In late 2003 and the first quarter of 2004, I ran as a protest candidate in the Republican Presidential Primary. I was on the ballot in New Hampshire and Missouri, and a write-in candidate in several other states. I received about 200 votes in New Hampshire and about 900 votes in Missouri. I spent about $10,000 of my own money, and resigned from the race at the end of March 2004.

People have asked my why I ran, and what I hoped to accomplish. I ran because I have been a Republican a very long time, and unfortunately this president has done a terrible job of pursuing Republican values. There is almost nothing which can be evaluated with numbers which suggests this president has done a good job. He has done a bad job on the domestic front, on government spending, on government debt, and on national security issues. I wrote two papers (“Why I Ran”) which outline in more detail what I believe to be his shortcomings in these areas.

This is a sad state of affairs for Republicans; we used to be the party of rational analysis. Now we have to run from the numbers, because they say such uncomplimentary things about the head of our party. If President Bush had lost the last election, he would have gone down as the worst Republican president in history. Let’s hope he does a much better job over the next four years.

As for what I hoped to accomplish, the answer is “Not much.” More than anything else, I ran so that I could live with myself, so that I knew that at the very least I stood up for what I believed. I didn’t sit idly by while this President abandoned the principles of my party, and ran up a huge debt that will be a drag our country for a long time.

During the campaign, I wrote a number of issues papers, outlining specific concerns about the President’s policies, and in some cases proposing policy options. Also, I sent out a number of email commentaries to the Ashby 2004 email list. Most of the writings are included here. If you would like to comment on the writings, or be added to the currently dormant Ashby 2004 email list, send me an email.

Thanks,

Blake Ashby