2000 Reform Party presidential primaries

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2000 Reform Party presidential primaries

← 1996 July 1, 2000 2004 →

Nominee Pat Buchanan John Hagelin Home state Virginia Iowa States carried 47 + D.C. 3 Popular vote 49,529 28,539 Percentage 63.44% 36.56%

First place by first-instance vote   Pat Buchanan (47 + D.C.)   John Hagelin (3)

Following Ross Perot's impressive showing during the 1996 presidential election, the Reform Party of the United States of America became the country's largest third party. The party's 2000 presidential candidate would be entitled to $12.5 million (~$21 million in 2023) in matching funds. Several high-profile candidates vied for the nomination, including future President Donald Trump, Pat Buchanan, and physicist John Hagelin. For a brief time, Congressman John B. Anderson and Congressman Ron Paul, who previously ran third party campaigns for President in 1980 and 1988 respectively, were considered potential candidates. Both Anderson and Paul ultimately declined to seek the nomination.

The party's 2000 candidates received a great deal of media attention, particularly after a dispute at the party's national convention in Long Beach, California led to a schism and the formation of a rebel faction. Supporters of physicist John Hagelin refused to accept Pat Buchanan as the party's chairman, and staged a walk-out, which was broadcast live on television.

Ultimately, a court decided Buchanan was the party's nominee, however, the drama surrounding the convention is often credited with leading to the downfall of the Reform Party. Ross Perot, Jesse Ventura, Pat Buchanan, Donald Trump, and other high-profile party members ultimately left the party after the 2000 election.