Constitution Party
The Constitution Party is an American Third Party, known for its right-wing political views. The party, founded as the U.S. Taxpayer's Party, has one few races, but has come close several times.
Founding
The party was founded in 1992, and in 1995, the Federal Election Commission gave it party status, albeit minor party status. The party's candidate in the 1994 Gubernatorial race in Pennsylvania, Peg Luksik, received over 10% of the vote. In the 2004 senate race, the party candidate in Pennsylvania's senate race against Arlen Specter, Party Chairman Jim Clymer, received 4% of the vote. Also in 2004, the party's candidate for a seat in the Montana House, Rick Jore, came within one vote of winning, although many Constitutionalists say the vote was rigged. This result flipped the Montana state senate to Democratic control.
Showings in Presidential Elections
The party has had moderate success with its presidential tickets for a third party. The following are its results, per election:
Ticket | Year as candidate | Popular Vote | Percentage of Vote |
Michael Peroutka/Chuck Baldwin | 2004 | 144,498 | 0.12% |
Howard Philips/J. Curtis Frazier | 2000 | 98,022 | 0.09% |
Howard Phillips/Herb Titus | 1996 | 184,820 | 0.19% |
Howard Phillips/Albion Knight Jr. | 1992 | 43,369 | 0.04% |
It is widely agreed that the presence of Pat Buchanan in 2000 caused a large drop in the number of votes the party received in that election. The Constitution Party used the absence of Buchanan to improve on their results 40%.