Earlier this month, I put together a guide to eight third party presidential nominees, from the Libertarian Party to the upstart Veterans Party of America. One of the more curious parts of the guide covers the Prohibition Party, which got 518 votes in 2012.
On June 6, I sent out a tweet hoping to drum up attention for the guide. “From the Prohibition Party to the Libertarian Party, here’s a guide to 8 third party options,” I wrote.
Thirteen days later I saw a new Twitter notification: the Prohibition Party had replied to my tweet.
“@JRussellMI yes we are here! Follow us! RT! Platform at http://prohibitionists.org http://prohibitionparty.org http://hedgesandbayes2016.org follow us” they sent.
Not exactly a lightning-fast response, but it did catch my eye. Curious to see how many virtual supporters the party had, I went to find out how many followers the Prohibition Party Twitter account had: a sobering 16. I was expecting a few hundred, at least.
The Republican National Committee account has about 711,000 followers, or 44,456 times more than the Prohibition Party. The Democrats have about 519,000 followers, 32,418 times more.
The Green Party Twitter account has more than 35,000 followers, more than 2,000 times as many followers as the Prohibition Party.
But the Prohibition Party Twitter account is gaining steam: It got at least one new follower between 9:30 am this morning and 11:30 am, and then a second shortly after (me).
Oddly enough, its pinned tweet, which everyone sees when they visit its main account page, apologizes for any grammar or punctuation mistakes. “Sorry for the grammar and punctuation mistakes! Brand new to Twitter and the all mighty spell check! Vote Prohibition 2016 Hedges/Bayes.”
For those who don’t know, the Prohibition Party platform is about more than just opposing the production and sale of all drugs and alcohol, except for approved medicinal use. The party supports programs that would help tobacco farmers and vineyard owners switch to alternative crops. Drugs aside, it opposes free trade and favors a balanced budget amendment to the federal constitution.
Its presidential candidate, James Hedges, runs a recycling program in Pennsylvania and curates the print shop at a living history museum. If elected, you can be sure Hedges will never be drunk with power.
With an opioid epidemic in the news and high unfavorable ratings for the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees, maybe the Prohibition Party will do better than usual in 2016. It may not be on the cutting edge of social media — I couldn’t find any trace of an official Facebook page, and the Hedges for President Twitter account has only one follower — but perhaps this article will lead people to join the Prohibition Party bandwagon.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
