| Baldwin 2008 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Campaign | U.S. presidential election, 2008 |
| Candidate | Chuck
Baldwin (2004 Constitution Party Vice Presidential nominee) |
| Affiliation | Constitution Party |
| Status | Lost election November 4, 2008 |
| Headquarters | Pensacola, FL |
| Key people | Darrell
Castle (Running mate) Mary Starrett (National Communications
Director)
Lowell Patterson (Campaign Finance Director) |
| Receipts | US$.131M (2008-08-31)[1] |
| Website | |
| Chuck Baldwin 2008 | |
Chuck Baldwin began his campaign for President of the United States on April 10, 2008 as a candidate for the Constitution Party presidential nomination. He was selected as the nominee of the Constitution Party on April 26 at the 2008 Constitution Party National Convention after a campaign touting his stands on civil liberties, foreign affairs, and religion against candidates including former ambassador Alan Keyes. He was previously the vice-presidential nominee for the party in 2004, and considers himself a close ally of Republican presidential candidate and Representative Ron Paul. He has expressed paleo-conservative positions on a number of issues during the campaign including protectionism on trade, nonintervention in foreign affairs, religion in the public and nativism.
Baldwin finished fifth in the race, ahead of Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney but behind both Peace and Freedom Party nominee Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr. Baldwin received 199,314 votes, about 0.15% of the vote.[1]
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While considering a run for president in October 2006, during an 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."[2] 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. He described the party as a "second big-government, big-spending party" that could be characterized as "more liberal than the Democratic Party...in practice"[2] 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."[2] Baldwin endorsed Ron Paul for the Republican presidential nomination on a message sent to YouTube on December 19, 2007.[3]
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."[4]
Baldwin announced on April 10, 2008 that he would seek the nomination of the Constitution Party for the presidency at the party's convention on April 23-26 in Kansas City, Missouri.[5] His run was believed to have arisen from draft efforts within the Constitution Party who feared of the prospect of a presidential candidate like Alan Keyes who supported the war in Iraq.[6] Until the nomination, Baldwin did not campaign and in a follow-up interview with Miller politics on April 17, he stated that he was "not running" but merely placed his name into consideration, "trusting that God will reveal His will accordingly." [6]
During the convention, the party's founder Howard Phillips gave a controversial speech in which he endorsed Baldwin and referred to Keyes as "the Neocon candidate" who "lingered in the Republican Party until a week ago." [7] Baldwin defeated Keyes, 383.8 to 125.7, winning approximately 74% of the delegates. Baldwin received most of the delegates from all states that seated delegations, with the exceptions of Missouri, Maryland and Oklahoma where Keyes narrowly edged Baldwin.[8] Attorney Darrell Castle of Tennessee was picked as his running mate at Baldwin's request. [9]
Baldwin announced that he would use the Internet in the same manner as Ron Paul "to circumvent the media." The candidate believed the media was responsible for holding back the prospects of third party candidates. [10] He stated back in 2004 as vice-presidential nominee that "the American people haven't rejected our message; they haven't heard our message." [10] Following the nomination, Baldwin set up a campaign website and opened accounts on MySpace and Facebook. A MySpace account was also created that included former supporters of the former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. [11]
In an interview with Montana News on May 22, Baldwin expressed his discontent with the Republican Party on their positions and expressed his frustration with evangelicals who "coalesc[e] around John McCain" despite his "twenty-plus year track record of liberal policies."[12] 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"[12] 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." [12] He stated that the border could be sealed by deploying troops to those areas. [12]
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." [13]
On June 6, it was reported that an internal conflict had erupted inside the campaign, stemming from a comment made by campaign manager Anita Andrews that the campaign belonged to Baldwin and not Ron Paul. It was later revealed that only one campaign member was disgruntled, Tyler Simms, an organizer for Ron Paul on the grassroots level. Sources from within the campaign remarked that Andrews had stated that the campaign needed to focus on former Huckabee and Fred Thompson supporters, along with supporters of Paul. [14] This report surfaced as campaign sources revealed that the anonymous "Ron Paul billionaire" had joined the campaign and was willing to give $2 to $3 million to fund Baldwin's efforts. The existence of a "Ron Paul billionaire" had been questioned.[15]
Later in June, Baldwin took part in anti-illegal immigration rallies while campaigning in southern California. He addressed the California Coalition for Immigration Reform before attending the convention of the American Independent Party of California. The party nominated Baldwin as its candidate at the convention. After this Baldwin was given a tour of California's southern border by Border Patrol Council president TJ Bonner. [16] Baldwin spent the next week campaigning in Utah, where he called for the eradication of abortion "under any circumstance" along with the elimination of the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Department of Education. During an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, Baldwin proclaimed that he would end the "New World Order the day [he] get[s] into office [because] it threatens our [American] independence and sovereignty." [17]
By mid-July, analysis of Google News revealed a growing media interest in the Baldwin campaign. As Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr's third party coverage accounted for less than 50% down seven percentage points in a month, Baldwin's coverage rose from 2.33% to 4.39%.[18] Despite the rise Baldwin remained in fourth place among other third party candidates trailing Barr, independent Ralph Nader and Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney. [18] 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.[19] The campaign began 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.[20] Later in August, Baldwin campaigned in Spartanburg, South Carolina where he criticized both party's presidential nominee's as "globalists." He declared his opposition to the Federal Reserve, whom 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.[21]
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.[22]
On October 7, Baldwin addressed the John Birch Society on the second day of its 50th anniversary. At the event he discussed the role of Christianity in the United States public life and delivered his stump speech. He attacked globalist entities such as NAFTA, the International Criminal Court, the Law of the Sea Treaty and the Security and Prosperity Partnership as well as calling for the withdrawal of the United States from the United Nations.[23] Later 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 2008 economic crisis. 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."[24]
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.[25]
On election day, Baldwin was on ballot in 37 states. [26] 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]
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]
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | Electoral votes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barack Obama | Democratic Party | 69,456,897 | 52.92% | 365 | |||||
| John McCain | Republican Party | 59,934,814 | 45.66% | 173 | |||||
| Ralph Nader | Independent | 738,475 | 0.56% | - | |||||
| Bob Barr | Libertarian Party | 523,686 | 0.40% | - | |||||
| Chuck Baldwin | Constitution Party | 199,314 | 0.15% | - | |||||
| Cynthia McKinney | Green Party | 161,603 | 0.12% | - | |||||
| Other | 242,539 | 0.18% | - | ||||||
| Total | 131,257,328 | 100.0% | 538 | ||||||
| Voter turnout: 63.00 % | |||||||||
| Source: FEC 2008 Election Results | |||||||||
Chuck Baldwin was not included on many mainstream polls but his campaign emphasized polls that showed statistics favorable to the candidate. A Fox News opinion poll taken in May 2008 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. A poll by Zogby showed that among the conservative base that the campaign was targeting, 42% of respondents say they would never vote for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and 86% of participants who described themselves as "very conservative" were displeased with the current candidates.[27] An August 18 Zogby International/World Net Daily poll included Baldwin along with other third party candidates. He finished in last place among names provided with 0.1% of the vote trailing the closest candidate, Cynthia McKinney by 0.1%.[28]
  | Chuck Baldwin On His Run For President - Chuck Baldwin On His Run For President : NPR |
| | The Obama Nation - The New York Times > Log In |
| | Chuck Baldwin Endorses Ron Paul - YouTube - Chuck Baldwin Endorses Ron Paul |
| | Third Party Presidential Debate (Full Video) - YouTube - Third Party Presidential Debate (Full Video) |
| | EAU Endorses Chuck Baldwin for President - Announcement: EAU Endorses Chuck Baldwin for President |
| | Chuck Baldwin Addresses John Birch Society - Chuck Baldwin Addresses John Birch Society |
| | Joel Skousen's World Affairs Brief - World Affairs Brief |
| | Alex Jones endorses Chuck Baldwin - Alex Jones endorses Chuck Baldwin | Independent Political Report |
| | Rev. Chuck Baldwin on the Republican Party and Possible Run for the White House - Conservative President 2008: Rev. Chuck Baldwin on the Republican Party and Possible Run for the White House |
| | Baldwin appeals for ballot access help - Third Party Watch » Blog Archive » Baldwin appeals for ballot access help |
| | A New Alliance - Campaign For Liberty — A New Alliance - By Dr. Ron Paul |
| | I Won't Vote for Obama or McCain so What About Chuck Baldwin? - ExpertClick - Release Details |
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