The American Independent Party (the California branch of the Constitution Party) failed to poll 2% for any of the statewide races, and is disqualified. However, it has such a huge registration total, it will be restored to qualified status at the next registration tally, in February 2007.
Temporary setback…
We did get 1.6% in the race for Sec. of State though.
We, in the American Independent Party, have always been aware that, in the current situation with several smaller parties on the ballot, the possibility existed that we might have an occasion to fall short of the 2% threshold for a statewide candidate. Until a major breakthrough is made and we have the financial resources to compete, and believe it or not that day is closer than one might think, we have had the comfort of knowing that our registration cushion would protect us should we fall short of the 2% for a statewide candidate. I would point out that most of statewide the candidates for the other “minor” parties did not do much better, though each, I think, had at least one that exceeded 2%, and I congratulate them for that.
As for the American Independent Party, the work done years and years ago to make sure our party was listed on the postcard registration and listed first, has paid off. That didn’t happen by accident, but was a result of able political leadership. Because of that we live to fight another day. Results in other states, particularly in the west, are very encouraging to the future of the American Independent (Constitution Party). So to “live to fight another day” is not just an empty phrase, but signals the continuation of our determination to do our part to take down the “Two-Headed Dragon” otherwise known as the Democrat and Republican parties.
Mr. Odom’s statement puts the best face on a bad situation and I heartily congratulate him for his continuing optimism.
The bottom line, though, is that the American Independent Party of Califonia has not been part of a super-serious effort to win the presidency since the George Wallace campaign in 1968. It was the attempted assasination of Mr. Wallace in 1972, and the succussful effort of President Nixon and his strategist (via the “Southern Strategy”) to convince many Wallace people to vote Republican, that put an end to that effort. The continued work to woo the “Reagan Democrats” solidified those previous gains. Now that the Republican Party may bust into pieces, we can watch what the Wallace people and the Reagan Democrats do next. That will tell us a lot about the future.