Serve America Movement

{{Infobox political party

| name = Serve America Movement

| logo = Serve America Movement blue logo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert

| logo_size = 100

| colorcode = {{party color|Serve America Movement}}

| abbreviation = SAM

| foundation = April 2017{{cite web|url=http://www.syracuse.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/06/who_is_the_serve_america_movement_obscure_centrist_group_backs_miners_bid_for_go.html|title=What is Serve America Movement? Obscure new party backs Stephanie Miner for governor |website=The Post-Standard|date=19 June 2018 }}

| ideology = Majority:
Neoconservatism
Conservative liberalism
Electoral reform
Factions:
Conservatism
Liberalism

| position = Big tent

| dissolved = July 27, 2022

| colors = {{Color box|#CC0C2F|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|#002C77|border=darkgray}} Red, white and blue (national colors)

| headquarters = Denver, Colorado{{cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/kansas-new-party-of-the-center-joins-with-national-group/|title=Kansas' new Party of the Center joins with national group|date=March 3, 2018|website=The Seattle Times}}

| country = the United States

| membership_year = November 2020

| merged = Forward Party

| membership = {{increase}} 649{{cite web |title=Enrollment by County {{!}} New York State Board of Elections |date=2020-11-01 |website=elections.ny.gov |url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/EnrollmentCounty.html}}

}}

The Serve America Movement (SAM) was a big tent political organization founded in 2017 by Morgan Stanley attorney Eric Grossman.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-07-02/a-morgan-stanley-star-wants-you-to-back-his-political-movement|title=A Morgan Stanley Star Wants You to Back His Political Movement|date=July 2, 2018|website=Bloomberg}} The party achieved its first state party in New York with ballot access, but as of November 4, 2021, it lost its ballot status. Under New York election law, parties must get more than 130,000 votes every two years to maintain ballot access.{{Cite web |url=https://ballot-access.org/2021/12/03/new-york-libertarian-and-green-parties-file-reply-brief-in-ballot-access-case-in-second-circuit/ |title=New York Libertarian and Green Parties file Reply Brief in Ballot Access Case in Second Circuit| date=December 3, 2021 | access-date=February 8, 2022 | author=Winger, Richard}} Party officials said afterward they intended to surpass the state elections vote requirement and use petitions to gain ballot access in other states, in order to contest future elections.{{cite web|url=https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2020/11/only-two-minor-parties-in-new-york-will-keep-their-ballot-access/175486/|title=Only two minor parties in New York will keep their ballot access|date=November 4, 2020|access-date=February 8, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=http://joinsam.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307190832/http://joinsam.org/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=March 7, 2017|title=Join Sam (homepage)|website=SAM - Serve America Movement}}

The party contested its first election in the New York gubernatorial election of 2018 with candidate Stephanie A. Miner (SAM), former chairperson of the New York Democratic Party and former mayor of Syracuse. It merged with the Forward Party and the Renew America Movement in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Chen |first=Shawna |date=2022-07-28 |title=Yang announces new Forward party with other centrist groups |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/07/28/andrew-yang-forward-party-merger |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=Axios |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Reid |first=Tim |date=2022-07-28 |title=Former Republicans and Democrats form new third U.S. political party |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/exclusive-former-republicans-democrats-form-new-third-us-political-party-2022-07-27/ |access-date=2022-07-28}}

Foundation and history

The party's founders previously worked as staffers for George W. Bush, including CEO Sarah Lenti, who served under Condoleezza Rice as a Director on the National Security Council, and Reed Galen, who worked on three presidential campaigns and is chief strategist of the party.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bush-staffers-new-political-party-serve-america-movement-2018-4|title=Ex-Bush staffers are trying to build their own political party - and they know it's going to be a steep climb|date=April 11, 2018|website=Business Insider}}

On June 18, 2018, Stephanie Miner, a member of the Democratic Party, announced she would run for the 2018 New York gubernatorial election under the party. Miner subsequently picked former Republican Mayor of Pelham Michael Volpe as her running mate.{{Cite web|url=http://cnycentral.com/news/local/miner-picks-republican-village-mayor-as-running-mate-in-governors-race|title=Miner picks Republican village mayor as running mate in governor's race|date=June 25, 2018|website=CNYCentral.com}}

The former party chair, Scott Muller, stated that he intends to register the party in New York before expanding to create a national party. Miner was required to achieve 50,000 votes in the election, or use petitions, to gain permanent ballot access for the next four years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.syracuse.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/06/who_is_the_serve_america_movement_obscure_centrist_group_backs_miners_bid_for_go.html|title=What is Serve America Movement? Obscure new party backs Stephanie Miner for governor|website=Syracuse.com|date=19 June 2018}}

SAM announced in 2018 that they would work with the newly created, Kansas-based Party of the Center to gather the 18,000 petition signatures necessary to certify the party on Kansas ballots.{{Cite web|url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2018/feb/28/national-group-joins-petition-drive-launch-party-c/|title=National group joins effort to launch Party of the Center in Kansas|date=February 28, 2018|website=LJWorld (Lawrence Journal World)}}

On August 21, 2018, SAM achieved ballot access for their first electoral race in the New York gubernatorial election in 2018. The party gained 40,000 signatures, which far exceeded the 15,000 required, and the petitions were subsequently deemed valid.{{Cite web|url=https://www.syracuse.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/09/cuomo_ally_drops_bid_to_boot_stephanie_miner_from_governors_ballot.html|title=Cuomo allies drop bid to boot Stephanie Miner from governor's ballot|date=September 5, 2018|website=Syracuse.com}} This enabled them to form a SAM party within the state of New York to contest any future elections they choose to enter. On November 11, 2018, SAM became a ballot-access qualified party in New York state after Miner got 50,672 votes on the party line.{{Cite news|url=https://www.syracuse.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/11/stephanie_miner_syracuse_new_york_governor_election_2018.html|title=Stephanie Miner wins ballot line for new Serve America Movement in NY governor race|work=syracuse.com|access-date=2018-11-07|language=en-US}}

On January 14, 2020, SAM filed a lawsuit against a new law enacted in New York which would remove ballot access from parties if they do not receive 130,000 votes or 2% of the presidential popular vote, whichever is greater.{{Cite news |date=January 14, 2020 |title=SAM Party Files Federal Lawsuit Against New York Requirement that Parties Poll 130,000 Votes for President |work=Ballot Access News |url=http://ballot-access.org/2020/01/14/sam-party-files-federal-lawsuit-against-new-york-requirement-that-parties-poll-130000-votes-for-president/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200913211038/http://ballot-access.org/2020/01/14/sam-party-files-federal-lawsuit-against-new-york-requirement-that-parties-poll-130000-votes-for-president/ |archive-date=September 13, 2020 |access-date=September 13, 2020 }}

In May 2020, SAM named David Jolly as executive chairman.{{Cite web|url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/331849-david-jolly-named-executive-chairman-of-serve-america-movement|title = David Jolly named executive chairman of Serve America Movement|date = 11 May 2020}} Jolly is a former Republican{{Cite web|url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/276927-david-jolly-dumps-the-gop|title=David Jolly officially breaks up with the Republican Party|date=9 October 2018}} who served as a Member of Congress from Florida's 13th congressional district from 2014 to 2017.

As of November 1, 2020, there were 649 registered members of SAM in New York.

The party has received most of its financial support from Charles Wall, a former vice chairman of Philip Morris International, who provided more than 93% of the group's funding in 2020.{{cite web

| url = https://www.axios.com/tobacco-third-party-serve-america-movement-2c285be1-805c-423d-bd2d-4b4b16397728.html | title = Ex-tobacco exec bankrolls centrist third party | last = Markay | first = Lachlan | date = Feb 28, 2021| website = Axios | publisher = Axios Media Inc. | access-date = 2021-04-21}}

The party announced they were merging with the Forward Party and the Renew America Movement on July 27, 2022.

Ideology

The party generally took a big tent approach, as it was founded by former George W. Bush administration staff members. As a result of the ideological foundations of the party, it aimed to attract both moderate Republicans, Independents, and centrist Democrats{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/nyregion/miner-cuomo-ny-governor-election.html|title=Stephanie Miner to Make Independent Bid to Challenge Cuomo|date=June 18, 2018|website=The New York Times|last1=Goldmacher|first1=Shane}} in a movement to work for numerous electoral reforms like Ranked Choice Voting, and Open primaries.

=Party platform=

The party followed a set of general principles rather than an objective ideology of policies, in order to pursue a common outcome without divisive political differences.{{Cite web|url=http://joinsam.org/our-principles-priorities/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629212029/http://joinsam.org/our-principles-priorities/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 29, 2018|title=Our Principles|website=SAM - Serve America Movement}}

The party's priorities include:

Addressing income inequality
Innovating health care
Improving the education system
Remaining fiscally responsible
Promoting diversity
Embracing free markets
Providing simple and fair tax
Supporting liberal democracy domestically and internationally
Undertaking criminal justice reform
Pursue electoral reform (including repealing sore loser laws){{cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Repeal "Sore Loser" Laws |url=https://joinsam.org/reforms/sore-loser-laws |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127232756/https://joinsam.org/reforms/sore-loser-laws/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 27, 2020 |access-date=12 February 2021 |website=Serve America Movement}}
Rejecting isolationism

Electoral history

=Gubernatorial nominees=

class="wikitable" \|+ ! colspan="8" \|Serve America Movement gubernatorial tickets – New York
Year !State !Nominee !Running mate !Vote count !Percentage !Place !Notes
2018 \|New York \|Stephanie Miner \|Michael Volpe \|51,367 \|.89 \|5th \|

class="wikitable"

! colspan="8" |Serve America Movement gubernatorial tickets – New York

Year

!State

!Nominee

!Running mate

!Vote count

!Percentage

!Place

!Notes

2018

|New York

|Stephanie Miner

|Michael Volpe

|51,367

|.89

|5th

Voter registration

New York:

Year	RV	%	Change
class="wikitable"
2018	0	(0.00%)	{{steady}}{{cite web\|title=New York Registered Voters 2018 \|url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/enrollment/county/county_feb19.pdf \|website=elections.ny.gov}}
2019	161	(>0.00%)	{{increase}} +∞%{{cite web\|title=New York Registered Voters 2019 \|url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/enrollment/county/county_nov19.xlsx \|website=elections.ny.gov}}
2020	349	(>0.00%)	{{increase}} +116.8%{{cite web\|title=New York Registered Voters 2020\| url=https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/enrollment/county/county_feb20.xlsx \|website=elections.ny.gov}}

In the 2020 New York primary, more votes were recorded for the party than the number of its registered voters.{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2020/06/24/nyc-poll-snafus-caused-hundreds-of-democrats-to-vote-in-3rd-party-primary/|title = NYC poll snafus caused hundreds of Democrats to vote in tiny 3rd party primary|date = 24 June 2020}}