Constitution Party (United States) - Affiliated Organizations

Affiliated Organizations

A number of conservative parties (some formally affiliated with or descended from the American Independent Party, some not) calling themselves "Constitution Party" have existed in the United States. In 1952-1953, Upton Close, Robert R. McCormick and other supporters of Joseph McCarthy discussed the formation of a party sometimes called the "Constitution Party", sometimes the "American Party", apparently in support of McCarthy's ambitions to reach the White House. White supremacist, Christian Identity theorist and Posse Comitatus founder William Potter Gale was California "state chairman of the Constitution Party" in 1957.; and their candidate for Governor of California in 1958. The Constitution Party of Wisconsin, for example, was an affiliate of the American Independent Party which ran candidates in the 1980-1984 elections, and appointed James Wickstrom and others as representatives to the National Committee. The present-day Constitution Party of Wisconsin was begun in 1991 as a unit of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, and does not discuss the connection (or lack thereof) between the two organizations, which share a number of ideological positions.

The Michigan affiliate has kept the U.S. Taxpayers Party name to retain ballot status. In Connecticut the affiliate is the Concerned Citizens Party; in Nebraska the affiliate has recently changed its name from "The Nebraska Party" to "The Nebraska Independent Party".

Reports that the Constitution Party discussed a merger between several third parties such as the Reform Party, Independent American Party, American Independent Party, and the America First Party have been refuted by other accounts of the events. Nevertheless, all of the aforementioned parties except for the Reform Party endorsed the Constitution Party's Michael Peroutka as their presidential candidate in 2004.