People's Party (United States, 1971)

The People's Party was a political party in the United States, founded in 1971 by various individuals and state and local political parties, including the Peace and Freedom Party, Commongood People's Party, Country People's Caucus, Human Rights Party, Liberty Union, New American Party, New Party (Arizona), and No Party. The party's goal was to present a united anti-war platform for the coming election.

The People's Party fielded candidates for the presidency two times: First in the 1972 US presidential election with Dr. Benjamin Spock (an American pediatrician and author of parenting books) as their candidate; then the party contested the 1976 US presidential election, with Margaret Wright as their candidate. Dr. Spock was the Party's candidate for vice president in 1976.

After the election, the party moved to become a loose coalition, but was soon defunct, with most of its founding parties also dissolved.

The party's papers are now in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection of the University of Missouri–St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, having been where the party had held its conventions.

After dissolution, many members joined the Citizens Party.

History

1972 election

The People's Party ran Dr. Benjamin Spock for president and Julius Hobson for vice president in the 1972 U.S. presidential election. The party platform included free medical care, legalized abortion, legalized marijuana, a guaranteed minimum wage, the withdrawal of American troops from all foreign countries, a guaranteed maximum wage, and promoting toleration of homosexuality. Dr. Spock and the People's Party received 78,759 votes (0.10%).

In 1976, Spock was the party's vice presidential candidate. Greer v. Spock was, according to Professor Joshua E. Kastenberg, part of the Burger Court's jurisprudence of insulating the military from non-mainstream political influences. As Spock and his contemporaries had been outspoken against the United States involvement in the Vietnam War, there was a fear that he would influence soldiers to refuse to comply with orders to deploy into combat.

1976 election

In 1976 the People's Party ran Margaret Wright as its nominee for president and Spock this time as its nominee for vice president (after Maggie Kuhn declined the spot). The People's Party received 49,016 votes (0.06%). The initial Wright–Kuhn ticket (which notably featured two female nominees) had been selected at the party's national convention, held September 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Election results

Presidential elections

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%"

! Year

! Presidential candidate

! Vice presidential candidate

! Popular votes

! %

! Electoral votes

! Result

! Ballot access

! Notes

! Ref

| 1972

| Benjamin Spock

| Julius Hobson

| 78,759

| 0

| Lost

| 1976

| Margaret Wright