Charles O. "Chuck" Baldwin (born May 3, 1952) is an American political figure, activist in the Constitution Party, and pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. He hosts a weekly radio program and writes a twice-weekly news column carried on his Internet website and on the VDare.org site as well.
Baldwin was born in La Porte, Indiana, to Mr. and Mrs. Edwin J. Baldwin. The senior Baldwin, who conducted a successful jail ministry in La Porte, was a native of Arkansas. From 1980 to 1984, Baldwin served as Pensacola chairman and then state chairman of the Florida Moral Majority, organized by the late Reverend Jerry Falwell of Lynchburg, Virginia.
Baldwin graduated from La Porte High School in 1971 and then attended Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan, for two years. On June 2, 1973, Baldwin married the former Connie Kay Cole, whom he met in college. They currently have three children and six grandchildren. He enrolled in the Thomas Road Bible Institute (now the Liberty Bible Institute at Liberty University) and graduated with a Bible diploma. He then earned bachelor's and master's degrees in theology through external programs from Christian Bible College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Baldwin has received two honorary doctor of divinity degrees -- from Christian Bible College and from Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1980 and 1984, Baldwin worked in the Florida Moral Majority to carry the state for the Reagan-Bush electors. He claims to have played a major part in the registration of some fifty thousand Christian conservative voters. In 2000, however, he repudiated Republican Party presidential nominee, Governor George W. Bush of Texas, as too liberal and vacated the Republican Party.
In the 2004 presidential election, Baldwin was Michael Peroutka's running mate and candidate for Vice President of the United States. The two ran on a platform of "God, Family, and Republic." The Peroutka/Baldwin campaign publicly spoke out against abortion, women in the military, and the Iraq War.
Baldwin is a staunch opponent of President George W. Bush, whom he considers roughly equivalent to national Democrats. In 2006 he voted in favor of disaffiliating the Independent American Party of Nevada from the Constitution Party. Although Baldwin's role as vice-presidential candidate for the Constitution Party in 2004 has led to speculation that he would seek its presidential nomination in 2008, Baldwin himself has said that he has "been asked this question quite often... but I have no desire to run". However, with respect to the question, he also has said, "I am always open to God's will".
Baldwin effectively endorsed Congressman Ron Paul in the 2008 presidential election in a column on August 30, 2007, entitled "Conservative Republicans have only one choice", having declared: "Let's cut to the chase: conservative Republicans have only one choice for President in 2008: Congressman Ron Paul of Texas. Unlike the GOP frontrunners, Paul is the real deal." On December 19, 2007 he released a video officially endorsing Congressman Paul.
Baldwin has written specifically against the candidacies of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mitt Romney, and Rudolph Giuliani. Prior to Reverend Falwell's death, Baldwin had criticized his old mentor for a tendency to support official Republican nominees in general elections regardless of the candidates' positions on issues of importance to conservatives. He decried Falwell's past affiliation with George W. Bush. Jonathan Falwell, Jerry Falwell's heir as pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, meanwhile, has endorsed Huckabee for the GOP nomination, another candidate that Baldwin strongly repudiates.
On December 7, 2007, Baldwin issued this statement in a column:
