American Solidarity Party

American Solidarity Party
Abbreviation ASP
Chairperson Skylar Covich
Founded 2011 (2011)
Ideology Christian democracy[1][2]
Social conservatism[2][3][4]
Political position Fiscal: Center-left[5]
Social: Center-right[5]
Colors Orange
Slogan "Common Good, Common Ground, Common Sense."[6]
Website
www.solidarity-party.org

The American Solidarity Party (ASP) is a Christian democratic political party in the United States.[7][1][8] Its motto is "Common Good, Common Ground, Common Sense."[6] Founded in 2011 and officially incorporated in 2016, the party has a National Committee and is active in state and local chapters and through on-line communication.[6][9] It is regarded as a minor third party.

Those who join the American Solidarity Party affirm their "recognition of the sanctity of human life, the necessity of social justice, our responsibility for the environment, and the possibility of a more peaceful world.”[10] In keeping with a consistent life ethic and the "inviolable dignity and rights of every human person from conception to natural death," the ASP opposes abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment, and is concerned with human rights in the areas of immigration, criminal justice reform and foreign policy.[2][11] The ASP encourages social development along the lines of Subsidiarity, emphasizing the importance of strong families, local communities, and voluntary associations.[4] This also involves strong protection for religious freedom in both private and public life.[2] Influenced by distributism[7] and the social market economy,[8] the ASP seeks widespread economic participation and ownership, expressed in the flourishing of independent businesses and small farms, while respecting both private property and the dignity of labor, and providing a safety net for the poor and vulnerable.[2][1] In order to promote environmental stewardship and sustainability, the ASP platform calls for conservation and a transition toward more renewable sources of energy, while rejecting population control measures.[8][2]

History

Early history

The ASP was founded in 2011 as the "Christian Democratic Party USA".[6] In 2012, the CDPUSA endorsed the independent candidacy of Joe Schriner for President.[12]

The name of the party was changed after the 2012 election to the "American Solidarity Party",[6] and a national committee was created for the purpose of drafting a platform and developing the party’s online presence. Kirk Morrison chaired the committee until late 2015. Dr. Stephen Beall, who drafted the original platform, became chair in 2016 and organized the party’s first online convention in July. He was succeeded by Matthew Bartko, who worked to incorporate the ASP as a legal entity presided over the formation of numerous state and chapters.

ASP ballot status in 2016
  On ballot
  Write-in
  Not on ballot

2016 presidential election

During the 2016 presidential election season, the American Solidarity Party held an online convention on July 9, 2016, which nominated Dr. Amir Azarvan of Georgia for president and Mike Maturen of Michigan for vice-president.[13][14][15][16] However, Azarvan subsequently withdrew, and in response the ticket was revised, with Maturen running for president and Juan Muñoz of Texas running for vice-president.[17][18][13][19][16]

For the 2016 election, the American Solidarity Party was listed on the ballot in Colorado.[20] It was a certified write-in option in Alabama,[21] California,[22] Georgia,[23] Iowa,[21] Kansas,[24] Kentucky,[25] Maryland,[26] Michigan,[27] Minnesota, New Hampshire,[21] New Jersey,[21] Ohio,[28] Oregon,[21][29] Pennsylvania,[21] Rhode Island,[21] Texas,[30] Vermont,[21] and Washington.[31] Maturen received 6,662 reported votes, not including states that didn't report votes for him.[32]

2017 New Jersey legislative election

For the November 2017 off-year elections, the American Solidarity Party ran a candidate for New Jersey legislature, Monica Sohler, in the 6th district. She received 821 votes. [33]

2018 Thiensville, Wisconsin Village Board election

Marianne Bovee ran for Thiensville, Wisconsin Village Board, receiving 155 votes (21.4%)[34], narrowly missing out by 5 votes.[35]

ASP 2018 CA Gubernatorial Votes by County by Percentage

2018 California elections

Governor

Desmond Silveira, a software engineer, was formerly national committee member of the American Solidarity Party, the campaign manager for the Maturen-Muñoz 2016 campaign, vice chair of the ASP, and director of operations for the party. In 2018, he ran for governor, receiving 4,633 votes in the election.[36][37]

U.S. House of Representatives District 22

Brian T. Carroll ran against Devin Nunes for California's 22nd congressional district as an American Solidarity candidate, receiving 1,175 votes in the election.[38][39]

San Diego City Council District 6

Kevin Lee Egger ran for San Diego Council District 6, receiving 1,104 votes in the election.[40]

Ideology and influences

Members of the American Solidarity Party gathered at the Carlisle Inn of Walnut Creek, Ohio for the 2017 ASP Midwestern Regional Meeting.

The American Solidarity Party has been characterized as conservative on social issues while supporting some government intervention in economic matters.[3] The ASP's 2016 presidential nominee, Mike Maturen, has characterized the party as "centrist",[5] as has The Irish Times.[41]

Membership and leadership in the American Solidarity Party is open to people of all backgrounds, creeds, etc. The American Solidarity Party adheres to the ideology of Christian democracy,[7] which has been influenced by Catholic Social Teaching and Neo-Calvinist theology.[42][43][7] As such, the ASP looks to the Christian Democratic movements in Europe and the Americas,[18] and to American religious populists such as Martin Luther King.[44] As the name indicates, the American Solidarity Party draws its inspiration from Solidarity (Polish trade union), founded by Lech Wałęsa in 1980. In addition, the ASP shares the socially conservative positions of the Netherlands' Anti-Revolutionary Party, founded by Dutch prime minister and Calvinist theologian Abraham Kuyper in 1879.[45]

A core principle of the American Solidarity Party is the consistent life ethic, understood as “respect for life and the dignity of all persons on all issues.”[46] Like other social conservatives, the ASP opposes abortion, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research, but it differs from many of them by rejecting capital punishment and holding to Just War principles in foreign policy. It regards economic justice as an essential aspect of respect for human life.[47]

The American Solidarity Party also calls for fair labor practices and the strengthening of labor organizations, a wider distribution of wealth and productive property, the provision of decent health care to all members of society, responsible stewardship of the environment, and policies that strengthen the family and civil society.[46]

David McPherson of First Things says that the American Solidarity Party "affirm[s] ... the full spectrum of Catholic social teaching (namely, the teachings regarding the sanctity of human life, the common good, subsidiarity, religious freedom, solidarity, etc.)," contrasting the ASP to both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, each of which recognizes only some of these items.[17] Its strongest support is in California, Ohio, and Texas, according to the Madera Tribune (of Madera, California).[18]

Names and symbols

The party was founded in 2011 as the Christian Democratic Party USA. Shortly after the 2012 election, the CDP USA renamed itself the American Solidarity Party.[1]

The ASP mascot is the pelican, a traditional symbol of charity.[16] The party’s political color is orange, as with other Christian Democratic political parties.

Some members of the American Solidarity Party refer to themselves as Solidarists.[48]

Presidential candidate performance

Year Pres. candidate / VP Popular vote Percentage Electoral votes
2016Mike Maturen / Juan Muñoz 6,7140.0%0

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Longenecker, Dwight (12 May 2016). "Is It Time for a US Christian Democracy Party?". Aleteia. Retrieved 4 July 2016. Christian Democracy is in favor of a social market economy. Rejecting communism and enforced socialism, it is in favor of common-sense government regulations and state welfare that recognizes the innate dignity of the individual and works to assist individuals and families to be independent, hard working members of society. Christian Democracy sees a moderate welfare state as the public expression of every citizen’s responsibility for his poor brother or sister.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Platform". American Solidarity Party. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  3. 1 2 Padusniak, Chase (Winter 2015), "Why You Should Vote Third Party", Intercollegiate Review, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, retrieved 21 July 2016, For the socially-conservative American who thinks government intervention has some place in the economy, the American Solidarity Party might fit.
  4. 1 2 "An Interview with David Frost and Kirk Morrison". Christian Democracy Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Did you know there's a third party based on Catholic teaching?". Catholic News Agency. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2018. We could best be described as "centrist" as a party...but not centrist by today's definition… Politically, we would be considered center-right on social issues and center-left on economic issues.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Longenecker, Dwight (12 May 2016). "Is It Time for a US Christian Democracy Party?". Aleteia. Retrieved 4 July 2016. In 2011 the Christian Democratic Party USA was formed, and after the 2012 election it was re-named as the American Solidarity Party. Small political parties in the United States do not have a great track record, but given the choices available to Christians, the American Solidarity Party may offer a way to vote according to one’s conscience and according to their simple motto: Common Good. Common Ground. Common Sense.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Black, Susannah (15 August 2016). "Mr. Maturen Goes to Washington". Front Porch Republic. Retrieved 16 August 2016. What’s next may be hinted at by a 51 year old devout Catholic, businessman, and semi-professional magician named Mike Maturen, who recently accepted the presidential nomination of the American Solidarity Party, the only active Christian Democratic party in the nation. ...Christian Democratic parties began popping up in Europe in the late 19th century after Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclicals Immortale Dei and Rerum Novarum (1885 and 1891 respectively.) In rejecting both unrestricted capitalism and socialism, while affirming aspects of political democracy, the Pope opened up the possibility for an approach to the modern economy and state that was both distinctly Catholic and yet not committed to a return to an imagined (or real) pre-French Revolutionary ancien regime. But the Christian Democratic movement was not exclusively a Catholic phenomenon – neo-Calvinists such as Abraham Kuyper promoted Reformed versions of such parties as well.
  8. 1 2 3 "Christian Democracy". American Solidarity Party. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "About Us". American Solidarity Party. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Join Us". American Solidarity Party. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  11. ↑ Ferry, Stephen S. (21 September 2016), "The American Solidarity Party is unequivocally pro-life", Crux, retrieved 22 September 2016
  12. ↑ Wood, Elizabeth (2012). "Christian Democratic Party- USA endorses Joe Schriner for President". Joe Schriner. Retrieved 3 August 2016. Roanoke, VA –independent presidential candidate “Average” Joe Schriner was proudly endorsed by the Christian Democrats (CDP-USA).
  13. 1 2 "Here's the (revised) ticket - American Solidarity Party in 2016", A Follower of Francis blog, 13 July 2016, retrieved 6 August 2016
  14. ↑ "Interview with Amir Azarvan", The Conservative Alternative blog, 14 July 2016, retrieved 6 August 2016
  15. ↑ "Interview with Mike Maturen", The Conservative Alternative blog, 14 July 2016, retrieved 6 August 2016
  16. 1 2 3 Longenecker, Dwight (25 August 2016), "This man says America's ready for a centrist Christian party", Crux, retrieved 26 August 2016
  17. 1 2 McPherson, David (29 July 2016), "The Politics of Solidarity: The Case for the American Solidarity Party", First Things, retrieved 29 July 2016
  18. 1 2 3 Rieping, John (6 August 2016), "New party boosted by election frustrations", The Madera Tribune, Madera, California, retrieved 6 August 2016
  19. ↑ "Magic Mike: 2016 voter angst brings attention to American Solidarity Party". Aleteia. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  20. ↑ "2016 General Election Candidate List". Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Ballot access for presidential candidates". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  22. ↑ "California, your official presidential write-in options include Bernie Sanders and Evan McMullin" from the LA Times
  23. ↑ "Georgia 2016 General Election". The Green Papers. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  24. ↑ Office of the Kansas Secretary of State
  25. ↑ "Election Candidate Filings - President of the United States". Kentucky.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-09-30. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  26. ↑ "2016 Candidate Listing". Maryland.gov. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  27. ↑ "Michigan 2016 General Election". The Green Papers. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  28. ↑ http://www.co.greene.oh.us/DocumentCenter/View/8999
  29. ↑ "Election Law Summary" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Elections Division. p. 14. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  30. ↑ "Fighting to get on the presidential ballot in Texas". The Star-Telegram. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  31. ↑ "Official List of Write-In Candidates for the 2016 General Election" (PDF). Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  32. ↑ United States third-party and independent presidential candidates, 2016#Summary
  33. ↑ https://ballotpedia.org/Monica_Sohler
  34. ↑ "VILLAGE OF THEINSVILLE FEBRUARY 20, 2018 SPRING PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  35. ↑ Rumage, Jeff. "Incumbent, 3 newcomers advance in Thiensville trustee primary election". journal sentinel. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  36. ↑ Silveira, Desmond. "Desmond Silveira for Governor". Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  37. ↑ "Statewide Direct Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 5, 2018" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  38. ↑ Candidates Running for California's 22nd Congressional Share Views at Forum
  39. ↑ California Election Results: 22nd House District NY Times
  40. ↑ "Election Night Results". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  41. ↑ O'Brien, Breda (17 September 2016), "US struggles to find an honest candidate for president", The Irish Times, retrieved 21 September 2016
  42. ↑ Monsma, Stephen V. (2012). Pluralism and Freedom: Faith-based Organizations in a Democractic Society. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 13. ISBN 9781442214309. This is the Christian Democratic tradition and the structural pluralist concepts that underlie it. The Roman Catholic social teaching of subsidiarity and its related concepts, as well as the parallel neo-Calvinist concept of sphere sovereignty, play major roles in structural pluralist thought.
  43. ↑ Witte, John (1993). Christianity and Democracy in Global Context. Westview Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780813318431.
  44. ↑ "ASP Statement of Purpose"
  45. ↑ Dillon, Kyle (22 August 2016). "The American Solidarity Party: Would Kuyper Vote for Them?". Allkirk Network. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  46. 1 2 "American Solidarity Party Statement of Purpose.doc". facebook.com.
  47. ↑ "ASP Consistent Life Ethic Platform.doc". facebook.com.
  48. ↑ Conley, John J. (8 September 2016). "Confessions of a Solidarist". America Magazine. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
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