Tax assessor

In 2001, Hedges secured the nominations of the Republican and Democratic parties through a write-in campaign; thus, he appeared as the only candidate for Tax Assessor in Thompson Township. He became the first official elected in a partisan election from the Prohibition Party since two members of the Winona Lake, Indiana, city council were elected in 1959. Hedges was reelected in 2005, and served until the office was abolished by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2007.^[10][11][12]

2004 presidential election

Prior to the 2004 presidential election, Hedges was involved in a schism within the party stemming from alleged misuse of funds and mismanagement by Earl Dodge, the party's longtime face. Notably, Hedges and others claimed that Dodge sold the party's headquarters for $119,500 in 1999 with intent to build on his own property, but that Dodge instead kept the money for himself and moved the headquarters to a tool shed. Dodge countered by saying that he placed the funds in a separate party account, and argued that Hedges and others who had put forth the allegations were simply disgruntled with their position in the party. Hedges and his faction formed the Concerns of the People Party to counter Dodge, and nominated Gene Amondson for president. Both Dodge and Hedges claimed their parties were the legitimate Prohibition Party.^[4][13] The split came to an end in 2007 after Dodge's death, and the reunified party again nominated Amondson for president for the 2008 election.^[14]

Presidential campaigns

Wikinews has related news:

• Wikinews interviews Jim Hedges, U.S. Prohibition Party presidential candidate

Hedges announced on February 18, 2010, that he intended to run for the party's presidential nomination for the 2012 election.^[15] Hedges lost the nomination to retired engineer Jack Fellure at the national Convention in Cullman, Alabama, on June 22, 2011.^[16]

Hedges received the Prohibition presidential nomination for the 2016 election during a nominating convention held via conference call on July 31, 2015.^[9] Hedges was a contestant in the American Independent Party primary in California where received 10.56% and carried Lake County.^[17]

Hedges appeared on the ballot in Arkansas, Colorado, and Mississippi and received 5,617 votes.^[18][19][20] He was the first Prohibitionist presidential candidate to appear on the ballot in Mississippi since 1896.^[21] He had the best performance for a Prohibionist presidential nominee since 1988 and placed third in Arkansas County, Arkansas.^[22]