A New Minor Political Party on the Sunshine State Ballot

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Philip Wilkerson
September 16, 2026

Though state election laws and the Electoral College System’s winner-take-all process deters third-party candidates’ relevance in presidential elections, several candidates have significantly impacted the popular vote. Ross Perot generated a commendable following in his 1992 presidential campaign, enticing many conservative voters with his economic focus and earning nearly 20% of the popular vote, which notably undermined the incumbent George H.W. Bush’s efforts. In the 2000 presidential election, Ralph Nadar gained ballot access in most states and secured substantial support from progressive voters in what many attribute to the death of Al Gore’s presidential hopes. The most significant third-party presidential impact occurred in the 1892 election with Mr. James B. Weaver securing over one million popular votes and 22 Electoral College votes as the candidate of the Greenback-Labor Party with radical philosophies surrounding agriculture reform. Serving his party again in the 1896 presidential candidacy, Weaver ultimately bestowed influential support for American agriculture and political influence upon Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan. Weaver’s two presidential bids are a prime example of significant third-party movements in which a candidate gains massive popularity over substantial wedge issues, then sees the political substance consumed in the platform of either the Democratic or Republican party. Subsequently, the third-party candidate’s political career wanes and the party dissolves into obscurity.

Perhaps most third-party platforms and candidates are focused on goals other than securing the Executive Office. In all practicality, the political backing of smaller parties can be influenced by distaste for major parties and their respective candidates. Rallied voting energy tends to catch the attention of campaign managers, possibly guiding political focus on wedge issues and offering stronger connections with less politically affiliated citizens. Or rallying support for third-party candidates may suggest that our major parties take a closer look at the candidates whom they front as party leaders. Whether vocalized by candidates, the underlying goal for many minor party movements lies in hopes for improved public policy. To this end we may view third-party movements as effective in generating greater public discourse on significant government issues, thus explaining why minor political parties continue to find legitimate support and viability on state ballots.

Such seems to be the case with the American Solidarity Party (ASP). The party was formulated in 2011 under the premise of Christian Democracy and officially incorporated in 2016. The ASP has recently been added to the Florida ballot for the 2024 Election. Finding itself alongside the Libertarian, Boricua, Green, Independent and Ecology parties on Florida’s official minor political parties list, the ASP has secured its electoral college for the upcoming election and continues to voice legitimacy in local rallies and newspapers. Now the fifteenth minor party on Florida’s ballot, the ASP is working to garner acknowledgment for presidential candidate Peter Sonski and vice-presidential candidate Lauren Onak in the party’s effort to “fix American politics”. A review of the party’s platform on their official website https://www.solidarity-party.org/ shows the minor party centrist-left on economic matters and centrist-right on social issues under the party’s official color orange with the slogan “Common Good/Common Ground/Common Sense”. The ASP matches the Democratic Party in support of environmental protection, opposition to racial injustice and fierce advocacy for community-based efforts while perhaps surpassing the Republican Party in focus on the sanctity of life and traditional family values. ASP members offer perplexing appeal for balance among centrist voters with ideals for loose immigration laws, strong support for greater educational opportunities and appeal for electoral reform while also suggesting stronger local government, government finance for human dignity and reasonable gun control regulation. At the state level, the ASP has displayed prolific support for Florida’s state parks and vocalized firm activism for religious liberties. On the national level, the party has worked its way onto the official ballot for the fifth state (Florida) while security write-in status for 19 states and submitted official paperwork for several more.

Granted, the attraction to ASP values will be met with staunch opposition from critics who argue that minor party movements only dilute the effectiveness of our two-party system, particularly in this year’s presidential election campaign season with such intense, perhaps raucous, contention between polarized ideologies. And perchance such criticism is well-founded. But at the end of the day, what do we truly hope to earn in our democratic republic by limiting discourse to two major combative parties alone? National divide and contention? Limited solutions to complex problems? Well-funded demagoguery? One might consider more political options a healthy anecdote for democracy. With our nation’s history of hard-earned universal suffrage rights, some may argue that citizens should feel positive about the candidates they vote for.

The durability of our minor political parties may be evolving much quicker through notable grassroots initiatives and citizen journalism. Perhaps the influence of new political goals and fresh ideas may arouse more third-party support, leading to greater political resolve in our future.

---

Author: Phil Wilkerson currently serves as Director of Advising and instructor of American National Government at North Florida College. He is earning his DPA with Valdosta State University and serves as a volunteer in the Florida prison system’s reentry initiatives. Wilkerson may be reached at [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...