The Whig Party essentially faded after existence in the early 1850s as the issue of slavery gripped the nation and anti-slavery advocates came together to form what eventally became the Republican Party, but there’s now a Whig holding elected office in Philadelphia:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Voters in Philadelphia have elected a Whig to public office for what the victor believes may be the first time in nearly 160 years.
Robert “Heshy” Bucholz, a member of the Modern Whig party, campaigned door-to-door and won 36 votes to his Democratic opponent’s 24 on Tuesday to become an election judge in the city’s Rhawnhurst section.
Election judges, who serve four-year terms, receive about $100 annually and are responsible for overseeing equipment and procedures at the polls.
Now a heavily Democratic city, Philadelphia’s last Whig mayor was elected in 1854. It’s hard to verify whether Whigs won any lower offices after that, said Stephanie Singer, one of three commissioners overseeing local elections.
Previously an independent, Bucholz said he joined the Whigs three years ago because of their fiscally conservative but socially liberal views. They represent a sensible “middle path” between Democrats and Republicans, especially in light of the recent government shutdown, he said.
“That pretty much told us we can’t trust either party and the system is broken,” Bucholz said Thursday.
The website of the “Modern Whig Party” can be found here. The extent to which they actually follow a platform similar to the classic Whig Party from 160 years ago is a bit debatable, though.
