Campaign 2000 | Third Party Candidates
Nader, Buchanan, and some candidates you may not have heard about
This article was posted on October 16, 2000.
According to the Federal Election Commission, a total of 14 candidates beside Bush and Gore are seeking the presidency. However, they will not appear on the ballot in all states because rules vary.
Some third party candidates—Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan—are household names, certain to be active after the election even if they do not fare well at the polls. Other candidates are unknowns. If a party wins five percent of the vote it is eligible for federal funding for the next presidential election.
Polls show Nader's support running at six percent in some states. Nader dismisses allegations that he is taking liberal votes away from Al Gore, stating that the two major parties are both servants of big business.
The Green Party supports a range of liberal environmental and pro-union issues. It advocates universal health care, public funding of elections, a reassessment of public education, and affordable wages. Nader opposes NAFTA and trade policies outlined by the World Trade Organization.
Former conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan won the Reform Party nomination after a bruising fight. He appears on the ballot everywhere except in Michigan, where John Hagelin of the Natural Law Party is the Reform Party nominee. In some states both names appear.
Under Buchanan, the Reform Party platform calls for limiting military action to defending the U.S. He opposes NAFTA, the World Trade Organization, and says the bombing of Serbia was illegal. In addition, Buchanan opposes permanent trade privileges for China, and pledges to appoint anti-abortion Supreme Court judges.
Browne is the nominee in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Neil L. Smith is the party's presidential candidate in Arizona. The Libertarian Party seeks to dramatically reduce the size of the federal government, abolish the income tax, and privatize Social Security. The party favors legalizing drugs and repealing all gun control laws.
The Constitution Party favors reducing the size of government. It supports abolishing income, gift, inheritance, business, and capital gains taxes, as well as privatizing Social Security. The platform calls for removing all federal involvement in education and ending U.S. funding for international organizations such as the U.N., IMF, and WTO. All presidential executive orders and emergency declarations should be abolished as infringing upon Congressional authority, the party states. The platform is also strongly pro-life.
Hagelin started out as the Natural Law Party candidate. The Perot faction of the Reform Party, however, also nominated him. As a result, Hagelin appears on the ballot in different states under different parties. He favors various government reforms, including an overhaul of the federal tax code with no family of four earning less than $34,000 paying income taxes. The party also endorses public sponsorship of elections, the promotion of renewable energy, such as solar, and reforming health care.
Nine other candidates will appear on the ballot in a few states. James Harris and Margaret Trowe, presidential and vice presidential nominees of the Socialist Workers Campaign, will be on the ballot in 14 states. Both Harris and Trowe are union activists that call for a revolutionary government led by workers and farmers to end capitalism.
They are not to be confused with David McReynolds and Mary Cal Hollis of the Socialist Party, USA, who are listed on the ballot in seven states, and have a similar platform. The Workers World Party is on four state ballots. Monica Moorehead and Gloria La Riva are the nominees, running to end "the prison industrial complex."
The Prohibition Party candidates, Earl F. Dodge and W. Dean Watkins appear on the ballot only in Colorado. Drug legalization advocate Denny Lane of the Vermont Grassroots Party, is only on the ballot in Vermont. In addition, several independent candidates will appear on one state ballot. They are: Cathy Gordon Brown and Sabrina R. Allen, Tennessee; Randall Venson and Gene Kelly, Tennessee; and Louie Youngkeit, Utah.
