Modern Whig Party

The Modern Whig Party is a political party in the United States founded in 2007. The party describes itself as a mainstream, middle-of-the-road grassroots[3] movement representing voters who do not strictly accept Republican[4] and Democratic positions.[5][6] The party's general platform supports fiscal responsibility,[7] strong national defense and integrity and pragmatism in government.

Modern Whig Party
Founded2007 (2007)
HeadquartersBuffalo, New York
IdeologyConservative liberalism[1]
Jeffersonian democracy[2]
Political positionCenter
Colors     Orange
Seats in the Senate
0 / 100
Seats in the House
0 / 435
Governorships
0 / 50
Seats in State Upper Houses
0 / 1,921
Seats in State Lower Houses
0 / 5,411
Website
modernwhig.org

Members of the party have won a handful of local elections, but they did so under other party labels or as independents. In recent years, the party has not nominated candidates for any major office.

The Modern Whig Party underwent a major overhaul of its structure and leadership in late 2014 and re-launched in the early spring of 2015.

History

The Whig Party was started by Henry Clay,[8] William Henry Harrison[9][10] Daniel Webster[11] and Horace Greeley. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica (2019),[12] the "Whig Party, in U.S. history, major political party active in the period 1834–54 that espoused a program of national development but foundered on the rising tide of sectional antagonism".[13] The Whig Party was the original party of Abraham Lincoln.[13][14]

Originally arising because "Jackson had shattered the National Republican Party,[15] the Whig Party became a major force in American politics and while it "captured most of congress and the white house by 1864",[15] it also managed to capture the presidency, placing several Whig Party Presidents like Harrison,[16] Zachary Taylor.

Re-branding

According to the party website, Whigs have traditionally stood for representative government, individual liberty, social and economic progress, modernization, public education, a vibrant legislative branch and ongoing cooperation between the private and public sectors.[17] The News & Observer reports that the modern Whig party was founded by United States troops while they were in "the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan".[18] The Modern Whig Party was organized as a grassroots[19][20] movement in the beginning of 2007. It reflects an ideology of centrism,[20] multiculturalism[21] and individualism[22] and aims to serve the needs of the community by identifying the most basic human rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.[23]

Merger

In December 2018, the Modern Whig Party joined several other alternative parties in forming The Alliance Party. Modern Whigs retained their policy, advocacy and civics programs and reformed as the Modern Whig Institute.[24]

Media coverage

In the spring of 2010, Time rated the Modern Whig Party, the United States Marijuana Party, the Pirate Party, the Tea Party movement and the Alaskan Independence Party as among the "top 10 most popular alternative political movements worldwide".[25] Opinion columns in The News & Observer before 2010 were favorable toward the party.[26]

State and territorial affiliates with ballot access

In 2018, Peter Carey (11th district) and Helen Alli (7th district) were nominated as Whig candidates in Virginia's U.S. House election, but both fell short of the number of signatures needed for ballot access.

References
  1. "Values". Modernwhig.org. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  2. Buel, Richard (2015). America on the Brink: How the Political Struggle Over the War of 1812 Almost Destroyed the Young Republic. St. Martin's Publishing Group.
  3. "Major American Political Parties".
  4. "Richard Cavendesh". hystorytoday.com.
  5. "The Modern Whig Party". Modernwhig.info. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  6. "Whigs Revived". Albuquerque Journal. July 29, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  7. "The Republican Party Becomes the Whig Party".
  8. "Henry Clay: The American Statesman".
  9. "William H Harrison".
  10. "William Henry Harrison".
  11. "Daniel Webster".
  12. "Whig Party (1834–1856)", Student's Guide to Elections, CQ Press, 2008, doi:10.4135/9781452240206.n153, ISBN 9780872895522.
  13. "Whig Party (1834–1856)", Student's Guide to Elections, CQ Press, 2008, doi:10.4135/9781452240206.n153, ISBN 9780872895522
  14. Howe, Daniel Walker (Winter 1995). "Why Abraham Lincoln Was a Whig". Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association. 16 (1). hdl:2027/spo.2629860.0016.105. ISSN 1945-7987.
  15. "Whig Party | History, Beliefs, Significance, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  16. "Political Parties of the Presidents". www.presidentsusa.net. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  17. "The Modern Whig Institute". The Modern Whig Institute. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  18. Christensen, Rob (2009-04-26). "Whigs rise again". Politics. The News & Observer. Raleigh, NC: The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
  19. "Major American Political Parties of the 19th Century". Norwich University Online. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  20. "Blog". The Modern Whig Institute. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  21. Wallach, Philip A. (2017-03-06). "Prospects for partisan realignment: Lessons from the demise of the Whigs". Brookings. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  22. Fox, Dixon Ryan (1918–2012). "The Economic Status of the New York Whigs". Political Science Quarterly. 33 (4): 501–518. doi:10.2307/2141604. ISSN 0032-3195. JSTOR 2141604.
  23. "On this day, the Whig Party becomes a national force - National Constitution Center". National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  24. September 12, The Modern Whigs of America ·; reactions, 2018 8:15 PM · 3. "The Modern Whig Institute". The Modern Whig Institute.
  25. "Top 10 Alternative Political Movements". Time. 2010-03-29.
  26. Christensen, Rob (2009-04-26). "Whigs rise again". Politics. The Onion. Raleigh, NC: The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
  27. "America says it wants a third party. Why not the Modern Whigs?". Slate. 2009-12-14. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  28. "Modern Whig Party Places a Nominee". Ballot-Access.org. 2014-09-25. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
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