Former Savannah State football coach Robby Wells has dropped out of the race for the Reform Party’s presidential nomination to seek the Constitution Party nod. This comes after Wells’s campaign manager sent out a cryptic message last Thursday announcing that Wells would “join a party” on January 16. The latest message from the campaign, sent out today confirms that the party referenced is in fact the Constitution Party.
In an e-mail about the news, Wells writes:
I will be joining the Constitution Party tomorrow, and seeking their nomination. I have been an independent since I announced back in November. Since then, two parties have been recruiting me, and I have chosen the Constitution Party.
When asked if he would continue his run for the presidential nomination of the Reform Party, presumably the other party he mentions above, Wells says, “I am only seeking the nomination of the Constitution Party.”
Wells’s name was listed on the Reform Party website’s list of presidential candidates, but has since been removed. Only fitness model Andre Barnett and Earth Intelligence Network CEO Robert David Steele remain as candidates for the party’s nomination.
According to Politics1, in addition to Wells, other candidates seeking the Constitution Party presidential nomination include businessman J.L. Mealer, Tea Party activist Laurie Roth, and retired Navy commander Bill Tucker.
Former Republican Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia is considered a potential candidate.
The Constitution Party National Convention will be held April 18-21 in Nashville, Tennessee.
21 responses so far ↓
1 Jeremy C. Young // Jan 16, 2012 at 3:15 am
I will look forward to seeing either Virgil Goode or Darrell Castle thumb this guy soundly.
2 bruuno // Jan 16, 2012 at 8:10 am
What is the latest with Virgil Goode? He seems to have been awfully quiet lately.
3 Rob Banks // Jan 16, 2012 at 9:29 am
He’s on the Constitution Party national committee…looks like he’ll be their Barr.
4 Sane LP member // Jan 16, 2012 at 9:51 am
Ah, instead of being on 4 to 8 state ballots with RP, he will be on 25 to 35 states with the CP or whatevername they use that month or year.
How many state ballots will LP be on?
40 to 50?
5 Rob Banks // Jan 16, 2012 at 10:10 am
@4 Good thing this bozo is not going LP.
6 Curt Boyd // Jan 16, 2012 at 10:48 am
Sounds like Wells is a real scumbag, according to what I’ve read about him.
The Reform Party would be smart to nominate Andre Barnett, to give a fresh, younger face to the party, IMO.
7 Krzysztof // Jan 16, 2012 at 12:59 pm
I hope Goode does not run. He is like the CP’s version of Barr. He’s a neocon who just decided he had much higher prospects in the CP than the GOP.
8 Trent Hill // Jan 16, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Wells, Tucker, Roth, and Mealer probably already make up the largest field of presidential candidates the CP has ever seen. For whatever reason, the party hasn’t seen a lot of candidates for President in a single year. Should make things fun if Goode jumps in.
9 Curt Boyd // Jan 16, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Looks like Mealer is running for Americans Elect now as well. He’s trying to get support to get on their ballot.
http://mealer2012.com/
10 bruuno // Jan 16, 2012 at 3:42 pm
I am kind of assuming that if Goode jumps in he pretty much has the nomination locked up. But if he doesn’t does anyone have any guesses as to who the nominee might be? The only ones I know anything about are Roth and Wells. Will Castle run if Goode doesn’t?
11 Common Tater // Jan 16, 2012 at 3:45 pm
I think Castle would then run and beat the current field, but Goode will almost certainly run.
12 Trent Hill // Jan 16, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Castle will almost certainly run if Goode doesn’t.
13 citizen1 // Jan 16, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Goode does not have it locked up and the more I hear he may not have a chance. Castle is a good choice. I do think he is a better writer than speaker and that my hurt him as a candidate. Should be the most interesting convention yet.
14 Ad Hoc // Jan 16, 2012 at 7:21 pm
I’ve seen Castle speak, he seemed like a good speaker to me.
15 Jeremy C. Young // Jan 16, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Trent @8, I don’t think that’s quite true. In 2008, when you were at the convention, I seem to remember there were five candidates: Baldwin, Keyes, Mad Max, Diane Templin, and Grundmann. I think we’ll get there this cycle, but I don’t think we’re there yet.
16 Trent Hill // Jan 16, 2012 at 10:51 pm
“Goode does not have it locked up and the more I hear he may not have a chance. Castle is a good choice. I do think he is a better writer than speaker and that my hurt him as a candidate. Should be the most interesting convention yet.”
I think Goode will basically have it locked up. He is only the second name of consequence (after Keyes) to seek the nomination and he doesn’t have as much baggage as Keyes. With that said, much of it will depend upon his tone and the subtleties of his positions. If he comes in and, like Keyes, suggests all the CP delegates are naive morons for being non-interventionist, he’ll get 35% of the delegates or less, like Keyes did.
Goode has the support of much of the leadership, I’m told, so I’d guess he’ll be getting much better advice than Keyes got from Tom Hoefling–who ran perhaps the most inefficient and ineffective campaign I’ve ever seen, in third party politics or elsewhere. They wasted a lot of money and time. Has the Keyes campaign not said a word to anyone until the delegate vote, they still would’ve lost–but would’ve done better.
Goode, with the support of long-time party insiders and the advice of the same, should capture the delegates pretty easily, unless some popular party insider runs.
17 Trent Hill // Jan 16, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Jeremy–Max Reiske, Daniel Imperato, and Susan Ducey all got one delegate vote (basically to avoid embarassing him). I seem to remember Templin and Grundmann getting none. This was because the latter two were from California–their home-state cast all their votes for Keyes, despite the wishes of many of the delegates.
Chuck Baldwin 383.5
Alan Keyes 126
Max Rieske 4.5
Daniel Imperato 1
Susan Ducey 1
So, basically, yeah, you’re right. Lol.
But should Goode not jump in, it could be a quite contested convention.
18 Here's a radical idea // Jan 17, 2012 at 7:17 am
# 8
CP has problems, because the GOP has plenty of social conservatives. If you want to find a Bible Banger, just go to the GOP.
19 Catholic Trotskyist // Jan 17, 2012 at 8:41 pm
That’s why the CP needs to continue to be non-interventionist; that’s the key difference.
20 Don Grundmann // Jan 17, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Trent – In regard to your #17 comment – A) Diane was not seeking the CP nomination at that time. B) When I understood the corruption of Alan Keyes via Seidenberg. Robinson, and Noonan I asked all of my supporters to vote for Baldwin. I did not realize at that time that Chuck would have won without my aid but I am happy that I took that action. Otherwise I would have finished a distant 3rd at 20-40 votes.
Don J. Grundmann, D.C. Chairman Constitution Party of California
21 paulie // Jan 17, 2012 at 10:20 pm
That’s why the CP needs to continue to be non-interventionist; that’s the key difference.
If they nominate Goode that pretty much goes by the wayside, doesn’t it?
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