Constitution Party (United States) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Constitution Party
Chairman	Jim Clymer
Founded	1990; 35 years ago (1990) (as U.S. Taxpayers' Party) 1999 (1999) (as Constitution Party)
Split from	Republican Party
Headquarters	408 West Chestnut Street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603
Membership (2021)	137,367
Ideology	Christian right Christian reconstructionism Ultraconservatism Fiscal conservatism Paleoconservatism Social conservatism
Political position	Far-right
Colors	Red, white and blue (national colors)      Purple (de facto)
Seats in the Senate	0 / 100
Seats in the House	0 / 435
Governorships	0 / 50
State Upper House Seats	0 / 1,972
State Lower House Seats	0 / 5,411
Other elected offices	28
Politics of United States Political parties

The Constitution Party is a political party in the United States. It used to be called the U.S. Taxpayers' Party until 1999. This party believes in a very traditional and religious way of understanding the United States Constitution. Their main ideas come from the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Bible.

The party was started by Howard Phillips in 1990. He formed it after President George H. W. Bush broke a promise about not raising taxes. Since then, the party has had several presidential candidates, including Phillips himself, Michael Peroutka, Chuck Baldwin, Virgil Goode, Darrell Castle, and Don Blankenship.

The Constitution Party has had some members elected to local and state offices. For example, Rick Jore was the first member to hold a seat in a state legislature in 2000. As of June 2024, the party has 28 members elected to city councils and other local government jobs. It is the fifth largest national party in the U.S. based on registered members.

History of the Party

How the Party Started

The Constitution Party began in 1990. It was founded by Howard Phillips, a conservative activist. He decided to start a new party after President George H. W. Bush went back on his promise of "read my lips: no new taxes". This promise meant he wouldn't raise taxes.

Phillips used his organization, the U.S. Taxpayers Alliance, to help create the new party. This group already had offices in many states. The party was first called the U.S. Taxpayers' Party.

Changes in the 1990s

In 1997, the party thought about changing its name to "Constitutional" or "Independent American," but they couldn't agree. Then, in March 1999, they tried again with other names like American Independent. Finally, on September 3, 1999, the party officially changed its name to the Constitution Party. Most state branches of the party also changed their names. However, in Michigan, it's still called the U.S. Taxpayers' Party.

In 1998, a candidate named Patricia Becker helped the party gain "major party status" in Minnesota. This means the party became more recognized there.

Presidential Elections in the 1990s

In the 1992 election, the party wanted famous politicians like Ross Perot or Pat Buchanan to be their presidential candidate. But they didn't succeed. So, Howard Phillips became their candidate. He ran with Albion W. Knight Jr. as his running mate. They finished seventh in the election.

For the 1996 election, Phillips again hoped Pat Buchanan would run for their party. But Phillips ended up being the candidate once more, with Herbert Titus as his running mate. They placed sixth in that election.

The 2000s and Beyond

In 2000, Rick Jore became the first member of the Constitution Party to serve in a state legislature in Montana. He lost his next few elections but was elected again in 2006. In 2002, Greg Moeller was the first party member to win a local election in Iowa.

Some state branches of the party have changed their connections with the national party over time. For example, the Oregon branch left the national party in 2006.

Presidential Elections in the 2000s

For the 2000 election, the party didn't look for a famous politician. Howard Phillips ran for president again, with Joseph Sobran as his first running mate. Sobran later left, and Curtis Frazier took his place. Phillips and Frazier finished sixth.

In the 2004 election, Michael Peroutka became the party's presidential candidate, and Chuck Baldwin was his running mate.

For the 2008 election, Chuck Baldwin won the party's nomination, with Darrell Castle as his running mate. They finished sixth overall. However, some state branches of the party supported other candidates, like Alan Keyes or Ron Paul.

The 2010s and 2020s

County results of the 2010 Colorado gubernatorial election

In 2010, the Colorado branch of the Constitution Party, called the American Constitution Party, had a strong showing in the governor's election. Their candidate, Tom Tancredo, received over 36% of the votes. This was enough for the party to gain "major party status" in Colorado. This meant they could appoint members to state boards.

Presidential Elections in the 2010s and 2020s

In the 2012 election, Virgil Goode, a former member of Congress, became the Constitution Party's presidential candidate. He was the first candidate from the party to have held a federal or state office. Jim Clymer was his running mate. They finished sixth.

For the 2016 election, Darrell Castle, who had been a vice-presidential candidate before, ran for president. Scott Bradley was his running mate.

In the 2020 election, Don Blankenship won the party's presidential nomination. William Mohr was selected as his running mate. However, some state branches supported other candidates.

Who Joins the Constitution Party?

CPWV symbol

Many people who were once Republicans have joined the Constitution Party. These include politicians like Virgil Goode, Tom Tancredo, and Rick Jore.

Ezola Foster, who was a vice-presidential candidate for another party in 2000, joined the Constitution Party in 2002. She served on the party's national committee.

Jim Gilchrist, who started the Minuteman Project, ran for Congress in California in 2005. He was a candidate for the American Independent Party, which was connected to the Constitution Party at the time. He received a high percentage of votes for a third-party candidate.

Other notable people who considered running for president with the Constitution Party include Jerome Corsi and Joe Miller.

What the Party Believes In

The Constitution Party has clear beliefs about how the government should work.

Ideas for Inside the U.S.

How Presidents are Elected

The party believes in keeping the Electoral College system for electing the president and vice president. They do not want to change to a system where the person with the most individual votes wins.

Protecting the Environment

The party believes people should be careful and responsible with "God's natural resources." They think we should use resources wisely.

They do not agree with the idea that climate change is mainly caused by humans. They believe that some groups use the idea of global warming to gain more control. The party also thinks the government should not take private property, even if they pay for it, if it stops people from using their land.

For energy, the party wants the U.S. to have enough energy for its own needs. They support free market solutions to become energy independent. They also want to get rid of the Department of Energy.

State and Federal Power

The party wants to get rid of the Sixteenth Amendment, which allows the government to collect income tax. They also want to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment, which changed how senators are elected. They believe senators should be chosen by state legislatures, not directly by voters.

The party also believes that each state should be able to leave the United States if it wants to. This idea is called the compact theory.

Money and Taxes

The Constitution Party believes that Social Security should be phased out. They think it's a form of welfare that the Constitution doesn't allow the federal government to provide.

They want to reduce the size of the U.S. federal government. They suggest cutting down on rules, spending less money, and replacing income tax. Instead, they prefer a system where the government gets money from tariffs (taxes on imported goods) and excise taxes (taxes on certain goods like tobacco). They also believe federal income and estate taxes are unconstitutional. The party supports using only gold and silver for money, like the Constitution originally intended.

Social Issues

The party is against any government support or promotion of gambling.

They believe that helping people in need (charity) works best when private groups do it, not the government. They think the government should not be involved in charity because the Constitution doesn't give it that power. The party also opposes federal rules or funding for medical treatments.

The party supports English as the official language for all government business. They are against ballots in two languages. They believe that people who want to become U.S. citizens should be able to read and understand basic English.

Ideas for Outside the U.S.

International Relations

The Constitution Party believes in a non-interventionist foreign policy. This means they think the U.S. should not get involved in other countries' problems. They want the U.S. to reduce or leave international groups like the United Nations and treaties like NATO and NAFTA.

They also support protectionist policies. This means they want to protect American businesses by making it harder for foreign goods to be sold cheaply in the U.S. They believe in using a tariff system to help balance trade with other countries.

Rules for Immigration

The party is against people coming to the U.S. without government permission. They want stricter rules for legal immigration. They believe the government should not allow immigrants who are unhealthy, have a criminal record, or would depend on financial help. They think these people would be a burden on the U.S.

The party wants to stop most new immigration for a while. They would only make exceptions for very serious cases. They also want to make sure federal welfare programs are phased out and there's a better system to check immigrants.

They are against giving welfare or other benefits to immigrants who are in the country illegally. They also do not believe that children born in the U.S. to parents who are here illegally should automatically become U.S. citizens. The party is against giving amnesty (forgiveness) to undocumented immigrants. They even suggest using the U.S. military to enforce their strict immigration rules.

Electoral Results

Presidential Elections

Year	Presidential nominee	Home state	Previous positions	Vice presidential nominee	Home state	Previous positions	Votes	Notes
1992	Howard Phillips	Virginia	Chairman of The Conservative Caucus	Albion W. Knight	Florida	Presiding Bishop of the United Episcopal Church of North America	43,369 (nil%) 0 EV
1996	Howard Phillips	Virginia	(see above for previous positions)	Herbert Titus	Oregon	Lawyer, writer	184,656 (0.2%) 0 EV
2000	Howard Phillips	Virginia	(see above for previous positions)	Curtis Frazier	Missouri	Nominee for United States Senator from Missouri	98,020 (0.1%) 0 EV
2004	Michael Peroutka	Maryland	Lawyer Founder of the Institute on the Constitution	Chuck Baldwin	Florida	Pastor, radio host	143,630 (0.1%) 0 EV
2008	Chuck Baldwin	Florida	Nominee for Vice President of the United States	Darrell Castle	Tennessee	Lawyer	199,750 (0.2%) 0 EV
2012	Virgil Goode	Virginia	Member of the Virginia Senate Member of the United States House of Representatives	Jim Clymer	Pennsylvania	Nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania Chair of the Constitution Party	122,388 (0.1%) 0 EV
2016	Darrell Castle	Tennessee	Nominee for Vice President of the United States	Scott Bradley	Utah	Nominee for United States Senator from Utah	203,069 (0.2%) 0 EV
2020	Don Blankenship	West Virginia	Former CEO of Massey Energy	William Mohr	Michigan	Chairman of the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan	60,023 (nil%) 0 EV
2024	Randall Terry	Tennessee	Candidate in the 2012 Democratic Party presidential primaries	Stephen Broden	Texas	Pastor	TBD

House of Representatives Elections

Election year	No. of overall votes	% of overall vote	No. of representatives	+/-
2000	122,936	0.1	0 / 435
2002	99,306	0.1	0 / 435	0
2004	132,613	0.2	0 / 435	0
2006	68,031	0.1	0 / 435	0
2008	136,021	0.1	0 / 435	0
2010	123,841	0.1	0 / 435	0
2012	118,102	0.1	0 / 435	0
2016	127,376	0.1	0 / 435	0
2018	74,956	nil	0 / 435	0
2020	82,567	0.1	0 / 435	0
2022	44,314	0.04%	0 / 435	0
General election results source:

Senate Elections

Best Results in Major Races

See also

In Spanish: Partido de la Constitución para niños

• Constitution Party National Convention
• Electoral history of the Constitution Party
• List of political parties in the United States
• Paleoconservatism
• Theoconservatism

Images for kids

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  Howard Phillips, founder of the Constitution Party

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  Chuck Baldwin, 2008 presidential nominee

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  Darrell Castle, 2016 presidential nominee

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  Virgil Goode, 2012 presidential nominee

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  Don Blankenship, 2020 presidential nominee

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  Randall Terry, 2024 presidential nominee

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  Stephen Broden, 2024 vice-presidential nominee