Constitution Party mainstay moving to Flathead
Chuck Baldwin, a former Constitution Party presidential candidate and Baptist pastor from Pensacola, Fla., plans to move to the Flathead Valley with his family.
Baldwin, 58, retired as pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church last Sunday and will preach his last two messages at the church on Sunday, Sept. 5.
Baldwin, who founded the church 35 years ago, plans to move his extended family of 17 to Flathead County in six weeks or so.
That group includes Baldwin’s wife, Connie, three children and their spouses, seven grandchildren and Connie’s parents. Baldwin said he and his wife have a place lined up in Kila.
“God has led us to the conviction that Montana, along with other mountain states, is going to be the tip of the spear in the freedom fight; and we believe God wants us to be part of that fight,” he said in a letter he wrote to his supporters.
“We are convinced that the only way freedom has a chance to survive in these states united is to recapture the spirit of liberty — one state at a time. (To continue to focus on Washington, D.C. is a waste of time and energy!) God has led us to the conclusion that Montana (and nearby states) is the place where freedom-minded patriots have a fighting chance to prevail.
“I have seen the states where the love of liberty still burns bright. And I (and my family) believe that there are more freedom-minded people (per capita and per square mile) in Montana than, perhaps, in any other state in the nation.”
Baldwin told the Inter Lake in a phone interview that he spoke this year at the University of Montana and in Hamilton and has come to believe that Montana is a freedom-loving place.
“We love that area,” he said of Northwest Montana. “We love the people. We felt at home,” he said, noting they visited Glacier Park after the 2008 presidential campaign.
Baldwin said his family plans to start a new ministry and he might even run for political office in the Treasure State.
Baldwin was the Constitution Party’s presidential nominee in 2008 and also served as its vice-presidential nominee in 2004. He garnered some 200,000 votes in 2008.
In 2008, Baldwin received the endorsement of Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul for president after Paul ended his own campaign. Baldwin earlier had endorsed Paul in the Republican primaries. The Montana Constitution Party nominated Paul and not Baldwin for president, which it could do since it was not aligned with the national Constitution Party.
Even though Montana has a lot of Democrat officials — U.S. Rep. Denny Rehburg is the Republicans’ only statewide elected office holder — Baldwin said he doesn’t place a lot of confidence in party labels. He believes Montanans have a love of freedom and an independent spirit, along with the residents of Idaho, Wyoming and the Dakotas.
Although President Barack Obama lost Montana by only 3 percent to Sen. John McCain in the 2008 election, Baldwin said the closeness of the race was because “people were fed up with the George Bush brand of Republicanism, and so was I.”
Baldwin is the host of a syndicated radio talk show, “Chuck Baldwin Live,” which made its national debut in 2001. His writings appear weekly on his website and in various newspapers, news magazines and Internet sites. He plans to continue the website chuckbaldwinlive.com after the move, but will discontinue the radio program.
Reporter Caleb Soptelean may be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at csoptelean@dailyinterlake.com.