United Citizens Party
The United Citizens Party (UCP) was first organized in 1969 in South Carolina in response to the state Democratic Party's opposition to nominating black candidates. The party's objective was to elect blacks to the legislature and local offices in counties with black majority populations. The party ran candidates in 1970 and 1972; as a result the first three black candidates were elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives since Reconstruction in 1970. Since the opening up of the state Democratic Party to black candidates, the party has mainly served as a means for various third party candidates to appear on the South Carolina Presidential ballot, and for a period of time used the name Patriot Party before returning to its original and current name. In 2000, the UCP was the party that nominated Ralph Nader for President in South Carolina. In 2004, the UCP has chosen to nominate the Socialist Party candidate Walt Brown.
