The 2020 Constitution Party presidential primaries were a series of primary elections determining the allocation of delegates in the selection of the Constitution Party's presidential nominee in the 2020 United States presidential election. On May 2, 2020, the Constitution Party nominated Don Blankenship for president and William Mohr for vice-president. Several state parties split from the national Constitution Party to nominate their own candidates.

Background Constitution Party nominees for president historically have received around 0.1% of the general election vote. In 2016 with attorney Darrell Castle as its nominee, the party reached a milestone, receiving over 200,000 votes for president for the first time. During the early months of 2019, there was some consternation among Constitution Party members over a perceived lack of candidates for the nomination.

State affiliate disputes After the Constitution Party chose Blankenship as its presidential nominee, there was substantial tension among several state affiliates of the Constitution Party over nominating Blankenship, who has been convicted of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety and health standards in relation to the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. The same day that Blankenship was chosen as the nominee, the Constitution Party of Virginia broke with the national party, instead choosing to back Libertarian Justin Amash for the presidency.

On May 13, 2020, the Constitution Party of New Mexico also broke with the national CP, giving Blankenship's fellow candidate Samm Tittle their ballot line. Tittle was also endorsed by the Virginia Party after Amash withdrew from the presidential race. The Constitution Party of Idaho was reportedly considering not nominating William Mohr for vice president, and instead choosing their own vice presidential nominee, but they eventually acquiesced and nominated him for vice president.

Candidates Nominee 2020 Constitution Party ticketfor Presidentfor Vice President Coal executive Chairman of the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan641 votes2 states won (ID, MO)Campaign

Defeated at convention The following candidates received at least 5% of the vote at the 2020 Constitution Party national convention. Name Born Experience Homestate Campaign Popular vote Contests won RefDon J. Grundmann(age )Oakland, CaliforniaChiropractorChairman of the Constitution Party of CaliforniaCaliforniaFEC filing 256 0Samm TittleEl Paso, TexasIndependent Candidate for President in 2012 and 2016TexasFEC filing 199 1(NM)Charles KrautNew YorkFinancial adviser and authorVirginiaFEC filing 186 0

Debates

No. Date Time(ET) Place Sponsor(s) Moderators Ref 1 February 25, 2020 TBD Online Constitution Party of Texas Scott CopelandRicardo DavisRandy Stufflebeam 2 February 29, 2020 TBD Boise, Idaho Constitution Party of Idaho TBD 3 March 4, 2020 TBD Hilton Chicago,Chicago, Illinois Free & Equal Elections Foundation Christina Tobin 4 April 1, 2020 TBD Online Vision 20/20 Randy Stufflebeam

+ Debates among candidates for the 2020 Constitution Party U.S. presidential nomination Date State Host Participants Participant. Absent. Out of race (exploring, suspended, or not yet entered)BlankenshipCummingsGrundmannMyersKrautTittleOthersFebruary 25, 2020OnlineConstitution Party of TexasnoneFebruary 29, 2020Boise, IdahoConstitution Party of IdahononeMarch 4, 2020Chicago, IllinoisFree & Equal Elections FoundationnoneApril 1, 2020OnlineVision 20/20none

Timeline Active campaigns Withdrawn campaigns Midterm elections North Carolina primary National emergency declared due toCOVID-19Constitution National Convention General election

2019 August 30: Don J. Grundmann announced his campaign and filed his candidacy with the FEC. September 11: Don Blankenship announced his campaign. October 29: Charles Kraut announced his campaign and filed his candidacy with the FEC. October 31: Don Blankenship filed his candidacy with the FEC.

2020 February 25: The first Constitution Party debate took place online, held by Constitution Party of Texas. February 29: The second Constitution Party debate took place in Boise, Idaho. March 3: The North Carolina primary took place. Uncommitted delegates win a majority. March 4: Two Constitution Party candidates took part in the Free & Equal elections debate that took place in Chicago. March 10: Blankenship won Idaho and Missouri. April 1: The third Constitution Party debate took place online. May 13: Tittle won New Mexico.

Primary and caucus calendar

+DatePrimaries/Caucuses/ConventionsMarch 3North Carolina primaryMarch 10Idaho primaryMissouri primaryMarch 20Wyoming primaryApril 18South Carolina primaryApril 25Utah primaryMay 13New Mexico primary

Ballot access

Filing for the primaries began in August 2019. indicates that the candidate was on the ballot for the upcoming primary contest and indicates that the candidate did not appear on the ballot in that state's contest.

+Primaries and Caucuses State/Territory Date Ref NC ID MO UT NM

Results DateContestPopular voteSourceDon BlankenshipDon J. GrundmannSheila “Samm” TittleCharles KrautDaniel Clyde Cummings J. R. MyersMarch 3 NorthCarolina102 62 March 10 Idaho250 88 195 124 133 116 Missouri287 168 280 May 15 NewMexico2 4 Popular vote(Percentage)641(33.25%)256(13.28%)199(10.32%)186(9.65%)133(6.90%)116(6.02%)397(20.59%)

North Carolina North Carolina Constitution Party presidential primary, March 3, 2020CandidatePopular voteCountPercentage Uncommitted11741.64%Don Blankenship10236.30%Charles Kraut6222.06%Total:281100%

Idaho Idaho Constitution Party presidential primary, March 10, 2020CandidatePopular voteCountPercentage Don Blankenship25027.59%Sheila “Samm” Tittle19521.52%Daniel Clyde Cummings13314.68%Charles Kraut12413.69%J. R. Myers11612.80%Don J. Grundmann889.71%Total:906100%

Missouri Missouri Constitution Party presidential primary, March 10, 2020CandidatePopular voteCountPercentage Don Blankenship28739.05%Uncommitted28038.10%Don J. Grundmann16822.86%Total:735100%

New Mexico New Mexico Constitution Party presidential primary, May 15, 2020CandidatePopular voteCountPercentage Sheila “Samm” Tittle466.67%Don Blankenship233.33%Total:6100%

See also 2020 United States presidential election

National Conventions 2020 Constitution Party National Convention 2020 Republican National Convention 2020 Democratic National Convention 2020 Libertarian National Convention 2020 Green National Convention

Presidential primaries 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries 2020 Libertarian Party presidential primaries 2020 Green Party presidential primaries

Notes

References