Reform Party of the United States of America facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reform Party of the United States of America
Chairperson	Nicholas Hensley
Founder	Ross Perot
Founded	1995; 30 years ago (1995)
Headquarters	Dallas, Texas
Membership	6,819 (2021 est.)
Ideology	Populism Radical centrism Fiscal conservatism Centrism Liberalism Autarky
Political position	Center
Colors	Purple
Elected offices	11 / 519,682
Politics of the United States Political parties

The party's logo, used from 1995 to 2025.

The Reform Party of the United States of America (RPUSA), also known as the Reform Party, is a political party in the United States. It was started in 1995 by businessman Ross Perot.

Perot created the party because he felt many Americans were unhappy with politics. He believed the two main parties, the Republicans and Democrats, were not solving important problems.

In the 1992 presidential election, Perot ran as an independent candidate and won 18.9% of the popular vote. This success led him to create the Reform Party. When he ran for president again in 1996 as the Reform Party candidate, he won 8.4% of the vote. No other candidate from a smaller party has won that much of the vote since.

The party's biggest win was in 1998, when Jesse Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota. However, Ventura left the party while he was still governor. Over the years, disagreements and problems inside the party caused it to become much smaller and less powerful.

The Ross Perot Movement

The Reform Party started because of Ross Perot's popular 1992 presidential campaign. Running as an independent, he was seen as a serious candidate who could possibly win. This was rare for someone not in a major party.

Perot talked a lot about money issues, like the country's debt. He also wanted to reform the government by setting limits on how long politicians could serve. Many people supported him because they felt he was talking about real problems the other parties were ignoring.

At one point, a poll showed Perot was leading. But he suddenly dropped out of the race, saying his family had been threatened. He later rejoined the campaign but ended up with 18.9% of the vote. This was a very high number for an independent candidate.

Founding the Party

In 1995, the people who had supported Perot in 1992 came together to form a new political party. They wanted a real alternative to the Republicans and Democrats. They called it the "Reform Party."

Their goal was to get the party on the ballot in all 50 states so people everywhere could vote for their candidates. They succeeded, though it took a lot of work and even some legal challenges.

The 1996 Presidential Election

The Nomination Campaign

When it was time for the 1996 election, Perot at first said he wouldn't run. He wanted someone else to be the Reform Party's candidate. The only person who stepped up was Dick Lamm, a former governor of Colorado.

However, Perot later decided to run after all. This upset some people who felt he was overshadowing Lamm. In the end, Perot won the party's nomination and chose economist Pat Choate as his running mate.

Not Allowed in the Debates

Between 1992 and 1996, the rules for who could be in presidential debates were changed. Because of these new rules, Perot was not allowed to participate in the 1996 debates. This was a big setback for his campaign, as he had done very well in the 1992 debates.

Even though most Americans wanted him in the debates, the commission in charge refused to let him join. Perot had to buy TV time for "commercials" to share his ideas. He and Choate received 8% of the vote in the election.

A Time of Decline

The 1998 Mid-Term Elections

The party had a moment of success in 1998. Jesse Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota as a Reform Party candidate. This was a huge victory and made the Reform Party the third-largest party in the country at the time.

The 2000 Presidential Election

For the 2000 election, the party's candidate was set to receive over $12 million in federal campaign money. This was because of Perot's strong performance in 1996.

Donald Trump briefly considered running for the Reform Party. He said he was a conservative but disagreed with another potential candidate, Pat Buchanan. Trump later left the race, saying he did not like the direction the party was heading. Jesse Ventura also left the party around this time.

After a heated fight within the party, Pat Buchanan won the nomination. But another group held its own convention and nominated a different candidate. The matter went to court, and Buchanan was declared the official nominee, getting the campaign funds. He received only 0.4% of the vote in the election. This poor result meant the party lost its automatic funding for future elections.

Later Years

After 2000, the Reform Party struggled. It had lost much of its support and funding.

In the 2004 election, the party decided to support independent candidate Ralph Nader. However, it could only get him on the ballot in seven states.

Over the next several years, the party continued to face internal disagreements and legal battles over who was in charge. It nominated candidates for president in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020, but none of them received a significant number of votes.

In 2024, the party endorsed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president. However, Kennedy later dropped out of the race and supported Donald Trump.

What the Reform Party Believes

The Reform Party's platform, or list of goals, includes:

• Creating a balanced budget for the federal government and paying off the national debt.
• Changing the rules for how political campaigns are funded to reduce the influence of money.
• Enforcing existing immigration laws.
• Setting term limits for members of the U.S. Congress.
• Making changes to the election system, including making Election Day a national holiday.

The party has tried to avoid taking strong positions on social issues. The goal was to bring together people with different views to work on economic and government reforms.

Best Election Results

Presidential Tickets

Year	Presidential nominee	Home state	Previous positions	Vice presidential nominee	Home state	Previous positions	Votes	Notes
1996	Ross Perot (campaign)	Texas	Businessman Candidate for President of the United States (1992)	Pat Choate	District of Columbia	Economist	8,085,294 (#3) (8.4%) 0 EV
2000	Pat Buchanan (campaign)	Virginia	White House Director of Communications (1985–1987) Candidate for President of the United States (1992; 1996)	Ezola Foster	California	Activist Candidate for California's 48th State Assembly district (1986)	448,895 (#4) (0.4%) 0 EV
2004	Ralph Nader (campaign)	Connecticut	Lawyer, activist Candidate for President of the United States (1996; 2000)	Peter Camejo	California	Candidate for Mayor of Berkeley (1967) Candidate for President of the United States (1976) Candidate for Governor of California (2002; 2003)	465,151 (0.4%) 0 EV
2008	Ted Weill	Mississippi	Nominee for United States Senator from Mississippi (1996)	Frank McEnulty	California	Businessman	481 (0.0004%) 0 EV
2012	Andre Barnett	New York	Entrepreneur	Ken Cross	Arkansas	Engineer, businessman	962 (0.001%) 0 EV
2016	Rocky De La Fuente (campaign)	California	Businessman	Michael Steinberg	Florida	Lawyer Candidate for Florida's 47th State House of Representatives district (2002; 2010) Candidate for Florida's 11th congressional district (2006)	33,136 (#9) (0.02%) 0 EV
2020	Rocky De La Fuente (campaign)	California	Businessman Candidate for President of the United States (2016)	Darcy Richardson	Florida	Historian Author 2018 Reform Party Nominee for Governor of Florida	88,238 (#5) (0.06%) 0 EV
2024	Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (campaign)	California	Attorney, activist	Nicole Shanahan	California	Attorney, technologist	681,450 (#4) (0.46%) 0 EV

See also

In Spanish: Partido de la Reforma de los Estados Unidos para niños

• Forward Party
• No Labels