Changes

In 1982, Phillips and the [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] political activist Clymer Wright urged Reagan to dismiss [[James A. Baker, III (DOS)]], a Houston [[attorney]] and close ally of then Vice President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]. Reagan rejected the Wright-Phillips request, and in 1985, named Baker as [[United States Secretary of the Treasury]], at Baker's request in a job-swap with then Secretary [[Donald T. Regan]], a former Merrill Lynch officer who became chief of staff. Reagan also rebuked Phillips and Wright for waging a "campaign of sabotage" against Baker.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/05/us/briefing-186924.html|author=Phil Gailey and Warren Weaver, Jr.,|title=Briefing|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=June 5, 1982|accessdate=January 27, 2011}}</ref>​

In 1982, Phillips and the [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] political activist Clymer Wright urged Reagan to dismiss [[James A. Baker, III (DOS)]], a Houston [[attorney]] and close ally of then Vice President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]. Reagan rejected the Wright-Phillips request, and in 1985, named Baker as [[United States Secretary of the Treasury]], at Baker's request in a job-swap with then Secretary [[Donald T. Regan]], a former Merrill Lynch officer who became chief of staff. Reagan also rebuked Phillips and Wright for waging a "campaign of sabotage" against Baker.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/05/us/briefing-186924.html|author=Phil Gailey and Warren Weaver, Jr.,|title=Briefing|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=June 5, 1982|accessdate=January 27, 2011}}</ref>​

The fight against James Baker was not Phillips' first clash with Reagan. The year before in 1981, he and his friend, the Reverend [[Jerry Falwell]] of Lynchburg, Virginia, opposed the fateful nomination of Moderate Republican [[Sandra Day O'Connor]] of [[Arizona] to the [[United States Supreme Court]] in order to fulfill Reagan's campaign promise that he would appoint the first woman to the high court.  According to Phillips, "People say you can't tell how a Supreme Court nominee will turn out once on the bench. I respectfully disagree. In most cases, it's very clear. I opposed the nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor because it was very clear that she had a pro-[[abortion]] record in the Arizona State Senate and as a state court judge. She was also allied with [[Planned Parenthood]]."<ref name=dflynn>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103215640/http://www.flynnfiles.com/blog/phillips/phillips1.htm|title=Interview with Howard Phillips|author=Daniel J. Flynn|publisher=Flynnfiles.com|date=January 3, 2012|accessdate=April 22, 2013}}</ref>

The fight against James Baker was not Phillips' first clash with Reagan. The year before in 1981, he and his friend, the Reverend [[Jerry Falwell]] of Lynchburg, Virginia, opposed the fateful nomination of Moderate Republican [[Sandra Day O'Connor]] of [[Arizona]] to the [[United States Supreme Court]] in order to fulfill Reagan's campaign promise that he would appoint the first woman to the high court.  According to Phillips, "People say you can't tell how a Supreme Court nominee will turn out once on the bench. I respectfully disagree. In most cases, it's very clear. I opposed the nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor because it was very clear that she had a pro-[[abortion]] record in the Arizona State Senate and as a state court judge. She was also allied with [[Planned Parenthood]]."<ref name=dflynn>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103215640/http://www.flynnfiles.com/blog/phillips/phillips1.htm|title=Interview with Howard Phillips|author=Daniel J. Flynn|publisher=Flynnfiles.com|date=January 3, 2012|accessdate=April 22, 2013}}</ref>

In 1990, Phillips opposed the first President Bush's nomination of [[David Souter]] of [[New Hampshire]] to the high court.<ref name="lion"/> Phillips said that he opposed Souter because "I read his senior thesis at Harvard in which he said he was a egal positivist and one of his heroes was [[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.]], and that he rejected all higher law theories, such as those spelled out in our [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. In addition, he was a trustee of two hospitals: Dartmouth Hitchcock and Concord Memorial. He successfully changed the policy of those two hospitals from zero abortion to convenience abortion."<ref name=dflynn/>​

In 1990, Phillips opposed the first President Bush's nomination of [[David Souter]] of [[New Hampshire]] to the high court.<ref name="lion"/> Phillips said that he opposed Souter because "I read his senior thesis at Harvard in which he said he was a egal positivist and one of his heroes was [[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.]], and that he rejected all higher law theories, such as those spelled out in our [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. In addition, he was a trustee of two hospitals: Dartmouth Hitchcock and Concord Memorial. He successfully changed the policy of those two hospitals from zero abortion to convenience abortion."<ref name=dflynn/>​

In 1996, Phillips was nominated by the U.S. Taxpayers Party, in [[San Diego], California, where the Republicans also met to nominate the unsuccessful [[Bob Dole]]-[[Jack Kemp]] ticket. Phillips finished sixth with 184,656 votes (0.19 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1996&minper=0&f=0&off=0&elect=0|title= 1996 Presidential General Election Results|publsisher=Uselectionatlas.org|accessdate=June 6, 2020}}</ref>​  

In 1996, Phillips was nominated by the U.S. Taxpayers Party, in [[San Diego], California, where the Republicans also met to nominate the unsuccessful [[Bob Dole]]-[[Jack Kemp]] ticket. Phillips finished sixth with 184,656 votes (0.19 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1996&minper=0&f=0&off=0&elect=0|title= 1996 Presidential General Election Results|publsisher=Uselectionatlas.org|accessdate=June 6, 2020}}</ref>​  

In 2000, Phillips ran as the Constitution Party nominee against Moderate Republican [[George W. Bush]] and [[Al Gore], the vice-president under Bill Clinton and a former U.S. senator from [[Tennessee]]. In that contest, Phillips received 98,020 votes (0.1 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2000presgeresults.htm |title=2000 official presidential general election results|publisher=Federal Election Commission|accessdate=June 6, 2020}}</ref>​

In 2000, Phillips ran as the Constitution Party nominee against Moderate Republican [[George W. Bush]] and [[Al Gore], the vice-president under Bill Clinton and a former U.S. senator from [[Tennessee]]. In that contest, Phillips received 98,020 votes (0.1 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2000presgeresults.htm |title=2000 official presidential general election results|publisher=Federal Election Commission|accessdate=June 6, 2020}}</ref>

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==Death==​

​==Death==

 

Phillips died at his home in Vienna, Virginia, on April 20, 2013 at the age of 72 after a battle with frontotemporal dementia and [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref name="activist"/><ref name="stalwart"/> A private service was held on April 29, 2013,<ref name="lion"/> The officiating pastor  [[Chuck Baldwin]], had been the 2008 Constitution Party presidential nominee who opposed [[John McCain]] and [[Barack Obama]], and later [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/baldwin/130426|author=[[Chuck Baldwin]]|title=A Great Man Has Fallen|publisher=renewamerica.com|accessdate=April 26, 2013}}</ref>​

Phillips died at his home in Vienna, Virginia, on April 20, 2013 at the age of 72 after a battle with frontotemporal dementia and [[Alzheimer's disease]].<ref name="activist"/><ref name="stalwart"/> A private service was held on April 29, 2013,<ref name="lion"/> The officiating pastor  [[Chuck Baldwin]], had been the 2008 Constitution Party presidential nominee who opposed [[John McCain]] and [[Barack Obama]], and later [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/baldwin/130426|author=[[Chuck Baldwin]]|title=A Great Man Has Fallen|publisher=renewamerica.com|accessdate=April 26, 2013}}</ref>​