Common Sense Party of California

The Common Sense Party of California is a political party in the U.S. state of California. It was founded in 2019 and is currently chaired by Tom Campbell.[2] The grassroots movement is currently conducting educational and outreach efforts to acquire enough voter registrations to qualify as a state-recognized political party before the 2024 election year.

Common Sense Party
AbbreviationCSP
ChairpersonTom Campbell
Founded2019
Membership (February 2023)Increase 24,454[1]
IdeologyGovernance Reform
National affiliationForward Party
ColorsBlue, Red, Purple
Statewide Executive Offices
0 / 8
Seats in the State Senate
0 / 40
Seats in the State Assembly
0 / 80
California seats in the U.S. Senate
0 / 2
California seats in the U.S. House
0 / 52
Website
act.cacommonsense.org

History

The Common Sense Party was founded in 2019 by former Republican representative Tom Campbell, former Independent state Senator Quentin Kopp, and former state Commerce Secretary Julie Meier Wright.[3] Coming from diverse and multi-partisan experiences with California politics, they joined forces to create a new political party that would champion governance reform and multi-party representation.

On January 27, 2023, the Common Sense Party and Forward Party announced a coalition in California with the goal of achieving the necessary 73,000 registered voters to gain qualified political party status in the state.[4]

Political positions

The Common Sense Party focuses primarily on opportunities for optimization of the political system rather than specific issues. Examples of political system reform that the party support are campaign finance reform, voting reform, and increased government transparency and accountability.[5]

The party aims to advance policies and endorse candidates that foster inclusion and engagement in governance. It advocates for political reforms that bolster environmental safeguards, allocate resources to support individuals who encounter obstacles to success, and optimize investments in education, healthcare, and transportation.[5]

Voting Reform

The Common Sense Party believes that the current plurality voting system, also known as "winner take all" or "first past the post", does not result in voter engagement. It proposes alternatives to plurality voting, such as ranked choice voting.[5]

Campaign Finance Reform

The Common Sense Party supports campaign finance reform that aims to eliminate the financial prominence of PACs, special interests groups, lobbies, and political parties.[6]

It opposes the ruling of the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC, which prohibited the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations and other associations.

References
  1. Secretary of State of California. "Report of Registration - February 10, 2023" (PDF).
  2. "Signature Gatherers Duped San Diegans Into Signing Up For New Political Party". KPBS Public Media. 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  3. "California needs a party that stands for common sense: Tom Campbell". Orange County Register. 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  4. "Yang's Forward Party eyes California recognition". NewsNation. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  5. "Our Principles". Common Sense Party California. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  6. "Learn More". Common Sense Party California. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
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