Buddy Roemer suspends U.S. presidential campaign

Friday, June 1, 2012

Former Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer suspended his 2012 presidential campaign Thursday morning in an e-mail sent to supporters. He cited the lack of ballot access after Americans Elect decided to not field a 2012 presidential candidate.

Roemer opened his presidential campaign in July 2011 as a Republican, focusing on campaign finance reform and fair trade. He limited campaign contributions to $100 and rejected Political Action Committee (PAC) money, arguing "I have deliberately chosen a path requiring the help of many because that’s the way to win and, more importantly, that’s the way to get these mighty things done after the election."

He failed to make much of an impact on Republican preference polls, and was excluded from all GOP debates. Though he continued his GOP campaign, in November, he decided to seek the nomination of Americans Elect, a non-profit organization attempting to field a ticket that would be "responsive to the vast majority of citizens while remaining independent of special interests and the partisan interests of either major political party."

Roemer finally ended his Republican bid in February and announced a switch to the Reform Party, while continuing his quest for the Americans Elect nomination. He led the organization by the number of supporters, but, like all other candidates, failed to meet the party's threshold for support. As a result, the party decided earlier this month to not nominate a 2012 ticket.

After the decision, Roemer expressed his displeasure to Uncovered Politics, and said he would "take a couple of days to reassess the campaign" on whether to continue seeking the presidential nomination of the Reform Party. He ultimately decided to end the campaign due to insufficient ballot access. Though Americans Elect was hoping to achieve ballot access in all 50 states, the Reform Party currently has access in only four states.

In the e-mail, Roemer thanked campaign staff, supporters, and his family. He criticized the system of "special interests" in Washington, and called for the creation of a "team of reformers" to "re-energize our republic." To conclude, he advised supporters, "Don’t give up. Don’t lose hope. Together, we will continue to reform our country and make America great once again. We are just getting started."

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Related news

"Buddy Roemer ends Republican presidential bid to seek Reform Party nomination" — Wikinews, February 23, 2012
"Campaign manager: 100 percent chance Buddy Roemer will run for Americans Elect presidential nomination" — Wikinews, December 1, 2011
"Former Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer announces run for president" — Wikinews, July 22, 2011

Sources

Austin Cassidy. "Roemer Suspends Campaign" — Uncovered Politics, May 31, 2012
Alexander Burns. "Buddy Roemer quits 2012 race" — Politico, May 31, 2012
Darcy Richardson. "Roemer Reacts to Americans Elect Decision" — Uncovered Politics, May 17, 2012
"Americans Elect Will Not Nominate a 2012 Presidential Ticket" — Independent Political Report, May 17, 2012

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