The 2008 presidential campaign of Congressman Ron Paul has spawned successive aftershocks that have progressively magnified in intensity over the original “failed” presidential run of the “Constitution candidate.”

Since 2008, Ron Paul has authored two national best-selling books and has garnered a wide bipartisan consensus in favor of auditing the Federal Reserve (not to mention polling numbers of voters supporting the audit at 75 percent) that includes more than two-thirds of the U.S. House of Representatives. His presidential bid has also provided the catalyst for a well-funded national grass-roots Campaign for Liberty and sparked a wide-ranging “Tea Party” movement that has excited new activists across the nation. And it has generated a wave of congressional candidacies across the country pledging support for the Constitution’s limits.

This wave of congressional candidates now includes Ron Paul’s son, Rand Paul — also a medical doctor — who has emerged as a frontrunner in the open Kentucky U.S. Senate race.

One gauge of the growing strength of the Ron Paul “Constitution” movement is that voters have indicated they are more likely to vote for a Tea Party candidate than a Republican. “Running under the Tea Party brand may be better in congressional races than being a Republican.” A December 7 Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found “Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided.”

Voters clearly distrust the Republican “brand,” as Rasmussen calls it, because under the Bush administration the GOP-controlled Congress increased the size of the federal government at a faster pace than at any time since the 1960s. Even after accounting for only non-defense spending, the Bush-era Republican Congress increased spending faster than either the Clinton or the Carter administration Congresses.

The polling numbers suggest that Constitution candidates — those pledging to vote for smaller government that adheres to the limits of the U.S. Constitution — will enjoy a distinct advantage over their big-government establishment neoconservative rivals during the upcoming 2010 election cycle.

A few establishment neoconservatives like Texas Governor Rick Perry have recognized that most big-government GOP candidates will lose in November, and have already made overtures to Tea Party organizations in an attempt to fool voters.

The latest wave of the “Constitution” movement under the umbrella of the Tea Party insurgency is the spawning of a growing slate of candidates for Governors’ offices as well as congressional offices (see "Constitutional Candidates for Congress").

Texas Governor: Debra Medina
Prime among these gubernatorial candidates is Debra Medina, a Ron Paul activist who is running in the Republican primary for Governor in Ron Paul’s home state of Texas. Medina is the former Wharton County Republican Party chairman (in the Gulf Coast-area district of Rep. Ron Paul) and the former state coordinator for Dr. Paul’s Campaign for Liberty. A registered nurse, business owner, and home-schooling mother, Medina is campaigning to end the state property tax and “standing hard against the federal government, using nullification and interposition.”

A key part of Medina’s campaign is to restore state sovereignty and restore the federal government to its constitutional limits. “The U.S. Constitution not only protects citizens’ freedoms in the Bill of Rights, it also divides power between the federal and state governments and ultimately reserves final authority for the people themselves,” Medina says. “Texas must stop the over reaching federal government and nullify federal mandates in agriculture, energy, education, healthcare, industry, and any other areas D.C. is not granted authority by the Constitution.”

Medina will have to best two establishment Republican primary opponents, incumbent Governor Rick Perry and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and several other lesser-known candidates to advance from the primary. And she is an underdog in the race. Medina placed only seven percent in a University of Texas poll released on November 1. Medina Campaign Manager Penny Langford-Freeman tells The New American that internal polling had Medina at 10 percent back in -mid--November.

However, the primary race is wide open and much can change between now and the March 2 primary election. Perry has been in office since 2000, and many political observers see the longtime incumbent as damaged goods. This explains the crowded primary that includes Senator Hutchison (Freedom Index rating: 67 percent). Perry is a big-government “conservative” who believes government programs stimulate the economy. He pioneered the style of “stimulus” programs being peddled by the Obama administration today, doling out hundreds of millions of state taxpayer dollars through his highly touted “Texas Enterprise Fund” to firms in exchange for a pledge to create jobs in Texas. In a December 14, 2004 speech, Perry crowed:

Today we are not only building upon the Enterprise Fund’s tremendous rec-ord of creating jobs, we are unveiling its crowning jewel. I am proud to announce that the state of Texas is investing $20 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund to help Countrywide Financial bring 7,500 additional jobs to Texas over the next 6 years.

Countrywide served as the primary national engine for the housing subprime crisis, and the former financial giant joined the housing market in its subsequent crash. Bank of America purchased the failing subprime firm in 2008 in order to forestall a looming bankruptcy filing, and nearly went bankrupt itself. The bailed-out Countrywide, under Bank of America’s direction, never fulfilled its jobs promises, and the taxpayer dollars were gone. Meanwhile, Countrywide made risky loans that are now going bad and — with the help of Perry’s Texas state government — increased the pain from the housing bust. Perry’s Texas Enterprise Fund also invested $15 million in taxpayer dollars in the subprime bubble with Washington Mutual, a firm that declared bankruptcy in 2008. Again, the firm failed to deliver the promised jobs but succeeded in devouring state tax dollars.

Perhaps sensing political damage from his record, Perry has recently made a habit of attending Tea Party rallies, and made headlines earlier this year when he publicly talked about Texas seceding from the union. But all it got him was derisive laughter from the Left and a larger slate of challengers from the Democratic Party. “I’ll be a Governor who challenges Texans to lead, not leave, the United States,” Houston Mayor and Democratic opponent Bill White quipped as he switched from running for the Senate seat to a race for the Governor’s office.

With unnamed “Tea Party” candidates rating so highly in polls, a Tea Party-veteran candidate like Medina has a good chance of picking up that support and translating it into a Republican primary victory.

Oklahoma Governor: Randy Brogdon
Oklahoma’s two-term state Senator Randy Brogdon first won election in 2002 and has made a career of campaigning for lower taxes. In May of this year, he pushed a 10th Amendment state sovereignty bill through the Oklahoma State Senate. “With its passage today, it will go straight to President Obama and Congress,” Brogdon said upon passage of the bill. “We are telling them loud and clear to end all federal mandates that are beyond the scope of powers specifically outlined in the Constitution.”

Among the first targets in the cross hairs of a Brogdon governorship would be “federal aid” and all the mandates attached to it. “Washington politicians have gone too far. They use the promise of money, or the threats of withholding it, to coerce states into giving up their sovereignty,” Brogdon said, attacking the current Democratic Governor Brad Henry. “Governor Henry praised the federal stimulus package saying it would help our state, but it’s only put us in further financial trouble because the feds dictate how that money can be spent.”

Brogdon will face current two-term U.S. Congressman and former Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin in the Republican primary. While Fallin has scored well in recent Freedom Index ratings from The New American (90 percent for the current Congress) and poses as a “conservative,” her rhetoric echoes that of the big-government Republicans of the Bush era. “My Administration’s first priority will be to create more and better jobs and lead this state towards long term economic recovery and growth,” Fallin says on her campaign website, as if government can create jobs. No polling data has been released on the Oklahoma Governor’s race as of this writing, but Fallin is presumed to be the frontrunner because of wider name recognition.

Georgia Governor: Ray McBerry
Georgia native and gubernatorial candidate Ray McBerry says, “I consider myself a ‘constitutionalist’ — that is, I strongly support a return to the original principles of our Founding Fathers. Although I am a life-long Republican, I do not support the globalist, socialist policies of either the Democrat or Republican parties at the national level.” McBerry adds that “the grand constitutional republic that was given to us by the Founding Fathers to preserve our ancient liberty stands on the brink of being transformed into a tyrannical empire, just as the Roman Republic of old.”

McBerry pledges to work against attacks on both economic and civil liberties of Georgia voters. On taxes, he says, “I support the abolition of both income and property taxes and the replacement of them with a state sales tax. It is my belief that any graduated tax based upon income is Marxist and should be repudiated.” And he differs from many establishment Republicans in pledging to work against the federal surveillance state: “Federal intrusions, both present and planned, are a greater threat to our liberty and privacy than any threat of foreign invasion or terrorist attack has ever been. As Governor, I will work with our General Assembly, state court system, and fellow Governors to rein in this invasion of privacy and liberty by the federal government and will seek to ensure that Georgia is a refuge for privacy and liberty to all of her citizens.”

McBerry is making his second run at the Georgia governorship after losing as an unknown to incumbent Sonny Purdue in the 2006 Republican primary by an 88-12 margin. This time Purdue is ineligible for reelection because of Georgia’s term-limit laws, and McBerry is running in a crowded field of seven candidates in the Republican primary.

McBerry polled just three percent in an October Rasmussen poll, trailing Georgia’s fire and insurance commissioner John Oxendine, who has 27 percent. Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel (12 percent) and Congressman Nathan Deal (nine percent) also lead McBerry. The eloquent McBerry still has some time before the July 2010 primary to gather supporters. McBerry may be the perfect man to sell the constitutional message; he owns an advertising firm that produces radio and television commercials in the Atlanta market. And because the Republican primary field is wide open right now, he may pick up those Tea Party voters to win the GOP primary.

Other State Legislative Candidates
These are only a few of the more prominent gubernatorial candidates inspired — or reinvigorated — by the Ron Paul presidential race. The Constitution/Tea Party movement has inspired dozens of others to seek office for a variety of other state offices to rein in runaway government, including Bill Connor (South Carolina Lt. Governor), Glen Bradley (North Carolina House of Representatives), Rick Richards (Wisconsin State Senate), Tim Utz (Minnesota House of Representatives), and Karl Dickey (Florida’s Palm Beach County Commission). Since these offices are often steppingstones to congressional races, the pool of Constitution candidates available to run for Congress can only increase over time. And that may mean a restoration of the U.S. Constitution over time.

Photo: Oklahoma State Senator Randy Brogdon

Related article:

Constitutional Candidates for Congress

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Joe Robertson said:

GOP no defender of Liberty Yes the movement departs the GOP on spending and the increasing of Federal Gov. It is also an issue with the neocon's Patriot Act and Tarp (not to mention the flurry of executive orders and signing orders). Both unconstitutional and both a sell-out of Liberty for what? Exactly. The GOP is part of the "establishment party" which makes decisions that protect the party. People like Debra Medina are "For The People". It's obvious and it resonates. The Doctor and The Judge 2012

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January 20, 2010 | url
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Darryl Schmitz said:

The Libertarian and Constitution Parties These two parties need to shed their ulta-ideological approach and fold together into one rebranded third party in order to have any chance at challenging the majors. The Libertarian Party has unfortunately damaged its own brand with some of the candidates it has fielded. I'm not sure if a "Tea Party" wouldn't just be viewed as the Reform Party was, though, a temporary fad. Perhaps the combined Libertarian-Constitution Party name would be feasible.

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January 20, 2010
Votes: +3

Craig Hunt said:

Happy Medina Supporter I am thrilled to see the author bring more attention to Rick Perry's absurd conflict of interest by implementing a Texas Enterprise Fund where he (and two other office holders) gets to dole out taxpayer dollars. It is an absolutely ridiculous and shameful conflict of interest. Any party that does not implement an immune system to cleanse itself is doomed. I sincerely believe Debra Medina is going to be the next anti-incumbency shocker that will resonate on the national political landscape. However, this time some entrenched Republicans in denial will realize that this groundswell is anti-incumbent and by no means pro-Republican. You gotta love the still frame image on the front page of Debra Medina's campaign site. It says it all. http://www.medinafortexas.com

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January 20, 2010 | url
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Michael Krsiean said:

My independent citizen candidacy submitted for your consideration, WI 3rd CD, US House My love of country and Constitution is second only to my love of God and family. I've been an engineer in the defense industry for the past 15+ years and finally had enough. Time to defend my children AND YOUR CHILDREN in DC. Not going there to make friends. Going there to get federal government out of our faces and work feverishly to defeat Marxism and transfer power back to the States. But the States must be encouraged to accept their responsibilities anew.

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January 21, 2010 | url
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Michael Krsiean said:

	My Website... www.krsieanforcongress.com
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January 21, 2010 | url
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Jim Neidner said:

	Neidner's Talk Radio Show We addressed the last debate and many unanswered questions from the debate and we made a like of questions that need answers.
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January 22, 2010 | url
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Andrew Nappi said:

	State Coordinator, Florida Tenth Amendment Center A complete list of candidates who have pledged their allegiance to the Tenth Amendment can be found at http://pledge.tenthamendmentce...e-signers/ All of these candidates believe in limited and lawful constitutional government and will not propose or support legislation not enumerated in the constitution.
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January 22, 2010 | url
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PA4RP said:

	missed some there are many other Ron Paul Republicans running than what you have listed. Most importantly Peter Schiff, financial advisor on the RP campaign, is running for Dodd's seat in Connecticut.
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January 25, 2010
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Dirk said:

	Another Constitution Candidate Dr. Robert Lowry CD 23 TX Republican http://www.DrLowryForCongress.com
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January 28, 2010 | url
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Glen Bradley said:

Thank you for an outstanding and informative article! I have been a Constitutionalist all my life, and several years ago after trying activism to work to reform the status quo, I became apathetic and disinvolved with politics altogether. That was until 2007 when I encountered the gentleman from Texas by the name of Ron Paul. So, seeing that he had pretty much the exact same platform as I did (except that he was far more well versed on economic matters than I was) and on account of the huge grassroots movement that sprung up around Congressman Paul, I learned not only that it could be done, but that I was no longer alone. So I took Dr. Paul's sagacious advice, joined the Republican Party in 2007 (after having been unaffiliated my entire life) and worked to affect reform from within. It has been a real roller-coaster 3 years, but we have made more progress than I could have ever dreamed. Thank you, Ron Paul, for enabling a real schism in the status qu, and for curing my apathy. Thank you Thomas R. Eddlem, for being informed enough to even know that I am running and my platform.

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February 09, 2010 | url
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Glen Bradley said:

Continued, 2 of 2 I am indeed running for NC State House, because I firmly believe that those of our movement whom we elect to the US House and the US Senate, will be powerless to affect real reform if there is no pressure from the States to do so. I am not simply running for State Assembly to acquire the experience I need to step up to US Congress where real reform can be brought, I am running for State House because I firmly believe that true Constitutionalist reform must begin in the State's Assemblies through the invocation of the 10th Amendment. It will be this pressure from the State Assemblies which will give our minority Constitutional caucus the leverage we need to pass measures such as the Enumerated Powers Act. Without that pressure, I believe that the members of our movement elected to the US House and US Senate simply will not have the leverage to do what needs to be done to reform the system for the Constitution. Therefore, I would like to encourage everyone reading this today, to find Constitutionalist candidates in your home States and support their run for State Assembly, or barring that, run yourself. If neither of those are options, then please feel free to help by supporting Glen Bradley for NC State House at his website http://glenbradley.net/ Thank you, and with your help we can stack our people into but the US Congress, and the State Assemblies, and begin the long process of restoring the Constitutional Republic of the United States!

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February 09, 2010 | url
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