Peter Sonski 2024 presidential campaign explained

Committee:Peter Sonski 2024 presidential campaign
Affiliation:American Solidarity Party
Candidate:Peter Sonski
Lauren Onak
Campaign:2024 United States presidential election
Website:https://www.petersonski.com
Status:Official nominee: June 2, 2023

The American Solidarity Party candidate for 2024 is Peter Sonski, a former radio host, journalist and marine. Sonski won the ASP primary and nomination of the party for President of the United States on June 3, 2023.[1] [2] The primary was conducted by an online members' vote. The vice presidential nominee, Lauren Onak, was selected by Sonski before the national convention in early July in Plano, Texas, and she was formally nominated there.[3] the party is on the ballot in Arkansas and Hawaii but is hoping to be on the ballot in 13 States come the time of the election.[4]

Background

The American Solidarity Party, founded in 2011, first contested a presidential campaign in 2016 getting ballot access to one state and earning 6,697 votes. In 2020 they were on the ballot on 8 States and received 42,305 votes. For their 2024 attempt it was announced on June 2, 2023, that Peter Sonski had won their party's online primary, which lasted from May 24 to June 1 of that year. Sonski was nominated in the first round of ranked-choice voting with 52%. Sonski then selected Lauren Onak as his vice president, who was then officially nominated via unanimous consent.

American Solidarity Party presidential nomination
CandidateVotesPercentage
Peter Sonski32852.5%
Jacqueline Abernathy20733.1
Joe Schriner508.0
Larry Johnson243.8
Erskine Levi162.6
Total:625100.00%
Source:[5]
American Solidarity Party vice presidential nomination
CandidateVotesPercentage
Lauren OnakNominated via Unanimous Consent
Source:[6]

Sonksi and Onak

Peter Sonski (born July 11, 1962) is an American former radio host, who served as an elected member of Connecticut's Regional School District 17 Board of Education and as director of the Knights of Columbus Museum.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Campaign

In September 2023 Crossview Podcast interviewed Sonski with a discussion of "faith, the duopoly and third parties, government’s role in handling Covid, immigration, foreign policy, moral issues, education, and more."[12]

In December 2023 Fr. Dwight Longenecker published an interview on The Stream in which "Sonski explained that third parties provide thoughtful alternatives and allow other voices to be heard, and this is important in a democratic system."[13]

In January 2024 Catholic News Agency interviewed Sonski in which he said that "he wants to provide a means for Catholics to vote in accord with the conscience, rather than just for the 'lesser of two evils.'"[14] Crisis Magazine also published an interview, by Fr. Dwight Longenecker, which describes how Sonski "was born into a blue-collar Catholic family and went on to work in agriculture, insurance, journalism, and public relations."[15]

In April Christianity Today reported that Evangelicals disaffected with the two main parties were beginning to get their support [16]

In July soon after the Republican National Convention the campaign was reviewed by the National Review who characterized them as the only current anti-abortion party over and against the Democratic and the Republican party, the latter especially so because of a perceived softening of their stance on abortion in their platform which they released at their convention.[17] Aleteia published an interview of Sonski in which he described the American Solidarity Party as “predominantly centrist – a little right on social issues, a little left on fiscal issues."[18]

Lastly, that month EWTN's News In Depth interviewed Sonski in which he said, "My faith informs all my decisions."[19]

In August American Reformer magazine acknowledging that evangelicals critical of Donal Trump were "flocking to the American Solidarity party" wrote a critical assessment of the campaign urging evangelicals to think twice before voting for Sonski, stating that "stakes are too high too high and the country on the brink" and that "at the presidential level votes should not be wasted on quixotic schemes" [20]

Also in August New Jersey Republicans attempted to keep Sonski off the New Jersey Ballot claiming some of his ballot access signatures were ineligible [21]

Ballot access

Correct as August 22, 2024

202420202016
States (& DC)514 (16)8 (31)1 (25)
Electoral Votes53836 (110)66 (397)9 (323)
Percent of EVs100%??% (20.4%)12.3% (73.8%)1.7% (60%)Alabama9Write inwrite-inwrite-in
Alaska3TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Arizona11TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
Arkansas6On ballotOn ballotNot on ballot
55TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Colorado9TBDOn ballotOn ballot
Connecticut7TBDwrite-inNot on ballot
Delaware3TBDwrite-inNot on ballot
Florida29TBDwrite-inNot on ballot
Georgia16TBDwrite-inwrite-in
4On ballotNot on ballotNot on ballot
Idaho4TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Illinois20write-inOn ballotNot on ballot
Indiana11write-inwrite-inNot on ballot
Iowa6write-inwrite-inwrite-in
Kansas6TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Kentucky8TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Louisiana8On ballotOn ballotNot on ballot
Maine4TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
Maryland10TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Massachusetts11TBDwrite-inNot on ballot
Michigan16write-inwrite-inwrite-in
Minnesota10write-inwrite-inwrite-in
Mississippi6TBDOn ballotNot on ballot
Missouri10write-inwrite-inNot on ballot
Montana3write-inNot on ballotNot on ballot
Nebraska5TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Nevada6TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
New Hampshire4write-inwrite-inwrite-in
New Jersey14TBDwrite-inwrite-in
New Mexico5TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
New York29write-inwrite-inwrite-in
North Carolina15TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
North Dakota3TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Ohio18On ballotwrite-inwrite-in
Oklahoma7TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
Oregon7write-inwrite-inwrite-in
20write-inwrite-inwrite-in
Rhode Island4write-inOn ballotwrite-in
South Carolina9TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
South Dakota3TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
Tennessee11TBDwrite-inNot on ballot
Texas38write-inwrite-inwrite-in
Utah6TBDwrite-inNot on ballot
Vermont3write-inOn ballotwrite-in
Virginia13TBDwrite-inwrite-in
Washington12TBDwrite-inwrite-in
West Virginia5TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot
Wisconsin10TBDOn ballotwrite-in
Wyoming3write-inwrite-inNot on ballot
District of Columbia3TBDNot on ballotNot on ballot

Political positions

Summary

As a proponent of Christian democracy, Sonski supports a consistent life ethic, being against abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia. He additionally supports social justice initiatives. He is against the legalization of same sex marriage and believes that gay couples should not have the same adoption rights as straight couples.[22] [23] He has endorsed Robert P. George's initiative to rebrand June as Fidelity Month.[24] [25] He believes the US should continue to support Ukraine.

Endorsements

Mike Maturen - 2016 ASP Presidential Candidate

Karen Swallow Prior - Christian Author [26]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: June 3, 2023 . Peter Sonski is the American Solidarity Party 2024 Presidential nominee . June 3, 2023 . Ballot Access News.
  2. Web site: June 2, 2023 . American Solidarity Party . Twitter.
  3. Web site: Winger . Richard . 27 March 2023 . American Solidarity Party Sets In-Person National Convention . 2023-04-02 . Ballot Access News . en-US.
  4. Web site: Winger . Richard . American Solidarity Party Gains Presidential Ballot Status for 2024 in Arkansas . Ballot Access News . July 9, 2021 . 12 July 2021.
  5. Web site: June 3, 2023 . Peter Sonski is the American Solidarity Party 2024 Presidential nominee . June 3, 2023 . Ballot Access News.
  6. Web site: June 29, 2023 . American Solidarity Party names Lauren Onak as Vice Presidential Nominee. Willow Evans, Jordan. Independent Political Report.
  7. Web site: Redpath . Bill . Peter Sonski is the American Solidarity Party 2024 Presidential nominee . Ballot Access News . June 3, 2023 . June 4, 2023.
  8. Web site: BoE Members . Regional School District 17 . June 4, 2023.
  9. News: McMahon . Lisa . Knights of Columbus Visit Niagara University . June 4, 2023 . NU News . October 17, 2022.
  10. Web site: Iafrate . Anthony . Who Are the 2024 3rd-Party Candidates? . CatholicVote . August 7, 2023 . August 7, 2023.
  11. Web site: Peter Sonski on LinkedIn. July 14, 2024.
  12. Web site: Our Interview with a 2024 Presidential Candidate . YouTube . September 2023 . Crossview Podcast . 28 July 2024.
  13. Web site: Longenecker . Fr. Dwight . Meet Peter Sonski — The Unknown Christian Candidate . The Stream . 28 July 2024.
  14. Web site: McKeown . Jonah . Meet Peter Sonski, the Catholic you've never heard of who's running for president . Catholic News Agency . 28 July 2024.
  15. Web site: Longenecker . Fr. Dwight . Peter Sonski: the Other Catholic Candidate . Crisis Magazine . 2 January 2024 . 28 July 2024.
  16. Web site: Some Evangelicals Want a Third-Party Option, Even Without a Chance at Winning. Christianity today . 11 April 2024. 13 July 2024.
  17. Web site: The New Party of Life?. . 16 July 2024.
  18. Web site: Burger . John . This 3rd party could be an answer to voters' increasing dismay . Aleteia . 28 July 2024.
  19. Web site: Irons . Mark . Catholic running for President: "My faith informs all my decisions" . YouTube . 26 July 2024 . EWTN News In Depth . 28 July 2024.
  20. Web site: Sabo . Mike . Reject Third Parties:"Evangelicals Should Think Twice Before Voting for the American Solidarity Party in the Presidential Election" . August 2024 . American Reformer.
  21. Web site: Three independent presidential candidates face petition challenges in N.J. . 3 August 2024 .
  22. Web site: Peter Sonski's Policies . iSideWith.com.
  23. News: Kennedy . Jeff . The Jeff Kennedy Show . The Legend 93.5 . July 24, 2023.
  24. Web site: Anthony . Abigail . Princeton Professor's Initiative to Rebrand June 'Fidelity Month' Gains Steam on Religious Right . June 27, 2023 . National Review. June 27, 2023.
  25. Web site: Sonski . Peter . Fidelity Renewed . June 27, 2023 . Peter Sonski for President.
  26. https://x.com/KSPrior/status/1816668257245356191?t=kMMgUkW337SubUYZi3sbBQ&s=19