Turmoil rends state Constitution Party

BOISE – Idaho’s Constitution Party has split in a disagreement so severe that the party has disavowed its candidate for governor.

That candidate went to court Monday and got his name legally changed to just “Pro-Life.” But he’s still on the ballot as Marvin Richardson.

“He filed at the proper time and paid his fee,” said Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa. “We’ve already certified Marvin Richardson for the ballot.” The party withdrawing its endorsement afterward doesn’t change that, Ysursa said, though “he probably won’t get too many votes if his party doesn’t want him.”

Richardson said the Idaho party split at its convention in June, just as the national Constitution Party had split at its earlier national convention in Florida in April, over whether to exclude members or affiliates who don’t follow a no-exceptions hard line in opposing abortion. Richardson favored that, and pushed unsuccessfully for the Idaho Constitution Party to disaffiliate from the national party after the national group didn’t go along. Several states’ Constitution parties have split from the national group over the issue, including Oregon’s and Montana’s.

“There’s been a little bit of a rift,” said Travis Hedrick, the Idaho party’s candidate for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District.

But Hedrick’s name is being blacked out on some already-printed Idaho ballots because he’s left the state and moved to Wyoming for professional reasons. That means he’s no longer a candidate in Idaho.

Paul Venable, Idaho Constitution Party chairman, said Hedrick’s departure “had nothing to do with politics.” The third party still has a candidate running for Congress in the 1st District, Paul Smith, of Letha; one running for lieutenant governor, William Charles Wellisch, of Dingle; and several legislative candidates.

Venable, who just was elected party chairman in June and came to Idaho in 2004, said he expects the party to emerge stronger from this year’s rift. “Sometimes even bad news is good news,” he said. “It will give more exposure to the party, and that’s just fine with me. I actually have no problem with that.”

Richardson, a former state party leader, disagreed, saying “The Constitution Party is not nearly as strong as it was before.”

The Constitution Party was formed as the U.S. Taxpayers Party in 1992, and changed its name to Constitution Party in 1999. It nominated Michael Peroutka as its presidential candidate in 2004.

Richardson, an organic farmer from Letha, near Emmett, and an ardent anti-abortion activist, legally changed his name earlier to Marvin Pro-Life Richardson and attempted to have that listed on the ballot. But the Secretary of State’s office rejected the middle name, offering to print Richardson’s name as either Marvin Richardson or Marvin P. Richardson.

“We’ve made it clear to him since March we were not going to put ‘pro-life’ on the ballot, and that’s still our position,” Ysursa said. “The ballot is not supposed to be a forum for political expression – it’s supposed to be as neutral as it can be.”

Richardson frequently can be seen with family members, holding anti-abortion protest signs on busy roadsides.

Venable said he’s protested with Richardson, and respects his views. “We do not criticize his efforts for life at all,” he said. “… We’re not missing the issue of life at all, it’s just not necessarily a campaign approach.”

Venable said he thinks the Idaho Constitution Party is growing. Before its June convention, it had only 15 registered members, he said. At the convention, that number jumped to about 60.

The party’s Web site, www.constitutionpartyidaho.com, now lists its other candidates but makes no mention of Richardson. Another party Web site, www.novotewasted.com, shows Richardson’s name with a line through it.

Richardson, who argued the same point at the national party convention in Florida, said he’s against any kind of compromise on the abortion issue, which he said was being pushed for by “those wanting to compromise to keep the party and grow the party.”

The national party debated ousting a Nevada party affiliate whose leaders, citing religious beliefs, favored allowing abortion in certain limited circumstances. But the move was narrowly voted down.

“I think they were very unwise,” Richardson said. “They lost half of us.”