Michael Peroutka

Michael Anthony Peroutka (born 1952) is a Maryland lawyer, the founder of The Institute on the Constitution and once held a position in the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Peroutka is a graduate of Loyola College in Maryland and the University of Baltimore School of Law. He is the Chairman of the Constitution Party of Maryland and a member of the Executive Committee of the Constitution Party National Committee. Michael and his wife, Diane, live in Millersville, Maryland with their three children, Timothy, Patrick, and Elizabeth.

Anthony and Elizabeth Peroutka, parents of Michael, reportedly inspired his turn to public service at an early age. He has four siblings.

He was the Constitution Party candidate for president of the United States in 2004. He ran on a platform of "God, Family, Republic", emphasizing the Bible, the traditional family, and the need for a more constitutional government in his campaign. His running mate was Baptist minister Chuck Baldwin. He gained a certain amount of support from a segment of paleoconservatives, and was also endorsed by the America First Party.

Political commentator Pat Buchanan revealed on Hardball with Chris Matthews to Chris Matthews that he had considered voting for Peroutka. Peroutka received just over one-tenth of one percent of the national popular vote, finishing fifth nationally with just under 150,000 votes. This was a showing similar to previous Constitution Party candidacies of Howard Phillips.

External links

• Peroutka for President 2004 (http://www.peroutka2004.com/)
• The Constitution Party official site (http://www.constitutionparty.com/)