American Solidarity Party

The American Solidarity Party (ASP) is a Christian democratic political party in the United States.[6][2][7] It was founded in 2011 and officially incorporated in 2016. The party has a National Committee and has numerous active state and local chapters.[5][8] The ASP is a minor third party, with no elected officials in national or state government, and one city official elected in 2019. Brian T. Carroll is the party’s nominee in the 2020 presidential election.

For the 20th-century Illinois political party, see Illinois Solidarity Party.

American Solidarity Party
AbbreviationASP
ChairpersonAmar Patel[1]
Founded2011 (2011)
IdeologyChristian democracy[2][3]
Social conservatism
Fiscal liberalism
Social democracy
Ordoliberalism
Distributism[4]
Social market economy
Political positionCentre
Fiscal: Centre-left
Social: Centre-right
ColorsOrange
Slogan"Common Good, Common Ground, Common Sense."[5]
Website
www.solidarity-party.org
  • Politics of United States
  • Political parties
  • Elections

The ASP encourages social development along the lines of subsidiarity and sphere sovereignty, with a stated emphasis on "the importance of strong families, local communities, and voluntary associations".[9] They also have a stated policy of defending religious freedom.[3] The American Solidarity Party favors a social market economy,[7] and seeks "widespread economic participation and ownership" through supporting small business. They also call for providing a safety net.[3][2] 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.[7][3]

History

Early history

The ASP was founded in 2011 as the "Christian Democratic Party USA".[5] In 2012, the CDPUSA endorsed the independent candidacy of Joe Schriner for President.[10]

The name of the party was changed after the 2012 election to the "American Solidarity Party",[5] 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 and presided over the formation of numerous state chapters.

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

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.[11][12][13][14] 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.[15][16][11][17][14]

For the 2016 election, the American Solidarity Party was listed on the ballot in Colorado.[18] It was a certified write-in option in Alabama,[19] California,[20] Georgia,[21] Iowa,[19] Kansas,[22] Kentucky,[23] Maryland,[24] Michigan,[25] Minnesota, New Hampshire,[19] New Jersey,[19] Ohio,[26] Oregon,[19][27] Pennsylvania,[19] Rhode Island,[19] Texas,[28] Vermont,[19] and Washington.[29] Maturen received 6,662 reported votes, not including states that didn't report votes for him.[30]

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.[31]

2018 Thiensville, Wisconsin Village Board election

Marianne Bovee ran for Thiensville, Wisconsin Village Board, receiving 155 votes (21.4%),[32] narrowly missing out by 5 votes.[33]

2018 California elections

Governor
ASP 2018 CA Gubernatorial Votes by County by Percentage

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.[34][35]

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 1,591 votes in the election.[36][37]

San Diego City Council District 6
Kevin Lee Egger

Kevin Lee Egger ran for San Diego City Council District 6, receiving 1,111 votes in the election.[38]

2019 Sheboygan, Wisconsin city attorney

Charles "Chuck" Adams, who was first elected as the Sheboygan city attorney in 2015, ran for re-election on April 2, 2019 and won the election, receiving 5198 votes. Adams became the first to be elected to public office while a member of the party.[39] However, he has since left the party, leaving them without an elected official.

2020 presidential election
ASP ballot status in 2020
  On ballot
  Write-in
  Not on ballot

In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Brian Carroll, Joe Schriner, and Joshua Perkins announced their candidacies for the ASP nomination. Carroll was declared the winner of the nomination in September 2019.[40]

Name Born Experience Home state Running Mate Campaign
Announcement date		 Ref.

Brian Carroll		 December 15, 1949
(age 70)
California		 Teacher
Independent candidate for U.S. Representative from CA-22 in 2018
California
Amar Patel of Chicago, Illinois
Campaign: April 2, 2019
Nomination: September 9, 2019
FEC Filing[41]		 [42]

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.[43] The ASP's 2016 presidential nominee, Mike Maturen, has characterized the party as "centrist",[44] as has The Irish Times.[45]

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,[6] which has been influenced by Catholic Social Teaching and Neo-Calvinist theology.[46][47][6] As such, the ASP looks to the Christian Democratic movements in Europe and the Americas,[16] and to American religious populists such as Martin Luther King.[48] 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.[49]

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.”[50] 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.[51]

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.[50]

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.[15] Its strongest support is in California, Ohio, and Texas, according to the Madera Tribune (of Madera, California).[16]

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.[2]

The ASP mascot is the pelican, a traditional symbol of charity.[14] 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.[52]

Notable party members

See also

References
  1. "Party Leadership - American Solidarity Party". 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  2. Longenecker, Dwight (May 12, 2016). "Is It Time for a US Christian Democracy Party?". Aleteia. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  3. "Platform". American Solidarity Party. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  4. "Did you know there's a third party based on Catholic teaching?". Catholic News Agency. October 12, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2020. We believe in the economic concept of distributism as taught by GK Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc.
  5. Longenecker, Dwight (May 12, 2016). "Is It Time for a US Christian Democracy Party?". Aleteia. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  6. Black, Susannah (August 15, 2016). "Mr. Maturen Goes to Washington". Front Porch Republic. Retrieved August 16, 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.
  7. "Christian Democracy". American Solidarity Party. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. "About Us". American Solidarity Party. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  9. "An Interview with David Frost and Kirk Morrison". Christian Democracy Magazine. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  10. Wood, Elizabeth (2012). "Christian Democratic Party- USA endorses Joe Schriner for President". Joe Schriner. Retrieved August 3, 2016. Roanoke, VA –independent presidential candidate “Average” Joe Schriner was proudly endorsed by the Christian Democrats (CDP-USA).
  11. "Here's the (revised) ticket - American Solidarity Party in 2016", A Follower of Francis blog, July 13, 2016, retrieved August 6, 2016
  12. "Interview with Amir Azarvan", The Conservative Alternative blog, July 14, 2016, retrieved August 6, 2016
  13. "Interview with Mike Maturen", The Conservative Alternative blog, July 14, 2016, retrieved August 6, 2016
  14. Longenecker, Dwight (August 25, 2016), "This man says America's ready for a centrist Christian party", Crux, retrieved August 26, 2016
  15. McPherson, David (July 29, 2016), "The Politics of Solidarity: The Case for the American Solidarity Party", First Things, retrieved July 29, 2016
  16. Rieping, John (August 6, 2016), "New party boosted by election frustrations", The Madera Tribune, Madera, California, retrieved August 6, 2016
  17. "Magic Mike: 2016 voter angst brings attention to American Solidarity Party". Aleteia. August 5, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  18. "2016 General Election Candidate List". Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  19. "Ballot access for presidential candidates". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  20. "Essential Politics October archive". Los Angeles Times.
  21. "Georgia 2016 General Election". The Green Papers. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  22. "Office of the Kansas Secretary of State" (PDF).
  23. "Election Candidate Filings - President of the United States". Kentucky.gov. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  24. "2016 Candidate Listing". Maryland.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  25. "Michigan 2016 General Election". The Green Papers. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  26. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. "Election Law Summary" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Elections Division. p. 14. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  28. "Fighting to get on the presidential ballot in Texas". The Star-Telegram. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  29. "Official List of Write-In Candidates for the 2016 General Election" (PDF). Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  30. United States third-party and independent presidential candidates, 2016#Summary
  31. "Monica Sohler". Ballotpedia.
  32. "VILLAGE OF THEINSVILLE FEBRUARY 20, 2018 SPRING PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  33. Rumage, Jeff. "Incumbent, 3 newcomers advance in Thiensville trustee primary election". journal sentinel. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  34. Silveira, Desmond. "Desmond Silveira for Governor". Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  35. "Statewide Direct Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 5, 2018" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  36. "Candidates Running for California's 22nd Congressional Share Views at Forum".
  37. "California Secretary of State" (PDF). elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  38. "Election Night Results". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  39. "Sheboygan County Spring Election April 2, 2019 Unofficial Election Results". Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  40. "American Solidarity Party". Facebook. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  41. https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/605/201910019163579605/201910019163579605.pdf
  42. Carroll, Brian (April 2, 2019). "April 5, 2019 Preview". YouTube. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  43. Padusniak, Chase (Winter 2015), "Why You Should Vote Third Party", Intercollegiate Review, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, retrieved July 21, 2016, For the socially-conservative American who thinks government intervention has some place in the economy, the American Solidarity Party might fit.
  45. O'Brien, Breda (September 17, 2016), "US struggles to find an honest candidate for president", The Irish Times, retrieved September 21, 2016
  46. 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.
  47. Witte, John (1993). Christianity and Democracy in Global Context. Westview Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780813318431.
  48. "ASP Statement of Purpose"
  49. Dillon, Kyle (August 22, 2016). "The American Solidarity Party: Would Kuyper Vote for Them?". Allkirk Network. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  50. "American Solidarity Party Statement of Purpose.doc". facebook.com.
  51. "ASP Consistent Life Ethic Platform.doc". facebook.com.
  52. Conley, John J. (September 8, 2016). "Confessions of a Solidarist". America Magazine. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  53. Coulombe, Charles A. "The American Solidarity Party". YouTube. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  54. Mattingly, Terry. "2016 'Lesser of two evils' debates go on and on". GetReligion. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  55. Mattingly, Terry. "News in an age of rage tweets: Who needs to repent, after the Covington Catholic acid storm?". GetReligion. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  56. "The American Solidarity Party". YouTube. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
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