Press Release

March 20, 2000

The Reform Party has just concluded its National Planning Convention 2000, held March 17 through 19, 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada. More than 150 attended, including 115 credentialed delegates. Delegates to the Convention unanimously affirmed Jack Gargan as Reform Party National Chairman and Ronn Young as National Treasurer. Vacancies in national offices and the Executive Committee were filled. Bylaws were adopted, and rules for the selection of presidential and vice-presidential nominees were amended.

Three presidential candidates attended and addressed the Convention — Erik Thompson, Charles Collins, and Bob Bowman. All three were warmly recieved. John Hagelin, founder of the Natural Law Party, sent a representative to express his regrets at not being able to attend. No other candidates were heard from, and it is assumed that the rest are no longer seeking the party’s nomination. Bob Bowman, the overwhelming favorite for the nomination, had delegates on their feet cheering his fiery Convention address. If the nominee had been selected at this convention, it certainly would have been Bowman.

The nominee will be selected by a national mail-in primary in early July and announced at the Nominating Convention in mid-to-late July. Seven convention cities were presented to the delegates, each of whom selected their top three choices. The Convention Committee will negotiate with the top choices, the first being St. Paul, Minnesota, the clear favorite of the delegates.

This week, Mar 22-25, a jury trial in Lynchburg, Virginia, will decide the future of the Reform Party, USA. It will decide the legality of a Feb 12th meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, in which a faction led by ex-Chairman Russ Verney and supporters of Pat Buchanan attempted to oust Jack Gargan and Ronn Young. At stake is the party name, its status as a minor party with ballot access in 21 states, and about $15 million in federal funding. Hopes are high that the jury will invalidate the clearly-illegal proceedings in Nashville and confirm Jack Gargan as the rightful National Chairman of the Reform Party.

At the end of the Las Vegas Convention, Bob Bowman announced that should the Dallas faction win, he will not pursue their party’s nomination, but will help Jack Gargan, Ronn Young, and the delegates gathered in Las Vegas form a new grassroots party.

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