The American Solidarity Party (ASP) is a

Christian-democratic Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

political party in the United States. It was founded in 2011 and officially incorporated in 2016. The party has a Solidarity National Committee (SNC) and has numerous active state and local chapters.

Brian Carroll Brian Carroll (born July 20, 1981) is an American retired soccer player who last played for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. He is currently the only player in MLS history to have won 4 consecutive Supporter Shields. Career Youth an ...

was the party's nominee in the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

. The American Solidarity Party has been characterized as

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

while supporting

government intervention Economic interventionism, sometimes also called state interventionism, is an economic policy position favouring government intervention in the market process with the intention of correcting market failures and promoting the general welfare of ...

in economic matters. The ASP encourages social development along the lines of

subsidiarity Subsidiarity is a principle of social organization that holds that social and political issues should be dealt with at the most immediate or local level that is consistent with their resolution. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines subsidi ...

and

sphere sovereignty In neo-Calvinism, sphere sovereignty ( nl, soevereiniteit in eigen kring), also known as differentiated responsibility, is the concept that each sphere (or sector) of life has its own distinct responsibilities and authority or competence, and stand ...

, with a stated emphasis on "the importance of strong families, local communities, and voluntary associations". It favors

fiscally progressive Economic progressivism or fiscal progressivism is a political and economic philosophy incorporating the socioeconomic principles of social democrats and political progressives. These views are often rooted in the concept of social justice and h ...

policies and a

social market economy The social market economy (SOME; german: soziale Marktwirtschaft), also called Rhine capitalism, Rhine-Alpine capitalism, the Rhenish model, and social capitalism, is a socioeconomic model combining a free-market capitalist economic system alon ...

with a

distributist Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated. Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was based upon Catholic social teaching princ ...

character, that seeks "widespread economic participation and ownership" and providing a social safety net program.

Names and symbols

The party's original name was inspired by its European counterparts, the Polish trade union Solidarity, and the current one reflects its more developed ideology and focus in the years since. The ASP mascot is the

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

, a traditional

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

of charity. The party's

political color Political colours are colours used to represent a political ideology, movement or party, either officially or unofficially. It is the intersection of colour symbolism and political symbolism. Parties in different countries with similar ideolo ...

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

, like other Christian-democratic political parties. On social media, ASP members use the orange heart emoji to denote their "whole-life ethic" and Christian democratic influences, similar to the rose emoji's use as a symbol for the Democratic Socialists of America. Members of the American Solidarity Party use the

demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

'Solidarist' to refer to themselves.

History

2017 American Solidarity Party Midwestern Regional Meeting

The ASP was founded in 2011 as the Christian Democratic Party USA (CDPUSA). In 2012, the CDPUSA endorsed the independent candidacy of

Joe Schriner Joseph Charles Schriner (born March 3, 1955) is an American political activist and journalist. Schriner has run for the United States presidency in six consecutive election cycles spanning from 2000 to 2020. Advocating Christian democratic poli ...

for president. In December 2020, the American Solidarity Party joined the board of the

Coalition for Free and Open Elections The Coalition for Free and Open Elections (COFOE) is a nonpartisan organization in the United States that aims to promote fair ballot access. COFOE was founded in 1985, when representatives from across the political spectrum met in the New York Ci ...

(COFOE).

Ideology

The American Solidarity Party largely adheres to the ideology of

Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

, which has been influenced by

Catholic social teaching Catholic social teaching, commonly abbreviated CST, is an area of Catholic doctrine concerning matters of human dignity and the common good in society. The ideas address oppression, the role of the state (polity), state, subsidiarity, social o ...

, Neo-Calvinist theology and the social teachings espoused by other traditions of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

in various parts of the world. As such, the ASP looks to the Christian democratic movements in Europe and the Americas. The American Solidarity Party has been characterized as conservative on social issues while supporting

in economic matters, making it

communitarian Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relati ...

Social issues

The American Solidarity Party opposes

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

, and

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

on the basis of the sanctity of human life. It views family as being central to society.

Economic issues

The American Solidarity Party supports a universal healthcare system as well as an economy containing widespread distribution of

productive property The means of production is a term which describes land, labor and capital that can be used to produce products (such as goods or services); however, the term can also refer to anything that is used to produce products. It can also be used as an a ...

, in particular increased worker ownership and

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of their production.

Foreign policy issues

The American Solidarity Party is noninterventionist in its foreign policy, using peace as its guiding principle. It supports foreign aid and nonviolent diplomacy, while opposing violent military action as a means to resolve conflicts.

Influences

Daniel Silliman writes that the American Solidarity Party, as with other Christian-democratic political parties, draws from Catholic social teaching and Neo-Calvinist theology. In the same vein, David McPherson says that the American Solidarity Party "affirm ... 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 Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

and the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, each of which recognizes only some of these items. Its strongest support is in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, according to the ''

Madera Tribune ''The Madera Tribune'' is a newspaper in Madera, California. Edgar Eugene Vincent founded the ''Madera Mercury'' on March 21, 1885. Another paper, the ''Madera Tribune'', was founded in 1892. The two papers merged to become the ''Madera Mercury-T ...

'' (of

Madera, California Madera (Spanish language, Spanish for "Wood") is a city and county seat of Madera County, California, Madera County, California. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 66,224. Located in the San Joaquin Valley, Madera i ...

Elections

2016

Presidential election

During the 2016 presidential election season, the American Solidarity Party held an online convention on July 9, 2016, which nominated Amir Azarvan of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

for president and

Mike Maturen Michael A. Maturen (; born September 9, 1964) is an American political activist best known for his candidacy for president of the United States as the nominee of the American Solidarity Party in the 2016 United States presidential election. Life ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

for vice-president. However, Azarvan subsequently withdrew, and in response the ticket was revised, with Maturen running for president and Juan Muñoz of

running for vice-president. For the 2016 election, the American Solidarity Party was listed on the ballot in Colorado. It was a certified write-in option in Alabama, California, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington. Maturen received 6,697 reported votes, not including states that did not report votes for him.

2017

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.

2018

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

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

Brian T. Carroll Brian Thomas Carroll (born December 15, 1949) is an American teacher who was the American Solidarity Party's presidential nominee in the 2020 United States presidential election. He is a proponent of Christian democracy. Life and career Ca ...

ran against

Devin Nunes Devin Gerald Nunes (; born October 1, 1973) is an American businessman and politician who is chief executive officer of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG). Before resigning from the House of Representatives and joining TMTG, Nunes was ...

for

California's 22nd congressional district California's 22nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It is represented by Connie Conway, who replaced former Representative Devin Nunes, who resigned on January 1, 2022, to become chief executive ...

receiving 1,591 votes in the

2020

Shane Ian Hoffman ran as the ASP's candidate in Ohio's 15th Congressional District. He did not make the ballot and was a write-in candidate.

Presidential election

In the 2020 U.S. presidential election,

, and Joshua Perkins announced their candidacies for the ASP nomination. Carroll was declared the winner of the nomination on September 9, 2019. For the 2020 election, the American Solidarity Party was on the ballot in Arkansas, Colorado, Guam, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. It was a certified write-in option in Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.

2021

Benjamin Schmitz ran for state senate in the Wisconsin 13th state senate district in the April 6th legislative special election. Stephen Hollenberg ran for a state house seat in the Merrimack, New Hampshire special election on April 13, 2021.

California gubernatorial recall election

Dr. James G Hanink was endorsed by the American Solidarity Party for the

2021 California gubernatorial recall election The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election was a special recall election, recall election that began in August 2021 and concluded on September 14, 2021, when California voters chose not to recall incumbent Democratic Party (United States), ...

. He hosts the Open Door podcast and is the president of the American Maritain Association. Dr. Hanink is a frequent contributor to the

New Oxford Review The ''New Oxford Review'' is a magazine of Catholic cultural and theological commentary.Ronald Lora, William Henry Longton, ''The conservative press in twentieth-century America'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, p. 20/ref>Mary Jo Weaver, ''Bein ...

and spent four decades dedicated to teaching at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

and published papers in the areas of

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

epistemology Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...

, and

social thought Social theories are analytical frameworks, or paradigms, that are used to study and interpret social phenomena.Seidman, S., 2016. Contested knowledge: Social theory today. John Wiley & Sons. A tool used by social scientists, social theories relat ...

. Hanink received 7,193 votes, 0.01% of all votes, an increase in both raw votes and percentage from Silveira's 2018 gubernatorial run.

2022

Dr. James G. Hanink ran again for governor of California in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

. He received 10,110 votes. Dr. Mark A. Ruzon ran as a write-in candidate for U.S. Senate in California. Desmond A. Silveira ran as a write-in candidate for

California Secretary of State The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeho ...

. Erskine L. Levi ran for U.S. Congress as a write-in candidate in

California's 31st congressional district California's 31st congressional district is a congressional district in San Bernardino County, in the U.S. state of California. The district is located in the Inland Empire region, including the city of San Bernardino and portions of Rancho Cuc ...

. Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy is running for governor of Texas as a write-in candidate. Solidarity National Committee member, Dr. Tyler Martin is running for

governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential e ...

. Oliver Black is running for U.S. Congress in

Washington's 3rd congressional district Washington's 3rd congressional district encompasses the southernmost portion of Western Washington. It includes the counties of Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Clark, and Skamania; as well as a small portion of southern Thurston county. Th ...

. The party endorsed Democratic candidate and And Campaign co-founder Pastor Chris Butler for U.S. Congress in

Illinois's 1st congressional district Illinois's first congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Illinois. Based in Cook County, the district includes much of the South Side of Chicago, and continues southwest to Joliet. From 2003 to early 2013 it ext ...

. The Utah state party endorsed Independent Senate candidate

Evan McMullin David Evan McMullin (born April 2, 1976) is an American politician and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. McMullin ran as an independent in the 2016 United States presidential election and in the 2022 United States Senate electi ...

in the 2022 Utah Senate Election.

2024

Presidential election

For the 2024 election, the American Solidarity Party will be on the ballot in Arkansas.

Presidential tickets

Presidential election ballot access and results

Notable party supporters

Stephen Bainbridge Stephen Bainbridge (born 1958, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania) is the William D. Warren Professor of Law at UCLA, teaching courses on corporations and business law. Bainbridge graduated with an A.B. Western Maryland College, 1980; a Master of Scien ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

law professor *

Charles A. Coulombe Roy-Charles A. Coulombe (born November 8, 1960), known as Charles Coulombe, is an American Catholic author, historian, and lecturer. Coulombe is known for his advocacy of monarchism. Early life and education Coulombe was born in Manhattan on ...

, Catholic author, historian, and lecturer * Patrick Deneen, author of ''Why Liberalism Failed'', member of ASP board of advisors *

Rod Dreher Raymond Oliver Dreher Jr. (born February 14, 1967), known as Rod Dreher, is an American writer and editor living in Budapest, Hungary. He is a senior editor and blogger at ''The American Conservative'' and author of several books, including ''H ...

, senior editor and blogger at ''

The American Conservative ''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...

'' and author of several books, including ''How Dante Can Save Your Life'' and ''The Benedict Option'' *

Terry Mattingly Terry L. Mattingly (born January 31, 1954) is a journalist, author, and professor. As columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service, Mattingly has written "On Religion", a nationally syndicated column, since the summer of 1988. Mattingly also runs ...

, journalist, author, and professor *

, former ASP presidential candidate *

George Yancey George Alan Yancey (born September 8, 1962) is an American professor of sociology at the Baylor University, where he has taught since 2019. He is known for his research on anti-Christian attitudes in the contemporary United States, and the ways i ...

, sociologist and professor of sociology at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

Dawn Eden Goldstein Dawn Eden Goldstein is an American Roman Catholic author and journalist who was formerly a rock music historian and tabloid newspaper headline writer. Prior to 2016, she used the pen name Dawn Eden. Goldstein was born to a Reform Jewish househo ...

, author and journalist *

Howard Ahmanson Jr. Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson Jr. (born February 3, 1950) is an American philanthropist and writer whose public activities focus on deepening awareness and fostering better policy regarding issues including housing affordability, land use, the abuse ...

, philanthropist and writer

Notes

References

External links

Names and symbols

History

Ideology

Social issues

Economic issues

Foreign policy issues

Influences

Elections

2016

Presidential election

2017

2018

2020

Presidential election

2021

California gubernatorial recall election

2022

2024

Presidential election

Presidential tickets

Presidential election ballot access and results

Notable party supporters

See also

Notes

References

External links