Steps to Obtaining Candidate Endorsement

Steps to Obtaining Candidate Endorsement from the Christian Party of America

The Christian Party of America makes every attempt to vet candidates thoroughly, according to the candidate’s full endorsement and behavior in agreement with the Principles, Platform and Full Member Pledge of the Christian Party of America.

The following guidelines should be met by members of the Christian Party of America who would like to nominate a candidate to obtain endorsement from the Christian Party of America.

1. All candidate endorsements by any section of the Christian Party of America (state, county, local) are approved solely by the Executive Board of the Christian Party of America.

2. The candidate must have been an active Full Member of the Christian Party of America for a year before applying for endorsement.

3. Review the Christian Party of America Gold Standard System for Rating Political Candidates below to ensure your candidate meets these qualifications before nominating them for endorsement. 

4.  After gaining endorsement from the Christian Party of America, review the candidate requirements from your State or County Election Board and ensure your candidate follows all campaign laws.  Assist your candidate, in any non-Ballot access states, with gaining any signatures necessary to be a write-in candidate or to get their name on the ballot. 

The Christian Party’s Gold Standard System for Rating Political Candidates 

Note: The CPA is the sole developer of the CPA’s “Gold Standard” Candidate Vetting Program, which involves scoring, ranking, and, when and if appropriate, endorsing prospective candidates for any and all political offices. Also, the CPA’s Designated Administrators are the exclusive authorized administrators of this program. 

Program Admission Requirements (PAR)

I. Application Requirements

A. The applicant for candidacy shall not be affiliated with any other political party affiliation at the time of application nor, if accepted to the program, for two full years from that time. Note: According to official CPA policy, no candidate(s) of another political party(ies) can be endorsed by the Christian Party

1. The applicant for candidacy must be either a Christian Party member-in-good-standing and have been such for no fewer than 360 consecutive days contemporaneous to his/her application, or 

2. The applicant for candidacy must be an independent candidate for, at least, the same period of time. 

3. Christian Party members, who apply to this program for candidacy/endorsement, must sign an official agreement to remain a Christian Party member in good standing for no less than two consecutive years from the time of acceptance to this candidate rating/endorsement program. 

4. The applicant for candidacy must confirm that he/she has read and understood the “CPA Principles”. 

B. All pertinent legal requirements for the office sought must be met. (Actual filing to run for office with the state or county, whichever is appropriate to the office sought, may be accomplished after this vetting process has been completed.) 

In order to receive the endorsement of the CPA, an application for approval of candidacy shall include the following documents: 

1. A Letter of Agreement to the candidacy from the spouse of the applicant, if married 

2. A Letter of Recommendation for the candidacy from a current or former authority over the applicant (i.e., parent, pastor, or employer) 

3. A Signed Commitment of Support from a minimum of ten individuals not of the applicant’s immediate family 

4. A signed contract by the applicant, which shall include the following: 

a. the applicant agrees to conduct his/her campaign according to sound ethical principles. 

b. the applicant agrees to support the “Principles”, platform, and overall goals of the Christian Party. 

c. the applicant acknowledges that he/she, if not approved for candidacy, may not associate any subsequent campaigning for his/her desired office during the pending election cycle with the Christian Party and acknowledges that he/she is not eligible for financial assistance from the Christian Party; 

d. that, if rejected, the applicant by his/her signature shall surrender any and all future claim(s) and complaint(s) against the Christian Party and its officers, and 

e. that similarly, by signature, if the applicant is approved, and, then, violates one or more of the requirements for candidacy – even, if elected -- after having accepting financial support from the Christian Party, must reimburse the Party in full. 

II. The Screening Test

A. All applicants who have met the standards listed in the “Application Requirements” section (Section I) of this document shall be assigned a date and time for examination. 

B. All applicants, who are examined, shall be evaluated according to the standards listed in the “Christian Party of America Candidate Scoring Guide”. Testing shall be performed by a panel of no fewer than three authorized examiners and may be conducted either in person or by means of electronic communication.

C. All examined candidates shall be graded with a percentile score ranging from 0 to 100%. Only candidates who receive a combined score (the average of all the examiners’ individual scores) of 70% or higher will be accepted for possible endorsement. If there are two or more accepted candidates for any given political office, the candidates will be ranked from highest to lowest in terms of their respective scores. The highest ranking candidate, who retains eligibility according to the Christian Party’s standards and candidate requirements, will be endorsed for the office under consideration. If an endorsed candidate at any time violates any term(s) of the “signed contract” listed in Part I, Section B, Subsection 4 of this document, the Christian Party will rescind its endorsement.

III. Extent of Applicability: all candidates and prospective candidates of the Christian Party of America for nationwide, state or local offices 

Note: Previously rejected applicants may re-apply and earn Christian Party eligibility for future election cycles and campaigns. 

Disclaimer: Neither the Christian Party of America, nor any of its state affiliates, nor any of its local affiliates, representatives of any or all of the same shall bear any legal, financial, or other obligation or responsibility with respect to any candidate(s), prospective candidate(s), or conditions arising with respect to any candidacy(ies) in connection to this program. The Christian Party of America, its state affiliates, its local affiliates, and representatives of any or all of the same are fully indemnified.