Liberal Party USA

[theflyingmongoose]

...Jeffords announced the formation of the party, which is for both center/center-left Democrats and Republicans rejecting Reagan. Silvio Conte (R-MA) and Pete McCloskey (R-CA) joined immediately, while Stuart McKinney (R-CT), Millicent Fenwick (R-NJ) and Harold Hollenbeck joined later...
Rise of the Liberal Party, by Bob Woodward (2008)

...The Liberal Party's slate of candidates for the 1982 midterms was interesting. The people who won ranged from a 58-year-old suburban housewife to a civil-rights activist and former Baptist minister turned rancher from southwest Kentucky. Speaking of the Kentuckian, it would be helpful to mention him. John E. White barely won in Kentucky's 5th District. He was one of the only candidates of the party in the south. But he had one advantage- Reagan. Not Reagan himself, but rather Rep. Hal Rodgers's breaking with him. a Reaganist ran to Rodgers's right and was barely defeated, but then ran a third-party challenge. The democrats, seeing that White had a better chance of winning, "accidentally" forgot to file a candidate. White won with 36.1% of the vote...
Nothing to Something: The Story of The Liberal Party; by Newt Gingrich (distinguished historian and Alternate History author), 2007


1982 House Elections:

Democratic: 269 (+26)
Republican: 158 (-34)
Liberal: 9 (+9)
Coservative: 0 (-1)

1982 Senate Elections:

Republican: 50 (-4)
Democratic: 46 (-)
Liberal: 4 (+4)

 

[theflyingmongoose]

98th Congress of the United States
January 3, 1983-January 3, 1985

​

Democratic House Leadership:
Speaker: Tip O'Neill (D-MA)
Majority Leader: Jim Wright (D-TX)
Majority Whip: Tom Foley (D-WA)
Caucus Chair: G. William Long (D-LA)
Democratic Senate Leadership:
Minority Leader: Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Minority Whip: Alan Cranston (D-CA)
----------------------------------------
Republican House Leadership:
Minority Leader: Robert Michel (R-IL)
Minority Whip: Trent Lott (R-MS)
Caucus Chair: Jack Kemp (R-NY)
Republican Senate Leadership:
Majority Leader: Howard Baker (R-TN)
Majority Whip: Ted Stevens (R-AK)
----------------------------------------
Liberal House Leadership:
Opposition Leader: Jim Jeffords (L-VT)
Opposition Whip: Silvio Conte (L-MA)
Caucus Chair: John White (L-TN)
Liberal Senate Leadership:
Opposition Leader: Lowell Weicker (L-CT)
Opposition Whip: Charles Mathias (L-MD)

 

[theflyingmongoose]

All delegates voting on the first ballot were required to vote for whoever the closed primary (mailed to members) had allocated. So if Person A got 51% of the vote they would get 51% of the delegates. For the second ballot all delegates for candidates other than those who declared (4) can choose whomever they want, and for the third ballot the person with the lowest amount of delegates is dropped, and for the next rounds that continues until only two are remaining or a majority is reached.

First Ballot
Chuck Percy: 312
Jim Jeffords: 305
Lowell Weicker: 168
Millicent Fenwick: 127
Other: 104

Second Ballot
Chuck Percy: 382
Jim Jeffords: 316
Lowell Weicker: 175
Millicent Fenwick: 142

Third Ballot
Jim Jeffords: 419
Chuck Percy: 414
Lowell Weicker: 182

Fourth Ballot
Chuck Percy: 510
Jim Jeffords: 505

Ticket:
Charles Percy for President
Jim Jeffords for Vice President

​

 

[theflyingmongoose]

 

[theflyingmongoose]

Reagan/Bush (R): 469 EV's | 55.2% PV
Mondale/Cuomo (D): 53 EV's | 39.5% PV
Mathias/Jeffords (L): 16 EV's | 5.3% PV

 

[theflyingmongoose]

1984 House Elections:

Democratic: 264 (-4)
Republican: 159 (+1)
Liberal: 12 (+3)

1984 Senate Elections:

Republican: 47(-3)
Democratic: 47 (+1)
Liberal: 6 (+2)

 

[theflyingmongoose]

John Earl White
b. 1946 (Age 74)

U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 5th District (1983-)

1982 House Election (KY-05):
White (L+D): 36.2%
Rogers* (R): 35.9%
Smith (I): 27.9%

1984 House Election (KY-05):
White* (L): 55.3%
Rogers (R): 43.4%
Other: 1.3%

While winning re-election by 12 points might not seem extremely impressive, but it is when you consider how the district voted overwhelmingly for Reagan (in excess of 30 points). The largest plurality of voters in the 1984 election was Reagan-White. This was because White had done a very good job during his time in the House, using his almost-legendary negotiating skills to allocate tens of millions in school upgrade and business development funds. He also managed to get a pilot grant of over $1,000,000 in infrastructure investment directed at his district.

 

[theflyingmongoose]

99th Congress of the United States
January 3, 1985-January 3, 1987
​

Democratic House Leadership:
Speaker: Tip O'Neill (D-MA)
Majority Leader: Jim Wright (D-TX)
Majority Whip: Tom Foley (D-WA)
Caucus Chair: Dick Gephart (D-MO)
Democratic Senate Leadership:
Minority Leader: Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Minority Whip: Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
----------------------------------------
Republican House Leadership:
Minority Leader: Robert Michel (R-IL)
Minority Whip: Trent Lott (R-MS)
Caucus Chair: Jack Kemp (R-NY)
Republican Senate Leadership:
Majority Leader: Bob Dole (R-KS)
Majority Whip: Ted Stevens (R-AK)
----------------------------------------
Liberal House Leadership:
Opposition Leader: Jim Jeffords (L-VT)
Opposition Whip: Silvio Conte (L-MA)
Caucus Chair: John White (L-TN)
Liberal Senate Leadership:
Opposition Leader: Lowell Weicker (L-CT)
Opposition Whip: Charles Mathias (L-MD)

 

[theflyingmongoose]

1986 House Elections:

Democratic: 285 (+20)
Republican: 135 (-23)
Liberal: 15 (+3)

1986 Senate Elections (vote splitting can be quite interesting):

Democratic: 60 (+13)
Republican: 34(-13)
Liberal: 6 (-)

 

[theflyingmongoose]

100th Congress of the United States
January 3, 1987-January 3, 1989​

Democratic House Leadership:
Speaker: Jim Wright (D-TX)
Majority Leader: Tom Foley (D-WA)
Majority Whip: Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH)
Caucus Chair: Dick Gephart (D-MO)
Democratic Senate Leadership:
Minority Leader: Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Minority Whip: Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
----------------------------------------
Republican House Leadership:
Minority Leader: Robert Michel (R-IL)
Minority Whip: Trent Lott (R-MS)
Caucus Chair: Jack Kemp (R-NY)
Republican Senate Leadership:
Majority Leader: Bob Dole (R-KS)
Majority Whip: Ted Stevens (R-AK)
----------------------------------------
Liberal House Leadership:
Opposition Leader: Jim Jeffords (L-VT)
Opposition Whip: Silvio Conte (L-MA)
Caucus Chair: John White (L-TN)
Liberal Senate Leadership:
Opposition Leader: Lowell Weicker (L-CT)
Opposition Whip: Charles Mathias (L-MD)

 

[theflyingmongoose]

1986 House Elections:

Democratic: 293 (+8)
Republican: 124 (-11)
Liberal: 18 (+3)

1986 Senate Elections (vote splitting can be quite interesting):

Democratic: 61 (+2)
Republican: 31 (-4)
Liberal: 8 (+2, 1 Election 1 Party Switch)