American Solidarity Party facts for kids

Quick facts for kids American Solidarity Party
Chairperson	Marcos Lopez
Founded	2011; 14 years ago (2011)
Newspaper	The American Commons (unofficial)
Youth wing	Young Americans for Solidarity
Ideology	Christian democracy
Political position	Syncretic Fiscal: Center-left Social: Center-right
Colors	Orange
Slogan	"Common Good, Common Ground, Common Sense."
Politics of United States Political parties

The American Solidarity Party (ASP) is a political party in the United States. It is based on the idea of Christian democracy. This means its ideas are shaped by Christian teachings. The party started in 2011 and became official in 2016.

The ASP has a national committee and many groups in different states and towns. The party's main goal is to help build strong families and communities. They believe in "widespread economic participation" and a "social safety net." This means they want many people to own businesses and for everyone to have basic support.

What are the party's names and symbols?

The party's first name was Christian Democratic Party USA. It was inspired by a Polish group called Solidarity. The current name, American Solidarity Party, shows how their ideas have grown.

The ASP's mascot is the pelican. This bird is a traditional Christian symbol for caring and giving. The party's color is orange. Many other Christian democratic parties around the world also use orange.

On social media, members use the orange heart emoji. This shows their belief in a "whole-life ethic." This means they value human life at every stage. Members of the party call themselves 'Solidarists'.

How did the party start?

Members gathered for the 2017 ASP Midwestern Regional Meeting

The American Solidarity Party began in 2011. It was first known as the Christian Democratic Party USA (CDPUSA). In 2012, the CDPUSA supported Joe Schriner for president. In 2020, the party joined the Coalition for Free and Open Elections (COFOE). This group works to make elections fair and open.

What does the party believe?

The American Solidarity Party follows the ideas of Christian democracy. These ideas come from Catholic social teaching and other Christian beliefs. The party looks to Christian democratic groups in Europe and the Americas for inspiration.

The ASP is seen as socially conservative. This means they support traditional values. But they also believe the government should help with economic issues. This makes them a "communitarian" party. They focus on the well-being of the whole community.

What are their views on important issues?

Social issues

The American Solidarity Party is against the death penalty. They believe all human life is sacred. They see the traditional family, with a man and a woman, as very important to society.

The party supports a kind approach to immigration. They want to have secure borders. But they also believe in treating all people with dignity. They think it's important to understand why people move. This includes looking at how the U.S. affects other countries.

Economic issues

The American Solidarity Party supports a universal healthcare system. This means everyone should have access to healthcare. They also want many people to own businesses and property.

They believe in more worker ownership. This means workers would have more say in how their workplaces are run. They also support workers managing their own production.

Foreign policy issues

The American Solidarity Party believes in not getting involved in other countries' conflicts. Peace is their main goal. They support giving foreign aid to other countries. They also favor peaceful talks to solve problems. They are against using military force to end conflicts.

Electoral reform

The American Solidarity Party wants to change how elections work. They want to fight against what they call a "political oligarchy." This means they think a small group has too much power. They also want to stop political disagreements that block progress.

They suggest using proportional representation for the United States House of Representatives. This would mean parties get seats based on their total votes. They also support ranked-choice voting. This lets voters rank candidates in order of preference. The party also wants it to be easy for people to register to vote. They want fair access for independent candidates. They also support trying out electronic voting, but only if it's safe.

Who influenced the party's ideas?

Experts like Daniel Silliman say the American Solidarity Party gets its ideas from Catholic social teaching. It also draws from Neo-Calvinist theology. David McPherson says the party supports all parts of Catholic social teaching. This includes ideas about life, the common good, and religious freedom. He says this makes them different from the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The party has strong support in California and Texas.

Elections the party has been in

ASP ballot status in 2016. The map shows where the party was on the ballot, a write-in option, or not on the ballot.      On ballot      Write-in      Not on ballot

2016 Presidential election

In 2016, the American Solidarity Party chose Amir Azarvan for president. But he later stepped down. So, Mike Maturen ran for president, and Juan Muñoz ran for vice-president.

The party was on the ballot in Colorado. It was also a certified write-in option in many other states. Maturen received 6,697 votes.

2017 and 2018 Elections

ASP 2018 CA Gubernatorial Votes by County by Percentage

In 2017, Monica Sohler ran for the New Jersey legislature. She received 821 votes. In 2018, Desmond Silveira ran for governor of California. He received 4,633 votes in the primary election. Brian T. Carroll also ran for Congress in California. He received 1,591 votes.

2020 Presidential election

ASP ballot status in 2020. The map shows where the party was on the ballot, a certified write-in option, or not on the ballot.      On ballot      Write-in certified      Not on ballot

In 2020, Brian Carroll won the party's nomination for president. The American Solidarity Party was on the ballot in several states. It was also a certified write-in option in many more states.

2021 and 2022 Elections

In 2021, Benjamin Schmitz ran for state senate in Wisconsin. Stephen Hollenberg ran for a state house seat in New Hampshire. Dr. James G Hanink was supported by the party for the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election. He received 7,193 votes.

In 2022, Dr. James G. Hanink ran for governor of California again. He received 10,110 votes. Other party members also ran for different offices.

2024 Elections

American Solidarity Party ballot access during the 2024 presidential election, as of January 2024

On June 2, 2023, Peter Sonski won the party's nomination for President of the United States. Lauren Onak was chosen as his running mate for vice president. The party will be on the ballot in Arkansas and Hawaii.

Dr. Mark Ruzon ran for U.S. Senate in California. He received 13,429 votes. Erskine Levi, Jr. ran for Congress in California's 31st district. He received 1,166 votes.

Presidential candidates

Election	Name	Experience	Home state	Running Mate	Home state	Experience	Campaign Announcement date	Votes
2016	Mike Maturen replacing Amir Azarvan	Salesperson	Michigan	Juan Muñoz replacing Mike Maturen	Texas	Texas State Chair of the American Solidarity Party	FEC Filing	6,697 0 EV
2020	Brian Carroll	Teacher Independent candidate for U.S. Representative from CA-22 in 2018	California	Amar Patel	Illinois	National Committee Chair of the American Solidarity Party	Campaign: April 2, 2019 Nomination: September 9, 2019 FEC Filing	42,305 0 EV
2024	Peter Sonski	Member of Connecticut's Regional School District 17 board of education	Connecticut	Lauren Onak	Massachusetts	Community organizer, non-profit executive, and teacher	Campaign: February 20, 2023 Nomination: June 2, 2023 FEC Filing

Where the party has been on the ballot

Notable party supporters

• Stephen Bainbridge, a law professor at UCLA
• Charles A. Coulombe, a Catholic author and historian
• Patrick Deneen, author of Why Liberalism Failed
• Rod Dreher, a writer and editor at The American Conservative
• Dan Lipinski, a former U.S. representative
• Terry Mattingly, a journalist and professor
• Brian Carroll, a former ASP presidential candidate
• Mike Maturen, a former ASP presidential candidate
• Joe Schriner, a former ASP presidential candidate
• George Yancey, a sociology professor at Baylor University
• Howard Ahmanson Jr., a philanthropist and writer

See Also

• Center for Public Justice
• Communitarianism
• Social market economy
• Social conservatism in the United States
• Social Gospel
• Sphere sovereignty
• Subsidiarity
• Third Way