Category Archives: Independents and third parties

Looking for third party signers, again

By Steve Brawner, © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

It’s the monthly Third Thursday event in Benton, when the city closes off a section of the downtown around the courthouse for vendors and booths. Dr. Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute, is carrying a clipboard, again.

“Well, I’m collecting signatures for the Libertarian Party to become a new political party for the eighth time,” he explained.

The Libertarians are Arkansas’ largest third party. Pakko estimated it has about 150 dues-paying members. He is now in his sixth term as state party chairman. 

“Matter of fact, I think it was 10 years ago today that I was elected,” he said. Continue reading →

Green Party’s Stein: End corporate control, ‘endless war’

By Steve Brawner, © 2024 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Arkansans’ ballots will have four independent presidential candidates who are still in the race. Today, let’s meet the Green Party’s Dr. Jill Stein, the one Democrats don’t want to be there.

They fear Stein, the most liberal candidate on Arkansans’ ballots, will siphon votes from Vice President Kamala Harris. Some people believe her 1.4 million votes in 2016 cost Hillary Clinton the election.

Stein doesn’t see it that way. 

“That’s the nature of democracy,” she told me by phone from her home outside Boston. “I’m sorry. Do we say that Republicans are stealing votes from Democrats? No, they have different agendas and different points of view.”

Indeed, Stein’s agenda is very different than those of Democrats and Republicans, both of which she described as beholden to corporations. Continue reading →

Family losses from alcohol led Wood to Prohibition Party

By Steve Brawner, © 2024 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Why would Michael Wood, 66, a former head of an e-commerce company and married father of two, run for president as the nominee of the anti-alcohol Prohibition Party?

It’s partly because when he was a young man, one cousin drank himself to death at a college fraternity party, while another family member was injured by a drunk driver.

The Prohibition Party has existed since 1869, making it the nation’s oldest third party. It has fielded a presidential candidate in every election since 1872. It is best known historically for supporting a national ban on alcohol sales, a stance it does not take today. 

Wood will be one of five non-major party presidential candidates on the Arkansas ballot, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has dropped out of the race. The others are Chase Oliver with the Libertarian Party, Peter Sonski with the American Solidarity Party, and Jill Stein with the Green Party. Wood’s vice presidential running mate is John Pietrowski. Continue reading →

Sonski running on life, solidarity

By Steve Brawner, © 2024 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Arkansans who don’t want to vote for former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris will have four other candidates to choose from, not including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has left the race but will remain on the ballot. Today, let’s meet Peter Sonski with the American Solidarity Party.

The ASP was incorporated in 2016 and largely bases its platform on a Christian worldview and Catholic social teaching, Sonski said. Its website says its presidential candidate received 42,305 votes nationwide in 2020. That included 1,713 in Arkansas, or .14% of the vote statewide.

The party believes in the sanctity of human life and that all public policies should benefit human beings. 

“We start with that foundation, and we are pro-life from womb to tomb, as we like to say,” he told me.  Continue reading →

Libertarian Oliver: Limit government to military, disputes

By Steve Brawner , © 2024 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Arkansans will have other presidential choices besides Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump this election. Chase Oliver will be one of them.

Oliver, 37, is the Libertarian Party nominee. Mike ter Maat is his vice presidential candidate.

Oliver will be one of up to five non-major party candidates on Arkansans’ ballots. Others who have qualified are independent Robert F. Kennedy along with the American Solidarity, Green and Prohibition parties. The latter three have submitted enough signatures but still must submit their presidential and vice presidential candidates by Aug. 22. The Green and Prohibition parties have submitted only their presidential candidates so far. 

I plan to devote a column to each of these candidates who will talk to me. We’ll start today with Oliver. 

Continue reading →