Richardson is the author of A Nation Divided: The 1968 Presidential Campaign, published in 2002. The book describes in detail the "Clean for Gene" phenomenon that led to President Lyndon B. Johnson's startling withdrawal from the race and Robert F. Kennedy's resulting candidacy, as well as the campaigns of Republican Richard M. Nixon and others. He has also authored four books of a planned seven volume series on the history of third party politics in the United States, with a heavy focus on progressive movements. The first volume, "Others: Third-Party Politics From the Nation's Founding to the Rise and Fall of the Greenback-Labor Party" earned a Outstanding Academic Title award for 2005. Richardson has contributed articles to numerous publications and is the co-founder of a blog called Uncovered Politics, which focuses on insurgent candidates and third party politics. Between 1989 and 1992, Richardson served as the National Chairman of The New Democrats, a Progressive reformist group that included Eugene McCarthy and Gary Hart.
Political campaigns
Although a registered Democrat and elected Montgomery Countyprecinct committeeman at the time, Richardson was nominated to run for the position of Pennsylvania Auditor General in 1980 on the Philadelphia-based Consumer Party's ballot line. In that race he finished third with 48,783 votes. In 1988, the Consumer Party again nominated Richardson, this time to run for U.S. Senate. That same year, Richardson was the national campaign manager of former Senator Eugene McCarthy's presidential campaign. McCarthy was also running on the Consumer Party ticket. Richardson was later a senior advisor to McCarthy's final presidential campaign, in which he ran as a candidate in the 1992 Democratic primaries. Richardson was a candidate for the lieutenant governor of Florida in 2010, running with independent gubernatorial candidate Farid Khavari.
2012 presidential campaign
On October 21, 2011, Richardson filed as a candidate in the 2012 New Hampshire Democratic primary and became the first Democrat to file in a primary against President Barack Obama. A total of 14 Democrats, including Obama, eventually filed for the primary ballot. Richardson stated in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he decided to enter the race after failing to convince former Labor Secretary Robert Reich to mount a bid. Richardson also noted his campaign was to be national in scope, with plans to file in numerous other states where ballot access laws would allow him to either pay a qualifying fee or gather signed petitions. In addition to New Hampshire, he qualified for a spot on the Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas Democratic primary ballots, and accumulated 41,730 votes at the end of the primary season. In April 2012, Richardson suspended his presidential campaign, and announced plans to support Reform Party presidential candidate and former Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer in the general election. After Roemer ended his campaign, Richardson backed Roseanne Barr's presidential campaign and organized a Florida chapter of the Peace and Freedom Party.
2016 presidential campaign
On July 22, 2016, Richardson announced his intention to run for the Reform Party's nomination. He lost the nomination to Rocky De La Fuente.
2018 gubernatorial campaign
On June 22, 2018, Richardson became the Reform Party of Florida's nominee for governor, later choosing Nancy Argenziano as his running mate.
On July 15, 2019, Richardson filed with the FEC to run for the Reform Party Nomination in 2020. Richardson later announced that he would be suspending his campaign, but later unsuspended it, before suspending it again to become the running mate of Rocky De La Fuente. He also became De La Fuente's vice-presidential pick for the newly-formed Alliance Party. Richardson became the Alliance Party's vice-presidential nominee on April 25, being introduced at the national convention by Brian Moore and officially nominated by Phil Fuerher.
Electoral history
Books by Darcy G. Richardson
A Nation Divided: The 1968 Presidential Campaign
Others: Third-Party Politics From the Nation's Founding to the Rise and Fall of the Greenback-Labor Party
Others: Third Parties During the Populist Period
Others: Third Parties from Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party to the Decline of Socialism in America
