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Populist Party | |
|---|---|
| First Secretary | Willis Carto |
| Founded | 1984; 42 years ago (1984) |
| Dissolved | 1996; 30 years ago (1996) |
| Ideology | Right-wing populism White nationalism White supremacy |
| Political position | Far-right |
ThePopulist Party was apolitical party in theUnited States between 1984 and 1996. It wasconservative and oftenwhite nationalist in its ideology. The party was unrelated to the original AmericanPopulist Party orother American parties that have used the same name.Willis Carto helped found the Populist Party, which eventually served as an electoral vehicle for the formerKnights of the Ku Klux Klan leader,David Duke. The party was also known as the "America First" party.[1]
In the1984 presidential election, athlete and ministerBob Richards ran for president of the United States on the newly formed far-right, Populist Party ticket. He and running mateMaureen Salaman earned 62,646 votes.
In the1988 presidential election,white nationalistDavid Duke was the Populist Party's nominee forPresident of the United States. In some states, thevice presidential nominee wasFloyd Parker, while in other states it wasTrenton Stokes.[2] Parker replacedBo Gritz, who had initially agreed to act as the party's nominee. However, Gritz pulled out when he discovered that the presidential nominee would be Duke rather thanJames Traficant. (Gritz ran for aNevada seat in theHouse of Representatives instead.) The Populist Party ticket garnered 47,047 votes, for 0.04 percent of the national popular vote.
In the1992 presidential election, the Populist Party nominatedBo Gritz for president andCyril Minett for vice president.[3] Under the campaign slogan "God, Guns and Gritz" and publishing his political manifesto "The Bill of Gritz" (playing on his last name rhyming with "rights"), he called for staunch opposition to "global government" and "TheNew World Order", ending all foreign aid, and abolishing federal income tax and theFederal Reserve System.[3] During the campaign, Gritz openly declared the United States to be a "Christian Nation", asserting that the country's legal statutes "should reflect unashamed acceptance of Almighty God and His Laws."[4]
Gritz received 106,152 votes nationwide, or 0.14 per cent of the popular vote.[3] In two states he had a respectable showing for a third party candidate:Utah, where he received 3.84 per cent of the vote, andIdaho, where he received 2.13 per cent of the vote.[3] In some counties, his support topped 10%, and inFranklin County, Idaho, was only a few votes away from pushingBill Clinton into fourth place in the county.[3]
The party ran candidates for a few other offices as well that year. Rita Gum got 0.47% in theUtah gubernatorial election, Anita Morrow 2.31% in theUtah Senate election, Harry Tootle 0.89% in theNevada Senate election, Don Golden 1.05% in the race forNevada's 2nd congressional district, and Ki R. Nelson 1.6% in the election forColorado's 3rd congressional district.[5]
By 1996, the party had collapsed. It did not nominate any candidates for the1996 presidential election or any other election.
| Year | Presidential nominee | Vice-Presidential nominee | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 |  Bob Richards |  Maureen K Salaman | 66,324 (0.07%) |
| 1988 |  Dave Duke Grand Wizard (campaign) | Floyd Parker Trenton Stokes | 47,004 (0.05%) |
| 1992 | Bo Gritz | Cyril Minett | 106,152 (0.10%) |
| International | |
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| National | |
