupt halt when the Soviet communists were ousted
from power in 1991 -- ultimately causing a total overhaul of CPUSA
activities. Founded in 1924, the CPUSA reached its peak vote total
in 1932 with nominee 
Marx, Engels, Lenin
and Trotsky." The FSP has always emphasized "black liberation
and social feminsm" -- thus the reason Radical Women is an
official alternate name used by the FSP. The FSP describe themselves
as a "revolutionary, socialist feminist organization, dedicated
to the replacement of capitalist rule by a genuine workers' democracy
that will guarantee full economic, social, political, and legal
equality to women, people of color, gays, and all who are exploited,
oppressed, and repelled by the profit system and its offshoot
-- imperialism." The FSP has party organizations in the US,
Canada and Australia, and today remains staunchly Trotskyist in
ideology. The FSP occasionally fields a handful of local candidates
in Washington, California and New York (often in non-partisan
elections). The FSP also fielded their first Presidential candidate
in 2012: socialist activist Stephen Durham, who ran as a write-in
when he failed to achieve ballot status in any state. No candidates in 2016. Official FSP
links include the 
The IP has fielded crowded slates of Congressional and
state candidates in Minnesota in every election since 2000. While
Ventura initially said he wanted to take this Minnesota party
national and possibly field a Presidential nominee in 2004, few
chapter exist in other states and the party to date has never
nominated a Presidential ticket. Ventura's gubernatorial retirement
in 2002 was a blow to the IP, although former Democratic Congressman
Tim Penny was a credible IP nominee for Minnesota Governor in
2002 (but finished a distant third). Also in 2002, IP co-founder
Dean Barkley became the first IP member to serve in Congress when
Ventura appointed him to the US Senate to complete the two months
of a term left open by the death of incumbent Paul Wellstone (D).
As for a national party organization, the Independence Party essentially
does not really have one. It seemingly consists of a few separately-organized
state affiliates with at most a very informal link to the tiny
central national organization which doesn't seem to coordinate
activities between the states. Thus, each state entity goes its
own way -- and support has clearly dwindled over the past decade.
Surviving state parties are the 
(PSL) is alternatately called "a revolutionary Marxist
party" created "to be a vehicle for the multinational
working class in the struggle for socialism ... Only a multinational
party can create the unity necessary to defeat the most powerful
capitalist class the world has ever seen ... We aim for revolution
in the United States ... We want a revolution; and, we work hard
to make it happen." Additionally, the PSL explains that "the
most crucial requirement for [PSL] membership is the dedication
to undertake this most important and most necessary of all tasks:
building a new revolutionary workers party in the heart of world
imperialism." The PSL was founded in 2006 by a breakaway
faction of the communist revolutionary wing of the Workers World
Party. The PSL espouses a pro-Cuba/pro-China view, and the iconic
Che Guevarra's call for continual world revolution against capitalism.
The PSL fielded its first candidates in 2008: a Presidential ticket
and Congressional candidates. Longtime Marxist revolutionary activist Gloria LaRiva
was again the PSL presidential nominee in 2016, marking her 7th time on a presidential ticket (18th place - 4,250 votes). The
PSL also sponsors and/or directs numerous popular front groups
including 
Although a convicted
felon and an odious personality, Cleaver carried nearly 37,000
votes (ironically, Cleaver ultimately became a Reagan Republican
in the early 1980s, and was later a crack cocaine addict in the
late 1980s, before emerging as an environmental activist in the
late 1990s). Famed "baby doctor" 
US Pirate Party is the US affiliate of the European-based 
Prohibition
Party wants you," exclaimed an official party message in 2002.
The Prohibition Party -- founded in 1869 and billing themselves
as "America's Oldest Third Party" -- espouses a generally ultra-conservative
Christian social agenda mixed with anti-drug and international
anti-communist views. The party's strongest showing was in 1892,
when former Congressman 
The party originally reflected Perot's center-conservative
fiscal policies and anti-GATT/NAFTA views -- while avoiding taking
any official positions on social issues. The RP was plagued by
a lengthy period of nasty ideological battles in 1998-2000 involving
three main rival groups: the "Old Guard" Perot faction, the more
libertarian Jesse Ventura faction, and the social conservative
Pat Buchanan faction. After several nasty and public battles,
the Ventura faction quit the RP in 2000 and the old Perot faction
lost control of the party in court to the Buchanan faction later
in 2000. That gave the Buchanan faction control of the party's $12.6 million
in federal matching funds. Along with Buchanan's rise to power
in the party, the party made a hard ideological shift to the right
-- an ideological realignment that continues to dominate the tiny RP
today. In the aftermath of the 2000 elections, it was clear that
Buchanan failed in his efforts to establish a viable, conservative
third party organization. Buchanan was on the ballot in 49 states,
captured 449,000 votes (4th place - 0.4%), and later told reporters
his foray into third party politics was likely a mistake. In 2002,
the party splintered further, losing most of its conservative
activists to other right-wing third parties. The RP was just about
bankrupt by late 2004, having less than $50 remaining in its bank
account. Businessman Rocky de la Fuente, who also ran as an Independent candidate in some states, was the party's 2016 nominee (8th place - 33,097 votes). A few isolated state party affiliates remain active, fielding candidates from time to time.
of
the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party. Unlike most of
the other political parties on this page with "Socialist" in their
names, the SP has always been staunchly anti-communist. The original
Socialist Party USA was founded by labor union leader, ex-Democratic
elected official and pacifist 
Veterans
Party was founded in 2003, but legally disolved in 2013. In 2014, the group began a new attemp to reorganize because of their anger over the 2013 federal government shutdown. The party explained it was "formed when Congress chose to balance the budget by reducing the cost of living allowance for military retirees, including those medically retired after sustaining injuries during combat with the enemy." The party describes itself as "moderate and inclusive." USAF veteran Chris Keniston, the party's 2016 presidential nominee, qualified for ballot status in three states (13th place - 7,004 votes). In 2015, the party succeeded in electing their first candidate to office (albeit in a non-partisan race): the Mayor of Commerce, Oklahoma.
Czechoslovakia
in the 1960s and Poland in the early 1980s. The WWP was largely
an issue-oriented revolutionary party until they fielded their
first candidate for president in 1980. The militant WWP believes
that "capitalist democracy produces nothing but hot air" and that
"the power of the workers and the oppressed is in the streets,
not in Washington." FBI Director Louis Freeh attacked the WWP
in his May 2001 remarks before a US Senate committee: "Anarchists
and extremist socialist groups -- many of which, such as the Workers
World Party -- have an international presence and, at times, also
represent a potential threat in the United States" of rioting
and street violence. The more revoltionary wing of the WWP broke
away in 2006 to form the Party of Socialism & Liberation (PSL).
After the WWP-PSL split, the WWP failed to field a Presidential ticket in 2008 and 2012. In 2016, the party nominated longtime party activist Monica Moorhead for President (18th place - 4,250 votes). Moorhead was previously the WWP presidential nominee in 1996 and 2000. Other
official site: 
they were
founded by "a group of parents of children who were suffering
from neurological and autoimmune disorders, and who had been active
for years in their efforts to get mainstream medicine to address
the causes of, and find treatments for, their children's poor
health, faced the realization that while they had been earnest
in their engagement of both the private medical industry and government
public health officials, the medical establishment was not working
in good faith with them." This party believes the pharmaceutical
industry -- abetted by government and medical profession silence
-- have "launched a massive and uncontrolled experiment on
a generation of Americans. In an unprecedented intervention in
human immune development, this complex has succeeded in promoting
an explosion in medical industry revenues and profits; this explosion
has been accompanied, however, by an epidemic of death, disability
and chronic disease, much of which can be traced directly to these
medical and chemical exposures." This single-issue party
wants to address these concerns with federal government action.
Founded
in 2009, this conservative party has yet to field any candidates.
The party's mission statement reads as follows: "To re-establish
the limits and boundaries of Government as framed in the Constitution."
They claim they were formed as a new party because the GOP cannot
be trusted ("The Republican Party has consistently failed
to uphold conservative principles ... Trying to change the GOP
is like drilling holes in water because they don’t stand for anything
except getting elected"). This is how the party describes
their agenda: "The primary duty of the President is to protect
America from its enemies, both foreign and domestic; Veterans
must be honored and supported for their sacrifices; Marriage is
between one man and one woman; Life begins at conception; Budget
Earmarks must be eliminated and fiscal discipline restored; Illegal
immigration must be stopped; Healthcare must include meaningful
Tort Reform." Note: This party has no affiliation with the
well-established Conservative Party of New York State.
member
party of the 
a
New York-based, militant, Stalinist-style communist party dedicated
to bringing about a world-wide, armed, communist revolution. The
party was formed in 1961 by members of the CPUSA who felt the
Soviet Union had betrayed communism and become revisionist and
state capitalist. Founders also felt the CPUSA had adopted unforgivable
reformist positions such as "peaceful coexistence" with
the US, turning to electoral politics, and hiding communist views
behind a veneer of reform-oriented front groups. In the 1960s,
the PLP heavily infiltrated the radical Students for a Democratic
Society (SDS) group. Today, the PLP still abhors democracy, elections,
freedom of nearly any sort, capitalism and religion -- and praises
dictator Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union as their role model. Because
they denounce all elections as "frauds," the PLP vows to never
field any candidates for public office (for these guys, its either
armed victory or nothing at all). Lots and lots of online ideological
articles written in the typical dogmatic communist style ... with
titles like "The Hoax of the 1932-33 Ukraine Famine," "Fascism
Grows In The Auto Industry," "The Road to Revolution." Articles
in English, Spanish, Russian, German, etc.
RCP
is based upon the teachings of the late Chinese Communist Party
Chairman Mao Zedong -- a form of rigid communism derivative
of Leninist-Stalinist Marxism. The party strongly denounces capitalism
and advocates a "Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Programme" as "a battle
plan for destroying the old and creating the new [and] is a kind
of road map for how to win the revolution." Even the RCP's logo
is consistent with the proletarian revolutionary theme (i.e.,
note the red flag flying from a rifle bayonet). The RCP clearly
advocates change through revolution (and various popular front
groups), not elections -- so don't look for any RCP candidates
on the ballot. The RCP's most visible activity is running several
branches of a store called Revolution Books. RCP Chairman 
They renounce violence, Soviet-style totalitarianism, money and
all forms of leadership. They advocate a classless, "wageless,
moneyless, free access society" without any national borders.
They don't run candidates nor endorse other socialist or left
candidates as they believe a vote for ANY candidate under the
current system is a vote in support of capitalism. Understanding
that world socialism "has clearly not yet been established," they
believe that "democratically capturing the State through parliamentary
elections is the safest, surest method for the working class to
enable itself to establish socialism" -- although they have yet
to field any US candidates in the period to date since the international
WSP was founded in 1904.
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1997-2018 by Ron Gunzburger. All rights reserved. Contents can be quoted with attribution.