2000 Reform Party presidential primaries
The article's lead section may need to be rewritten. (February 2020) |
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 (~$21 million in 2023) in matching funds. Several high-profile candidates vied for the nomination, including future President 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.
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First place by first-instance vote
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The party's 2000 candidates received a great deal of media attention, particularly after a dispute at the party's national convention in Long Beach, California led to a schism and the formation of a rebel faction. Supporters of physicist John Hagelin refused to accept Pat Buchanan as the party's chairman, and staged a walk-out, which was broadcast live on television.
Ultimately, a court decided Buchanan was the party's nominee, however, the drama surrounding the convention is often credited with leading to the downfall of the Reform Party. Ross Perot, Jesse Ventura, Pat Buchanan, Donald Trump, and other high-profile party members ultimately left the party after the 2000 election.
The campaign
editBuchanan enters race
editDuring the 1992 Republican Presidential Primaries, commentator Pat Buchanan fared extremely well and received 22.96% of the total vote. During his 1996 bid, Buchanan spent a brief time as the Republican front-runner; his campaign carried four states, including New Hampshire, Alaska, Missouri, and Louisiana. Buchanan re-entered the presidential race in 2000, hoping to be the primary "Stop Bush" candidate. He was, however, viewed much less favorably by his fellow Republicans, and he struggled to place fifth during an Iowa Straw Poll.[1]
Reform Party member William von Raab launched a "Draft Buchanan" movement, and in October 1999 Buchanan announced his departure from the Republican Party, disparaging them (along with the Democrats) as a "beltway party." He announced that he would seek the presidential nomination of the Reform Party, and immediately sought to align himself with the "Russ Verney faction" of the party. Some in the Reform Party voiced concerns that Buchanan, ardently pro-life and anti-gay rights, would inadvertently move the party too far to the right. During a meeting with Reform Party leadership at Pat Choate's Washington, D.C. home, Buchanan assured the party elite that his campaign would not address social issues, instead focusing on economic policy.[2]
At the time Buchanan entered the race, the Reform Party was engulfed in a feud between the supporters of Ross Perot and newly elected Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, who, as the Reform Party's highest elected official, was rumored to be considering a presidential bid on the party ticket in 2004. Buchanan's campaign immediately aligned itself with diverse factions within the party, including Russ Verney and Marxist Lenora Fulani.[3]
On November 12, 1999 Fulani formally endorsed Buchanan, saying: "We are going to integrate that peasant army of his. We are going to bring black folks, Latino folks, gay folks and liberal folks into that army...I'm going to take Pat Buchanan to 125th Street in Harlem. We are going to have lunch at Sylvia's. I am going to take him to speak at Reverend Sharpton's National Action Network."[4] Fulani became Buchanan's campaign co-chair.
At the same time, the Buchanan campaign began to gain support among white nationalists.[5][6] He gained the endorsement of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, who quit the Republican Party and joined the Reform Party to assist Buchanan's campaign.[7] Almost all white nationalists left the Reform Party following the campaign; in 2004 the party nominated Lebanese-American Ralph Nader as its presidential candidate.
Trump enters race
editSupporters of the Jesse Ventura faction began encouraging Donald Trump to enter the race, likely as a placeholder for Ventura, who said he would not consider a presidential bid until after his term as governor ended. On October 19, 1999, Donald Trump announced he would file to appear on the California primary ballot.[8] On October 25, 1999, Trump joined the Reform Party.[9][10] His pre-campaign gained a great deal of media attention. Trump told Chris Matthews on Hardball: "It's not so much the Reform Party, it's really the fact that I'd want to make that if I ran and spent a lot of money I could actually win, I could beat that Democrat-Republican apparatus."[11][12] He told Fortune magazine in early January 2000: "'If I feel I could win—win—then I'd run. I think I have a good chance. Hey, I've got my name on half the major buildings in New York,' he said. 'I went to the Wharton School of Finance, which is the No. 1 school. I'm intelligent. Some people would say I'm very, very, very intelligent." He further said: "It's very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it."[13]
During the California primary, he received 15,311 votes or 37% of the Reform votes cast, giving him the lead in a five-person field. His total was 0.3% of the entire California primary vote.[14] Trump ultimately withdrew his candidacy. During an appearance on The Today Show, he stated: "The Reform Party is a total mess! You have Buchanan, a right winger, and you have Fulani, a Communist, and they have merged.... I don't know what you have!"[15]
Schism
editPhysicist John Hagelin also entered the race for the Reform Party nomination. Hagelin had run for president in both 1992 and 1996 on the Natural Law Party ticket.
During his 2000 campaign, Hagelin appeared on ABC's Nightline (2000)[16] and Politically Incorrect (2000),[17][18] NBC's Meet the Press (2000),[19] CNN's Larry King Live,[20] PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer,[21] Inside Politics, CNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, and C-SPAN's Washington Journal.[22]
In July it was announced that Hagelin and Buchanan would be the only two candidates on the primary ballot.[23] Supporters of Hagelin later charged the results of the party's open primary, which favored Buchanan by a wide margin, were "tainted." Buchanan countered that Russ Verney had allowed the Hagelin campaign to mail a "Stop Buchanan" pamphlet using official "Reform Party" envelopes.[24]
Much to the dismay of many Reform Party members, it became clear that the Hagelin campaign intended to merge the Natural Law Party, which was based on the teachings of Hindu guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi with the secular Reform Party.[citation needed] On August 2, Buchanan's website posted a copy of a proposed resolution to merge the two parties.[25]
The animosity between the two campaigns reached a breaking point at the party's convention in Long Beach, California.[26] Buchanan supporters blocked Hagelin and his delegates from entering the convention.[27] Hagelin's supporters declared the convention illegitimate, and announced their own rival convention nearby, where they endorsed John Hagelin as their presidential candidate.[28]
With two individuals both claiming to be the Reform Party candidate, a court would have to determine who would be permitted to appear on the ballot and receive the $12.5 million in matching funds.
Results of the mail-in primary by state
editStates won by Pat Buchanan |
States won by John Hagelin |
Pat Buchanan | John Hagelin | Margin | State Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
State | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | |
Alabama | 222 | 79.29 | 58 | 20.71 | 164 | 58.58 | 280 | AL |
Alaska | 549 | 79.80 | 139 | 20.20 | 410 | 59.60 | 688 | AK |
Arizona | 1,042 | 72.77 | 390 | 27.23 | 652 | 45.54 | 1,432 | AZ |
Arkansas | 347 | 80.70 | 83 | 19.30 | 264 | 61.40 | 430 | AR |
California | 8,166 | 51.95 | 7,554 | 48.05 | 612 | 3.90 | 15,720 | CA |
Colorado | 571 | 43.69 | 736 | 56.31 | −165 | −12.62 | 1,307 | CO |
Connecticut | 557 | 63.44 | 321 | 36.56 | 236 | 26.88 | 878 | CT |
Delaware | 125 | 73.10 | 46 | 26.90 | 79 | 46.20 | 171 | DE |
D.C. | 78 | 59.09 | 54 | 40.91 | 24 | 18.18 | 132 | DC |
Florida | 2,806 | 63.93 | 1,583 | 36.07 | 1,223 | 27.86 | 4,389 | FL |
Georgia | 807 | 73.03 | 298 | 26.97 | 509 | 46.06 | 1,105 | GA |
Hawaii | 67 | 35.08 | 124 | 64.92 | −57 | −29.84 | 191 | HI |
Idaho | 289 | 73.35 | 105 | 26.65 | 184 | 46.70 | 394 | ID |
Illinois | 1,896 | 79.26 | 496 | 20.74 | 1,400 | 58.52 | 2,392 | IL |
Indiana | 931 | 77.39 | 272 | 22.61 | 659 | 54.78 | 1,203 | IN |
Iowa | 1,192 | 50.90 | 1,150 | 49.10 | 42 | 1.80 | 2,342 | IA |
Kansas | 663 | 69.21 | 295 | 30.79 | 368 | 38.42 | 958 | KS |
Kentucky | 571 | 66.24 | 291 | 33.76 | 280 | 32.48 | 862 | KY |
Louisiana | 472 | 81.66 | 106 | 18.34 | 366 | 63.32 | 578 | LA |
Maine | 284 | 58.32 | 203 | 41.68 | 81 | 16.64 | 487 | ME |
Maryland | 710 | 54.64 | 369 | 45.36 | 52 | 9.28 | 560 | MD |
Massachusetts | 353 | 59.03 | 245 | 40.97 | 108 | 18.06 | 598 | MA |
Michigan | 726 | 71.04 | 296 | 28.96 | 430 | 42.08 | 1,022 | MI |
Minnesota | 281 | 41.51 | 396 | 58.49 | −115 | −16.98 | 677 | MN |
Mississippi | 63 | 80.77 | 15 | 19.23 | 48 | 61.54 | 78 | MS |
Missouri | 401 | 72.25 | 154 | 27.75 | 247 | 44.50 | 555 | MO |
Montana | 137 | 60.62 | 89 | 39.38 | 48 | 21.24 | 226 | MT |
Nebraska | 111 | 60.99 | 71 | 39.01 | 40 | 21.98 | 182 | NE |
Nevada | 235 | 72.53 | 89 | 27.47 | 146 | 45.06 | 324 | NV |
New Hampshire | 173 | 65.53 | 91 | 34.47 | 82 | 31.06 | 264 | NH |
New Jersey | 455 | 75.71 | 146 | 24.29 | 309 | 51.42 | 601 | NJ |
New Mexico | 123 | 53.02 | 109 | 46.98 | 14 | 6.04 | 232 | NM |
New York | 794 | 69.10 | 355 | 30.90 | 439 | 38.20 | 1,149 | NY |
North Carolina | 458 | 61.39 | 288 | 38.61 | 170 | 22.78 | 746 | NC |
North Dakota | 136 | 63.85 | 77 | 36.15 | 59 | 27.70 | 213 | ND |
Ohio | 1,059 | 74.32 | 366 | 25.68 | 693 | 48.64 | 1,425 | OH |
Oklahoma | 1,237 | 70.36 | 521 | 29.64 | 521 | 40.72 | 1,758 | OK |
Oregon | 269 | 65.61 | 141 | 34.39 | 128 | 31.22 | 410 | OR |
Pennsylvania | 752 | 70.94 | 308 | 29.06 | 444 | 41.88 | 1,060 | PA |
Rhode Island | 47 | 69.12 | 21 | 30.88 | 26 | 38.24 | 68 | RI |
South Carolina | 552 | 67.15 | 270 | 32.85 | 282 | 34.30 | 822 | SC |
South Dakota | 69 | 68.32 | 32 | 31.68 | 37 | 36.64 | 101 | SD |
Tennessee | 187 | 76.02 | 59 | 23.98 | 128 | 52.04 | 246 | TN |
Texas | 1,877 | 72.70 | 705 | 27.30 | 1,172 | 45.40 | 2,582 | TX |
Utah | 88 | 59.86 | 59 | 40.14 | 29 | 19.72 | 147 | UT |
Vermont | 31 | 65.96 | 16 | 34.04 | 15 | 31.92 | 47 | VT |
Virginia | 239 | 66.76 | 119 | 33.24 | 120 | 33.52 | 358 | VA |
Washington | 272 | 68.86 | 123 | 31.14 | 149 | 37.72 | 395 | WA |
West Virginia | 78 | 72.22 | 30 | 27.78 | 48 | 44.44 | 108 | WV |
Wisconsin | 417 | 71.16 | 169 | 28.84 | 248 | 42.32 | 586 | WI |
Wyoming | 254 | 55.46 | 204 | 44.54 | 50 | 10.92 | 458 | WY |
TOTALS: | 32,145 | 65.25 | 17,121 | 34.75 | 15,024 | 30.50 | 49,266 | US |
Maps
editPost-convention
editUltimately, when the Federal Elections Commission ruled Buchanan was to receive ballot status as the Reform candidate, as well as about $12.6 million in federal campaign funds secured by Perot's showing in the 1996 election, Buchanan won the nomination. In his acceptance speech, Buchanan proposed U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations and expelling the U.N. from New York, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, taxes on inheritance and capital gains, and affirmative action programs.
As his running mate, Buchanan chose African-American activist and retired teacher from Los Angeles, Ezola B. Foster. Buchanan was supported in this election run by future Socialist Party USA presidential candidate Brian Moore, who said in 2008 he supported Buchanan in 2000 because "he was for fair trade over free trade. He had some progressive positions that I thought would be helpful to the common man."[29] On August 19, the New York Right to Life Party, in convention, chose Buchanan as their nominee, with 90% of the districts voting for him.[30]
On November 2, party founder Ross Perot endorsed Republican George W. Bush for president.[31]
The Reform Party never recovered from the 2000 fiasco. Many longtime members departed, the party's funds were depleted, and its reputation severely tarnished. On Election Day, Pat Buchanan only received 448,895 votes, thus losing the Reform Party's ballot access in most states. Buchanan returned to the Republican Party in 2001. During the 2004 election cycle, the Reform Party nominated Ralph Nader in hopes of relinquishing themselves of the "pro-life" label Buchanan had bestowed upon them. In 2008, Ted Weill, who had been a critic of Buchanan, was the party's presidential candidate. Donald Trump joined the Democratic Party in 2001, left in 2009 and remained an independent until 2012 when he returned to the Republican Party, seeking that party's nomination for president in the 2016 presidential election and became the 45th President of the United States.
Candidates
edit-
Physicist John Hagelin of Iowa
Declined to run
editReferences
edit- ^ "Politics1: Presidency 2000 - Patrick J. Buchanan (Reform-VA)". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ Benjamin, Pat (2007). The Perot Legacy: A New Political Path. iUniverse, Inc. US. ISBN 978-0-595-70214-5.
- ^ "Freedom Socialist Party – Revolutionary feminism in action". Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- ^ "Buchanan Photos". Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Patrick Buchanan's Reform Party Begins to Unravel". Archived from the original on 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
- ^ "Reform Party in US lines up behind ultra-rightist Patrick Buchanan". Archived from the original on 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
- ^ "Donald Trump to file for the California Presidential Primary". Archived from the original on 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ "Trump officially joins Reform Party". CNN. 1999-10-25. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
Trump has not yet formally declared he would seek the Reform Party nomination, but he announced Sunday he was quitting the Republican Party
- ^ "(10/18/99) Buchanan vs. Trump Reform Party Fight Brewing". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ "Donald Trump Timeline and Biography". Archived from the original on July 24, 2021.
- ^ "Talks with Chris Matthews (Interview)". Vote Smart. November 18, 1999. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ Useem, Jerry (April 3, 2000). "What does Donald Trump really want?". Fortune (magazine). Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. President – Statewide Returns". California Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007.
- ^ "Comedy Central Official Site – TV Show Full Episodes & Funny Video Clips". Archived from the original on 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ "Campaign 2000". Archive.hagelin.org. 2000-10-30. Archived from the original on 2010-07-19. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ "John Hagelin". www.tvguide.com. Archived from the original on 2010-07-18. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher". Tv.msn.com. 2000-08-23. Archived from the original on 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ "Meet The Press". Ontheissues.org. 2000-10-22. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ "Larry King Live episode list". Locatetv.com. 1992-01-08. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ "PBS transcript of show". Pbs.org. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ "On The Issues web site". Issues2000.org. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ "Buchanan, Hagelin make party ballot". USA Today. 2000-07-02.
- ^ "Hagelin Campaign Brochure". Archived from the original on 2000-08-16.
- ^ "NLP-RP Merger Resolution (Proposed)". Archived from the original on 2008-05-17.
- ^ "Feud may result in 2 Reform Party conventions". Deseret News. 2000-08-10. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ "Online NewsHour: A Reformed Convention -- August 10, 2000". PBS. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
- ^ Smit, Matt (2000-08-06). "Buchanan says he'll win fight for Reform Party nomination". CNN. Archived from the original on 2010-11-13. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ "Q&A with Socialist Party presidential candidate Brian Moore". Independent Weekly. 2008-10-08. Archived from the original on 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
- ^ (2000-08-01) Right To Life Party Picks Buchanan, Ballot Access News.
- ^ "CNN Transcript". CNN. Archived from the original on 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
- ^ a b c d e Fournier, Ron (October 13, 1999). "Buchanan Sets Oct. 25 Announcement". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.