Assignment – Create a Candidate

In the last section, we learned about the various political parties that exist in the United States today. In this section, we studied how the parties nominate their candidates and how campaigns are run. In this assignment, you’ll put your knowledge from both of these sections together to create a fictional presidential candidate from the party of your choice. Follow the steps below to complete this assignment:

• Select one of the minor parties (not Democrats or Republicans). You may use the Politics1 website or any other resource to select and research your party.
• After you’ve researched your party, create a list of 5 issues that will comprise your candidate’s platform. Make sure it is properly based on the issues supported/opposed by your chosen party.
• Write a brief biography of your candidate. What is his/her background? Why is he/she running for president? Be sure to include factors like gender, age, occupation, etc.
• Write a 1-2 page campaign speech that your candidate could give explaining his/her platform and reason for wanting to be elected. Be sure the speech is persuasive and realistic.

Once you’ve completed this activity, submit your platform list, biography and speech to your instructor. Be sure to include a list of sources you used in your research of your party. This list should include at least two sources, with one being the party’s official homepage.

Point value: 50 points

Grading Rubric:

• Candidate's party is a minor party – 5 points
• 5 issue list of platform (stances on issues) is accurate to the chosen party's points of view – 10 points
• Brief (1-2 page) biography of the candidate answering the questions presented (at minimum) – 10 points
• Campaign speech that is between 1-2 full pages in length, realistically written, containing mention of the platform issues – 25 points