American Constitution Party (Colorado)

American Constitution Party
National affiliation Constitution Party
State Senate
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State House
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Website
http://www.americanconstitutionparty.com

The American Constitution Party (ACP) is one of the state of Colorado's political parties. It is affiliated with the national-level Constitution Party, a right-wing political party in the United States that claims to base most of its policy positions on the Constitution.[1][2][3][4][5] The party asserts that the US is a Christian nation founded on the Bible and that American jurisprudence should be restored to what the party claims is its "Biblical foundations".[6] The ACP qualified for major party status in Colorado after receiving more than 36% of the vote in the 2010 gubernatorial election.[7] As the party did not field a candidate in the 2014 election, it reverted to minor party status.

Background

The American Constitution Party registered as a political party with the state of Colorado on July 23, 2000.[8] In July 2013, the ACP had just over 7,000 registered Colorado voters affiliated with it.[9] Some of the party's positions include:

ACP members ... call for the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the departments of Education and Energy and the Federal Election Commission. They seek the repeal of a number of laws, including one aimed at preventing threats and force against abortion clinics and women seeking abortions and a 1960s-era law meant to end discriminatory election practices.[10]

For most of its existence, the ACP has existed as one of Colorado's "minor parties", and has never elected one of its candidates to office.

Party platform

The American Constitution Party of Colorado seeks to:[10]

The ACP is affiliated with the national-level Constitution Party, which has developed a party platform as well.[11]

Major party status

Under state law, the American Constitution Party's vote share in the 2010 gubernatorial election elevated the party from "minor" to "major" party status. Any party that earns 10% or more of the votes cast for governor is a defined under statute as a "major party". Major party status gives the party a place at or near the top of the ballot in the 2014 gubernatorial election.

However, because of the additional organizational, financial, and compliance requirements triggered by major party status, ACP leaders have been ambivalent about the change.[12][13]

2010 gubernatorial election

Former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo ran as the party's candidate for Colorado governor in 2010 after the campaign of Republican Party nominee Dan Maes collapsed politically. He won around 36% of the vote, receiving more than 2.5 times the vote of Republican Party nominee Maes.[14] Democratic candidate John Hickenlooper won the election with just over 51% of the vote.

County results for the 2010 gubernatorial election
Colorado gubernatorial election (2010)[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic John Hickenlooper 912,005 51.01% -5.97%
Constitution Tom Tancredo 651,232 36.43% +35.80%
Republican Dan Maes 199,034 11.13% -29.03%
Libertarian Jaimes Brown 13,314 0.74% -0.75%
Independent Jason R. Clark 8,576 0.48%
Independent Paul Fiorino 3,483 0.19%
Write-ins 86 0.00%
Majority 260,773 14.59% -2.24%
Turnout 1,787,730
Democratic hold Swing

After the election, Tancredo quickly rejoined the Republican Party, disappointing an ACP leadership struggling to contend with major party status and how to successfully leverage the increased attention the party had received because of his candidacy.[16]

Candidates

Although the American Constitution Party's political and organizational sophistication did not grow despite the attention brought to it by Tancredo's 2010 gubernatorial candidacy, the party has fielded more candidates in the 2010 and 2012 cycles than it had in the entirety of the previous decade.[17]

Election Year Office Name
2014 Adams County Sheriff James Fariello
2014 Mesa County Assessor Steve Henderson
2013 Steamboat Springs School Board Joseph Andrew
2012 Adams County Commissioner James Fariello
2012 Colorado House, District 14 Ryan Dyer
2012 Colorado House, District 14 Thomas O'dell
2012 Colorado House, District 15 Michael Edstrom
2012 Colorado House, District 16 David Rawe
2012 Colorado House, District 17 Barry Pace
2012 Colorado House, District 18 Amy Fedde
2012 Colorado House, District 19 Timothy Biolchini
2012 Colorado House, District 20 Donna Burdick
2012 Colorado House, District 21 Sean Halstead
2012 Colorado House, District 61 Robert Petrowsky
2012 Colorado Senate, District 10 Christopher Mull
2012 Colorado Senate, District 12 James Bristol
2012 CU Regent, At-Large Tyler Belmont
2012 CU Regent, At-Large Brian Scott
2012 CU Regent, District 5 Gina Biolchini
2012 El Paso County Commissioner Kathy Payne
2010 Adams County Sheriff James Fariello
2010 Colorado Senate, District 31 Clifton Powell
2010 Governor Benjamin Goss
2010 Governor Tom Tancredo
2010 Lt. Governor Patricia Miller
2010 Motezuma County Sheriff Gerald Wallace
2010 Secretary of State Amanda Campbell
2008 Colorado House, District 27 Amanda Campbell
2008 Colorado House, District 37 Brian Olds
2008 Park County Commissioner Zdenko Novkovic
2006 Colorado House, District 53 Darren Morrison
2006 Colorado Senate, District 16 Tim Leonard
2006 CU Regent, At-Large Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell
2006 Governor Clyde Harkins
2006 La Plata County Commissioner Padraig Lynch
2006 Lt. Governor Tracy Davison
2002 Attorney General Gaar Potter
2002 Colorado House Paul Berthelot
2002 Colorado House, District 57 Dr. Zane Newitt
2002 Lt. Governor Desiree Hickson

See also

References

  1. "Constitution Party Hopes to Take Politics to the Extreme in 2004". Southern Poverty Law Center. February–March 2003. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  2. Blumenthal, Max (2010). Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement That Shattered the Party. Nation Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-1568584171.
  3. Max Blumenthal and David Neiwert (October 10, 2008). "Meet Sarah Palin's radical right-wing pals". Salon.
  4. Berlet, Chip (September 2, 2008). "Sarah Palin and Christian Dominionist Theocracy". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  5. Carrie Budoff; Thomas Fitzgerald (August 8, 2004). "Candidate counts on anger at Specter Democrats are hoping that James Clymer, of the Constitution Party, will draw off enough conservative support to boost Hoeffel's chances". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  6. Preamble to Constitution Party Platform "The Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to restore and preserve these United States. This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions but on a foundation of Christian principles and values. For this very reason peoples of all faiths have been and are afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here. The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries."
  7. http://www.constitutionparty.com/news.php?aid=1301
  8. http://tracer.sos.colorado.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/CommitteeDetail.aspx?OrgID=12339
  9. Colorado Secretary of State: Voter Registration Statistics
  10. 1 2 Jessica Fender, "Tancredo's new party way out in right field", The Denver Post, July 27, 2010.
  11. Constitution Party 2012 National Platform Archived February 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. Steven K. Paulson, "ACP Not Relishing Role As Colorado Major Party", Associated Press, May 8, 2011.]
  13. Patricia Calhoun, "American Constitution Party faces major headaches as a major Colorado party", Westword Magazine blogs; March 6, 2012.
  14. http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2010&fips=8&f=0&off=5&elect=0
  15. http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/electionresults2010/general/ColoradoReport.html
  16. Peter Marcus, "American Constitution Party feels majorly scorned by Tancredo", The Colorado Statesman; October 12, 2012
  17. Colorado Secretary of State

External links

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