American Independent Party
Encyclopedia
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party
of the United States
that was established in 1967 by Bill
and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force
General
Curtis E. LeMay as the vice presidential candidate. Wallace ran on every state ballot in the 1968 presidential election
, though he did not represent the American Independent Party in all fifty states; in Connecticut, for instance, he was listed on the ballot as representing the "George Wallace Party." The Wallace/LeMay ticket received 13.5 percent of the popular vote and 46 electoral votes.
In 1969, representatives from 40 states established the American Party as the successor to the American Independent Party. In some places, such as Connecticut, the American Party was officially constituted as the American Conservative Party. (The modern American Conservative Party, founded in 2008, is unrelated to the Wallace-era party.) The official party flag adoption took place on August 30, 1970. The flag depicts an eagle holding a group of arrows in its left talons, over a compass rose
, with a banner which reads "The American Independent Party" at the eagle's base. In 1972, the party nominated former Congressman John G. Schmitz
of California for president and Tennessee
author Thomas Jefferson Anderson
for vice president. In 1976, the American Party split into the more moderate American Party, which included more northern conservatives and Schmitz supporters, and the American Independent Party, which focused on the Deep South. Both of the parties have nominated candidates for the presidency and other offices. Neither the American Party nor the American Independent Party has had much national success.
The American Independent Party has had ballot status in the state of California since 1968 and is still active there. As of early 2008, AIP's registration total was 328,261.
In the early 1980s, Bill Shearer
led the American Independent Party into the Populist Party
. Since 1992, the American Independent party has been the California affiliate of the national Constitution Party
, formerly the U.S. Taxpayers Party. However, in 2008 one faction of the AIP broke with the Constitution Party and gave the ballot line (which it controlled) to Alan Keyes
, candidate of the similarly named America's Party.
Many political analysts have theorized that the Party, which has received very few votes in recent California elections, maintains its state ballot status because people join the Party mistakenly believing that they are registering as an "independent," also known as a "non-partisan" or "decline-to-state" voter. One such voter was Jennifer Siebel
, fiancée of San Francisco's liberal Democratic mayor Gavin Newsom
; in 2008, Siebel attempted to change her party affiliation from Republican to Non-Partisan, but "checked the American Independent box thinking that was what independent voters were supposed to do," according to the San Francisco Chronicle
.
, one faction recognizing Jim King as chairman of the AIP with the other recognizing Ed Noonan as chairman. Noonan's faction claims the old AIP Web site address while the King organization claims the AIP blog
address. King's group met in Los Angeles on June 28-29, elected King to state chair. Ed Noonan's faction, which included 8 of the 17 AIP officers, held a convention in Sacramento on July 5, 2008. Issues in the split were US foreign policy and the influence of Constitution Party founder Howard Phillips on the state party.
The King group elected to stay in the Constitution Party and supported its presidential candidate, Chuck Baldwin
. It was not listed as the "Qualified Political Party" by the California Secretary of State and Baldwin's name was not printed in the state's ballots. King's group sued for ballot access
and their case was dismissed without prejudice.
The Noonan group voted to pull out of the Constitution Party and join a new party called America's Party, put together by perennial candidate
Alan Keyes
as a vehicle for his own presidential campaign. Since Noonan was on record with the California Secretary of State as (outgoing) party chairman, Keyes was added to the state ballots as the AIP candidate. This group elected Markham Robinson as its new chair at the convention.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that was established in 1967 by Bill
Bill Shearer
William Kennedy Shearer of California was the chairman of the Constitution Party from 1996 to 1999, and founded the American Independent Party in 1967 with his wife Eileen to support George C. Wallace's presidential campaign. In 1970 Shearer was the California AIP's first candidate for Governor,...
and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Curtis E. LeMay as the vice presidential candidate. Wallace ran on every state ballot in the 1968 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1968
The United States presidential election of 1968 was the 46th quadrennial United States presidential election. Coming four years after Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson won in a historic landslide, it saw Johnson forced out of the race and Republican Richard Nixon elected...
, though he did not represent the American Independent Party in all fifty states; in Connecticut, for instance, he was listed on the ballot as representing the "George Wallace Party." The Wallace/LeMay ticket received 13.5 percent of the popular vote and 46 electoral votes.
In 1969, representatives from 40 states established the American Party as the successor to the American Independent Party. In some places, such as Connecticut, the American Party was officially constituted as the American Conservative Party. (The modern American Conservative Party, founded in 2008, is unrelated to the Wallace-era party.) The official party flag adoption took place on August 30, 1970. The flag depicts an eagle holding a group of arrows in its left talons, over a compass rose
Compass rose
A compass rose, sometimes called a windrose, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions — North, East, South and West - and their intermediate points. It is also the term for the graduated markings found on the traditional...
, with a banner which reads "The American Independent Party" at the eagle's base. In 1972, the party nominated former Congressman John G. Schmitz
John G. Schmitz
John George Schmitz was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives and California State Senate from Orange County, California. He was also a member of the John Birch Society...
of California for president and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
author Thomas Jefferson Anderson
Thomas J. Anderson
Thomas Jefferson Anderson was an American conservative author, farmer, and candidate for the U.S. presidency.-Early life:...
for vice president. In 1976, the American Party split into the more moderate American Party, which included more northern conservatives and Schmitz supporters, and the American Independent Party, which focused on the Deep South. Both of the parties have nominated candidates for the presidency and other offices. Neither the American Party nor the American Independent Party has had much national success.
The American Independent Party has had ballot status in the state of California since 1968 and is still active there. As of early 2008, AIP's registration total was 328,261.
In the early 1980s, Bill Shearer
Bill Shearer
William Kennedy Shearer of California was the chairman of the Constitution Party from 1996 to 1999, and founded the American Independent Party in 1967 with his wife Eileen to support George C. Wallace's presidential campaign. In 1970 Shearer was the California AIP's first candidate for Governor,...
led the American Independent Party into the Populist Party
Populist Party (United States, 1984)
The Populist Party was a political party in the United States between 1984 and 1996. It was far-right and often white nationalist in its ideology...
. Since 1992, the American Independent party has been the California affiliate of the national Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
, formerly the U.S. Taxpayers Party. However, in 2008 one faction of the AIP broke with the Constitution Party and gave the ballot line (which it controlled) to Alan Keyes
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
, candidate of the similarly named America's Party.
Many political analysts have theorized that the Party, which has received very few votes in recent California elections, maintains its state ballot status because people join the Party mistakenly believing that they are registering as an "independent," also known as a "non-partisan" or "decline-to-state" voter. One such voter was Jennifer Siebel
Jennifer Siebel
Jennifer Lynn Siebel is an American documentary filmmaker, actress and the wife of former San Francisco Mayor and current Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom. She is the director, writer and producer of the film Miss Representation, which premiered in the documentary competition at the...
, fiancée of San Francisco's liberal Democratic mayor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
; in 2008, Siebel attempted to change her party affiliation from Republican to Non-Partisan, but "checked the American Independent box thinking that was what independent voters were supposed to do," according to the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
.
2008 split
A split in the American Independent Party occurred during the 2008 presidential campaignUnited States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, one faction recognizing Jim King as chairman of the AIP with the other recognizing Ed Noonan as chairman. Noonan's faction claims the old AIP Web site address while the King organization claims the AIP blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
address. King's group met in Los Angeles on June 28-29, elected King to state chair. Ed Noonan's faction, which included 8 of the 17 AIP officers, held a convention in Sacramento on July 5, 2008. Issues in the split were US foreign policy and the influence of Constitution Party founder Howard Phillips on the state party.
The King group elected to stay in the Constitution Party and supported its presidential candidate, Chuck Baldwin
Chuck Baldwin
Charles Obadiah "Chuck" Baldwin is an American politician and founder-pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party for the 2008 U.S. presidential election and had previously been its nominee for U.S. vice president in 2004...
. It was not listed as the "Qualified Political Party" by the California Secretary of State and Baldwin's name was not printed in the state's ballots. King's group sued for ballot access
and their case was dismissed without prejudice.
The Noonan group voted to pull out of the Constitution Party and join a new party called America's Party, put together by perennial candidate
Perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
Alan Keyes
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
as a vehicle for his own presidential campaign. Since Noonan was on record with the California Secretary of State as (outgoing) party chairman, Keyes was added to the state ballots as the AIP candidate. This group elected Markham Robinson as its new chair at the convention.
After the 2008 split
The King faction website is now billed as the Constitution Party of California, stating "Vote Constitution Party--the only party fighting for a return to Constitutional government!"; but continuing with a list of "2010 California Candidates: We endorse the following candidates who are running under the "American Independent" banner in California for 2010!"Presidential candidates
- 1968United States presidential election, 1968The United States presidential election of 1968 was the 46th quadrennial United States presidential election. Coming four years after Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson won in a historic landslide, it saw Johnson forced out of the race and Republican Richard Nixon elected...
George C. Wallace/Curtis LeMayCurtis LeMayCurtis Emerson LeMay was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of American Independent Party candidate George Wallace in 1968.... - 1972United States presidential election, 1972The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
John G. SchmitzJohn G. SchmitzJohn George Schmitz was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives and California State Senate from Orange County, California. He was also a member of the John Birch Society...
/Thomas J. AndersonThomas J. AndersonThomas Jefferson Anderson was an American conservative author, farmer, and candidate for the U.S. presidency.-Early life:... - 1976United States presidential election, 1976The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic...
Lester MaddoxLester MaddoxLester Garfield Maddox was an American politician who was the 75th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971....
/William Dyke - 1980United States presidential election, 1980The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...
John RarickJohn RarickJohn Richard Rarick was a lawyer who served as a Louisiana state district court judge from 1961 to 1966 in St. Francisville, Louisiana, the seat of West Feliciana Parish, and as a Democratic U.S. representative from the Sixth Congressional District from 1967 to 1975...
/Eileen Shearer - 1988United States presidential election, 1988The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the...
James GriffinJames GriffinJames Donald "Jimmy" Griffin was a former American politician who served in the New York State Senate and then for 16 years as the Mayor of Buffalo, New York . He later returned to public life serving as a member of the Buffalo Common Council.He first entered political life as a Councilman in...
/Charles Morsa - 1992United States presidential election, 1992The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....
Howard Phillips/Albion Knight, Jr.Albion Knight, Jr.Albion W. Knight, Jr. was the Presiding Bishop of the United Episcopal Church of North Americafrom 1989 until his resignation in 1992. As the Presiding Bishop of the UECNA, Knight more than tripled the number of parishes belonging to the church, oversaw the establishment of the church's seminary,...
– U.S. Taxpayers Party - 1996United States presidential election, 1996The United States presidential election of 1996 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of President Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee and the Republican national ticket of former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas for President and former Housing Secretary Jack...
Howard Phillips/Herb TitusHerb TitusHerbert W. Titus is an American attorney, writer, and politician. He was a candidate for Vice-President of the United States in the 1996 U.S. presidential election on the Constitution Party ticket....
– U.S. Taxpayers Party - 2000United States presidential election, 2000The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
Howard Phillips/Curtis FrazierCurtis FrazierDr. J. Curtis Frazier is an American surgeon and politician from Springfield, Missouri. He was the vice-presidential candidate of the Constitution Party in the U.S. presidential election, 2000, as the running-mate of Howard Phillips....
– Constitution Party - 2004United States presidential election, 2004The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
Michael A. Peroutka/Chuck BaldwinChuck BaldwinCharles Obadiah "Chuck" Baldwin is an American politician and founder-pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party for the 2008 U.S. presidential election and had previously been its nominee for U.S. vice president in 2004...
– Constitution PartyConstitution Party (United States)The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections... - 2008United States presidential election, 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
Chuck BaldwinChuck BaldwinCharles Obadiah "Chuck" Baldwin is an American politician and founder-pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party for the 2008 U.S. presidential election and had previously been its nominee for U.S. vice president in 2004...
/Darrell CastleDarrell CastleDarrell Castle is an American political figure, activist and attorney from Memphis, Tennessee, and was the vice presidential candidate of the Constitution Party in the 2008 United States presidential election.-Early life and education:...
– Constitution Party (disputed) (write-in candidate) - 2008United States presidential election, 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
Alan KeyesAlan KeyesAlan Lee Keyes is an American conservative political activist, author, former diplomat, and perennial candidate for public office. A doctoral graduate of Harvard University, Keyes began his diplomatic career in the U.S...
/Brian RohrboughBrian RohrboughBrian Rohrbough was the 2008 vice presidential candidate of America's Independent Party in the 2008 United States presidential election, running on the ticket with presidential candidate Alan Keyes.-Career:...
– America's Independent PartyAmerica's Independent PartyAmerica's Party, originally known as America's Independent Party, is a conservative American political party formed in 2008 by supporters of Alan Keyes as an alternative to the Republican, Democratic and other parties....
(disputed) (ballot candidate)
California gubernatorial candidates
The American Independent Party has nominated the following candidates for governor of California since becoming the California affiliate of the Constitution Party:- 1990California gubernatorial election, 1990The 1990 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. The Republican nominee, Senator Pete Wilson, narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who would later go on to win Wilson's Senate seat....
Jerome McCready - 1994California gubernatorial election, 1994The 1994 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994, in the midst of that year's Republican Revolution. Incumbent Republican Pete Wilson easily won re-election over his main challenger, Democratic State Treasurer Kathleen Brown, the daughter of Pat Brown and younger sister of...
Jerome McCready - 1998California gubernatorial election, 1998The 1998 California gubernatorial election was an election that occurred on November 3, 1998, resulting in the election of Gray Davis, the state's first Democratic governor in 16 years. Davis won the general election by an almost 20% margin over his closest opponent, Republican Dan Lungren...
Nathan E. Johnson - 2002California gubernatorial election, 2002The 2002 California gubernatorial election was an election that occurred on November 5, 2002. Democrat Gray Davis defeated Republican Bill Simon by 5% and was re-elected to a second four-year term as Governor of California. Davis would be recalled less than a year into his next term.The 2002...
Reinhold Gulke - 2003California recall election, 2003The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall effort spanned the latter half of 2003...
Diane Beall TemplinDiane Beall TemplinDiane Beall Templin was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the 1996 election, the 2004 election, and the 2008 election.... - 2006California gubernatorial election, 2006The 2006 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 7, 2006. The primary elections took place on June 6, 2006. The incumbent Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, won re election for his first full term. His main opponent was California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, the...
Edward C. NoonanEdward C. NoonanEdward C. "Ed" Noonan was the chairman of the American Independent Party. He was replaced as party chairman by Markham Robinson, in an authorized and legal convention held by a quorum of the California State Central Committee of the American Independent Party in July 2008... - 2010California gubernatorial election, 2010The 2010 California gubernatorial election was held November 2, 2010 to elect the Governor of California. The primary elections were held on June 8, 2010. Because constitutional office holders in California are prohibited from serving more than two terms in the same office since 1990, incumbent...
Chelene Nightingale
Chairmen/Vice-Chairmen
- Bill ShearerBill ShearerWilliam Kennedy Shearer of California was the chairman of the Constitution Party from 1996 to 1999, and founded the American Independent Party in 1967 with his wife Eileen to support George C. Wallace's presidential campaign. In 1970 Shearer was the California AIP's first candidate for Governor,...
: 1967–1999 - Nathan Johnson: 1999–2002
- Jim King/Reed R. Heustis: 2002–2004
- Nancy Spirkoff: 2004–2006
- Edward C. NoonanEdward C. NoonanEdward C. "Ed" Noonan was the chairman of the American Independent Party. He was replaced as party chairman by Markham Robinson, in an authorized and legal convention held by a quorum of the California State Central Committee of the American Independent Party in July 2008...
/Mark Seidenberg: 2006–2008 - Disputed: Chair is either Jim King or Markham Robinson: 2008–present
External links
- American Independent Party King faction.
- American Independent Party of California Noonan faction.
- American Independent Party at JoinCalifornia