Buddy Roemer to Seek Third-Party Presidential Nomination
Brian William Greene

Buddy Roemer, the former Louisiana governor whose bid for the Republican presidential nomination has been largely ignored, announced he will seek an independent ticket for the 2012 election.

In a statement, Roemer explained that he is abandoning his bid for the Republican nomination:

I will formally end my bid for the GOP nomination for President of the United States. As the GOP and the networks host debate number twenty-something this evening, they have once again turned their backs on the democratic process by choosing to exclude a former Governor and Congressman.

Roemer said that he will seek the nomination of Americans Elect, a nonpartisan, third-party Internet effort that plans on applying for presidential ballot spots in all 50 states. The group will hold an Internet primary in June to determine their presidential candidate.

Roemer also intends to seek the nomination from the Reform Party, the party started by Ross Perot in 1995 whose members have included Jesse Ventura, Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader.

During his ill-fated GOP run, Roemer railed against the excessive spending of special interests and super PACs, refusing to accept individual donations over $100. He raised around $340,000 during the course of his campaign.

Roemer plans to promote the same message he has been discussing since the beginning of his presidential campaign, but it will now come with the backing of a different party.

"Together, we will take on the special interests that control our leaders and end the corruptive influence of money in politics so we can focus on America's top priority - jobs," Roemer said in his statement.