Bob Richards, 1984 Populist Party Presidential Nominee, Dies

Posted on by March 1, 2023

On February 26, Bob Richards died at the age of 97. He had been a Gold Medalist in the Olympics of 1952 and 1956 in pole vaulting, and he had been the Populist Party’s presidential nominee in 1984. He had polled 66,366 votes, and had been on the ballot in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. His best showing had been in Idaho, where he only appeared on the ballot because the Populist Party won its ballot access lawsuit in the Ninth Circuit.

The Populist Party was a new party in 1984, and ceased to run candidates after 1994, although its monthly newspaper still is published. The other two men nominated for president by the Populist Party, David Duke in 1988 and Bo Gritz in 1992, are still living.

Comments

Bob Richards, 1984 Populist Party Presidential Nominee, Dies — 20 Comments

  1. Sad news. I might have voted voted for him if he had been on the ballot in Florida or maybe even wrote him in if I was not pretty happy with Reagan at that point.

  2. I did not know about their monthly newspaper still being published. Is it on line, mail order, or both? I’ll look myself as well but perhaps I’m not the only one interested.

  5. I shall ask Mr. Wassall but if you or others here know was it ever associated with the American Freedom Party or is that domain name a coincidence???

  6. Well if I was American, old enough and had a time machine I’d go back to one of those states and vote for him. Reagan was good, but not near as good as he promised before he got in office. Certainly without any doubt Duke and Gritz are immeasurably better than any Bush. The only dilemma in those years would have been whether to vote for them or for Ron Paul in 1488 and Howard Phillips in 1492.

  7. I’masorry, I hit post comments too soon. I meant 1988 and 1992. If there had been such a thing as an election and I was alive in 1492 I would vote for Christopher Columbus, a truly great man, especially for all the reasons the left hates him. My retrospective choice for 1488 is Tomas de Torquemada.

    As far as recently USA presidents go the only one I would have voted for more than once if I could vote in your country is Donald Trump. But we haves Giorgia Meloni, best leader of Italy since Mussolini despite her drawbacks!

  9. I recall his picture on Wheaties cereal boxes when I was in the third grade.

  10. 1932-44 GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, WOULD CONSIDER 3RD PARTY IN SOME STATES BUT HAVE NOT STUDIED ENOUGH ABOUT RIGHT WING 3RD PARTY IN THE USA IN THAT ERA! CHARLES LINDBERGH, HENRY FORD AND FATHER COUGHLIN WERE THE GOOD GUYS!! AMERICA FIRST!!!

  11. Give me a break! Hitler? MUSSOLINI? MELONI? COLUMBUS? TORQUEMADA?

    FIRST OF ALL NONE OF THEM ARE ELIGIBLE FOR PRESIDENT OF USA BECAUSE NONE OF THEM ARE NATURAL BORN CITIZEN’S AND MOST OF THEM ARE AS DEAD AS THE AVERAGE XI BIDEN VOTER!!!

    look let’s get this clear people
    I’m here for RON PAUL AND ONLY RON PAUL!!!

    IN 1488, 1492, 1988, 1992, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2024, 2028, 2032 I’M VOTING RON PAUL!! IN THE YEAR 14881988 MY HOLOGRAM IS VOTING FOR A HOLOGRAM OF RON PAUL!!

    I DON’T CARE IF HE WANTS TO RUN. I DON’T CARE HOW OLD HE GETS. I DON’T CARE IF I HAVE TO WRITE HIM IN AND MY STATE DOESN’T COUNT WRITE IN VOTES. I’M STILL WRITING IN RON PAUL!!

    If it ain’t Ron Paul it ain’t me!!

  12. I just came here to say one thing: 1488. That’s right: 1488. 1488. And one more thing while we’re at it: 1488.

  13. Do you think it’s a coincidence Ron Paul ran in 1988, which looks a lot like 1488 depending on how you write your 4s and 9s???

  15. ONLY THE BRITS AND SWISS HAVING *FREE* ELECTIONS IN 1488 ???

    1588 — DEFEAT OF SPANISH ARMADA TRYING TO CONQUER THE BRITS.

    BRITS INTO VA IN 1607 – INTO MA IN 1620 – RISE OF BRIT EMPIRE TO 1914.
    —

    DOJ BRIEF — NOOO TRUMP IMMUNITY
    SEE OJ CIVIL CASE – WRONGFUL DEATH – OJ GUILTY >>> BANKRUPTED- LATER OTHER FELONIES >>> JAIL.

  19. Hello AZ. My understanding is that in USA the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter of such questions, not your so called Justice Department.

  20. 1488 respecter, I respect the 14 words. If you mean “heil Hitler” by 88, I do not respect that. We can discuss why if you care to do so. If you mean David Lane’s 88 precepts, apparently they are not easy to find online for reference in a discussion as of the last time I looked. I’ll look again, but do you have a handy link?

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