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The Reform
Party of Texas |
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The Reform
Party of Texas |
News and Events
Posted on Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Reform Party of Texas (Texas Reform Party) will be holding County Conventions across the state on Saturday March 13, 2010. Please contact your
For more information on the Reform Party of Texas, please email Chairman@harriscountyrp.org
State Secretary-Treasurer
Knight Ridder NewspapersWASHINGTON - Q: Ralph Nader, who is running for president
as an independent, will be listed on the ballot in November as:
a) the Reform Party candidate
b) the Green Party candidate
c) an independent
d) all of the above.
The answer is likely to be "d." Nader has made it clear that he will
use whatever tactic helps him get on state ballots, and he has lots of options.
In 2000, Nader was the Green Party candidate and won 2.7 percent of the popular
vote while on the ballot in only 43 states. In Florida and New Hampshire, if
only a small number of Nader voters had gone to Democrat Al Gore, he would have
defeated Republican George W. Bush. Democrats fear a repeat this year.
An Associated Press poll released Friday put Nader's support at 6 percent nationally,
with Democratic candidate John Kerry in a virtual tie with Bush. The poll, taken
March 1-3, was of 771 registered voters and had an error margin of 3.5 percentage
points.
Nader's independent, anti-corporate, populist campaign starts its uphill effort
to get on the ballot in all 50 states this week in Texas. And there are signs
that he may end up as the nominee of both the Reform Party and the Green Party,
which are strange bedfellows ideologically.
Texas has one of the toughest standards for ballot qualification in the nation.
Starting Wednesday, any minor candidate has 60 days to get more than 60,000
signatures. Complicating the task is that anyone who votes in Tuesday's Texas
primary can't sign the petition.
But it's easier for a third party to get listed on the Texas ballot than an
individual; a third party needs only 40,000 voter signatures collected in a
75-day period starting Wednesday. As a result, Nader is engaged in an unlikely
flirtation with the Reform Party.
The Reform Party, founded by Dallas billionaire Ross Perot in the fiery spirit
of his anti-deficit, anti-free-trade 1992 presidential candidacy, all but disappeared
after the 2000 campaign, when it split between followers of Perot and conservative
commentator Pat Buchanan, the party's nominee four years ago.
Nader met with Reform Party officials recently during a three-day Texas swing.
The party has voted to collect the signatures needed to put Nader's name on
the ballot as its candidate in Texas.
"Everybody's thrilled to death to have Nader run on our line," said
Beverly Kennedy, the Reform Party's Dallas County chair.
The Nader campaign also plans to get him on the Texas ballot as an independent.
"We're gearing up for an independent run," said Nader spokesman Kevin
Zeese. The campaign Web site is seeking $20,000 to help.
The national Reform Party has maintained ballot lines in seven states that are
pretty much Nader's for the asking.
Meanwhile, the pro-environment Green Party, which backed Nader in 2000, has
a vigorous Draft Nader movement under way, with Nader stand-ins running for
delegates to the party's June convention.
In California, Nader ally Peter Camejo won the Green Party's presidential nomination
in last week's state primary, collecting 74 percent support. But Camejo says
he won't run for president. "I think it's very important for Greens to
endorse Ralph Nader. Nader's campaign is a factor in the election now,"
Camejo said.
Greens are trying to determine if Nader would accept a draft and have asked
him to make his intentions clear. Nader declared in December that he wouldn't
seek the Green Party's nomination because he didn't want his candidacy to be
constrained by Green Party rules, but that's not the same as renouncing Green
Party support.
Zeese said Nader would soon issue a "statement of intent" regarding
the Green Party. It has ballot lines in 21 states and is organizing to get on
ballots in about 20 more.
Would Nader accept a Green Party draft? "We'll see," said Zeese. "We
get a lot of calls from Greens who want him to run. The Reform Party is also
calling. He's not seeking the Reform Party nomination, either."
Zeese noted that in 2000, Nader's name was on the ballot in 13 different incarnations,
including as the nominee of the Progressive Party in Vermont and the Mountain
Party in West Virginia. Nader was clear when announcing that he would run again
this year that he would be on ballots under different party names.
"Fifty states - that's definitely what the goal is," said Zeese.
On the Web:
For more info, go to www.VoteNader.org
Press Release from the Reform Party of Texas
For immediate release
March 5, 2003
Reform Party Endorses "Show Us the Money" Coalition
(Houston, Texas) The Reform Party of Texas Executive Committee endorsed the Show Us The Money Coalition. By unanimous vote, they passed resolutions supporting the state electoral reform lobby and an additional Texas electoral reform.
Show Us The Money is a coalition of Texas political groups whose goal is the enactment of several campaign finance reforms by the Texas 78th Legislature this year. Texas candidate campaign contribution and expenditure disclosure reforms and enforcement reforms are presently being lobbied in the State Capitol by the coalition.
In addition to the coalition resolution, the Reform Party of Texas passed a resolution empowering the Texas Ethics Commission with a state campaign finance law enforcement capacity.
"We are delighted to join with the Campaign for People's coalition to push for meaningful Election Law and Ethics reform", says Reform Party of Texas Chair Charles Foster. "Public Policy is a Public Trust, not a commodity to be bought and sold. But, sadly, what we've always had in Texas is an obvious condition in which access to, and influence over our lawmakers is far too easily measured in dollar increments. Our current laws have proven to be inadequate at best and Texas is long overdue for some relief."
Foster adds: "The most disturbing thing about this situation is not simply that it exists, but rather that people seem to be moving toward acceptance of it. With the Ethics Commission headed for Sunset Review in the current legislative session we can't afford to be complacent. Texas' voters could end up with an oversight mechanism even less meaningful than is available now if they don't weigh in on this fight."
For more information, please contact Charles Foster at chairman@texasreformparty.org.
Charles Foster, Chair
Alan Schmidt, Vice-Chair
David Collison, Secretary-Treasurer
Reform Party of Texas - http://texasreformparty.org
Posted Sept. 15, 2002
Reform Party Turns Back the Clock, Returns to Its Roots
The 2002 National Convention was a great success. In addition to removing all changes to the Platform made since Dearborn, new officers were elected with the promise of more accurately serving the desires of the membership and returning to the principles on which the Party was originally founded. A full press release to come or contact the State Chair for more information.
Posted July 31st, 2002
Texas to Participate in 2002 Reform Party National Convention
The Reform Party of Texas is currently seeking additional delegates to participate in the 2002 National Convention, to be held September 6-8 in Denver, Colorado. The 2002 State Convention empowered the State Executive Committee to fill vacant delegate positions. If you are a current or prospective Reform Party of Texas member, please contact the State Chair for more information.
Posted July 20th, 2002
Texas Reform Party
holds State Executive Meeting
to Determine National Committee Members
The Reform Party of Texas held a special Executive Committee Meeting Saturday, July 13, 2002 to discuss the upcoming National Convention and to elect National Committee Members. All three National Committee Member slots were filled.
Posted July 20th, 2002
2002 State Convention a Success!
The Reform Party of Texas held its 2002 State Convention on June 8, 2002 in Ft. Worth, Texas. Highlights of the convention included:
Revised rules governing Party Officers, National Committee Members, and National Convention Delegates
Election of State Officers
Nomination of National Committee Members, with elections to be held by the State Executive Committee at its next meeting.
The full minutes of the Convention are available here: 2002 Texas State Convention Minutes
The Rules of the Texas Reform Party including revisions adopted are available here: Texas State Rules