Keniston doesn’t hide the fact that after his participation in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, he joined countless other fellow veterans who returned home different than he left. The stresses of war had taken a toll on both him and his marriage. It’s a little known secret that as many as 35 US military veterans commit suicide every single day in America. Read the article from our sister publication Whiteout Press ’22 Veteran Suicides per Day is actually 35 per Day’ for more information. Fortunately, Chris Keniston didn’t become another statistic. He remarried, fathered three children and joined the Veterans Party of America.

Keniston-Taylor 2016

Detailing the reasons Chris Keniston switched from a lifelong independent to a proud member of the Veterans Party of America, and why he’s running for President, his campaign website explains, ‘Chris has been such a passionate advocate for ethical government that, until February 2015, he refused any party affiliation. He joined the Veterans Party of America because, as a veteran who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution on four separate occasions, he strongly believes in protecting and preserving the Constitutional liberties and individual freedoms of every US citizen, so that they may live according to their beliefs and have the opportunity to pursue any life path they choose within a minimal framework of Constitutional laws.’

Chris Keniston briefly served as the Louisiana VPA State Chair and is currently the National Secretary of the Veterans Party of America. With Keniston and Taylor at the top of the 2016 ticket, the Party is also looking for other candidates to run under them on the ballot in statewide and local races around the country. As detailed here at Opposition News, the Veterans Party of America just opened its 50th state office. The VPA is now present in every state in the country.

The VPA website invites members and supporters to run for office saying, ‘In 2014, hundreds of offices across America went unopposed, including seats in the US Senate and US House of Representatives. Additionally, hundreds of other offices had no candidates at all and they were filled by appointment. This is not how our Founding Fathers envisioned the Democratic Process of Elections functioning. It is designed for citizens to have a choice in representation. These are the opportunities for the Veterans Party of America to take office. We need candidates.’

Chris Keniston – in his own words

In his acceptance speech, Keniston explained, “As a lifelong independent voter, I never expected to be in this position. I never believed in party affiliations. The major parties never represented me. Instead, they forced me to choose between them while producing no positive results. Independent parties too, only seemed to focus attention on a handful of marginally-relevant issues.”

The VPA 2016 Presidential nominee goes on to answer the question of why he’s running for President, “Much like my decision to join the Party, my decision to step up to the plate, and volunteer to be the VPA’s first Presidential candidate was not made in haste. After much soul-searching and deliberation, I was left with a single unanswered question: why not me? I posed that same question to the Town Hall participants who sought to vet me. I expected that they would provide the answer; instead, they have posed this same question to our country: why not Chris?”

He goes on to tout his blue collar, military career, “True, I have never enjoyed a seven-figure salary or cozy political relationships. I have spent my career leading maintenance, reliability, and safety efforts from the grassroots level, where much of the real work of this nation is done. By profession, I am a professional fixer of broken things and broken processes. Would you agree with me that nothing in this country is more broken than the current state of our government?!”

Chris Keniston concludes his VPA nomination acceptance speech by listing five pledges he is making to voters:

• Be exemplary in conduct and demeanor, with supporters and opponents.

• Champion ethical, Constitutional solutions for our nation’s problems.

• Fight for liberty, justice and freedom for ALL Americans.

• Support third-Party efforts to secure at least 5% of the vote at all levels: local, state and federal.

• Stand up to the other two Parties while advocating for the average citizen.

For more information on the Chris Keniston for President campaign, visit ChrisKeniston2016.com. For more information on the Veterans Party of America, visit VeteransPartyOfAmerica.org.