"If we had a Congress that was more sympathetic to distributism, the [relief] bills that they put together would have favored the little guy," he said.
Abortion is a key issue for members of the ASP. The party platform calls for an end to legal protection for abortion, and it supports social services for mothers in need.
The party says pro-life convictions must also include opposition to euthanasia, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research and the death penalty. Carroll said if he is elected, he would push for a constitutional amendment to define "personhood" as beginning at conception.
In addition, Carroll and the ASP consider steps to address climate change and pollution, as well as racial justice and reconciliation, to be a part of their pro-life convictions.
Distributism, the favored economic theory of the party platform, is a model championed by notable Catholics such as G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc.
The model calls for a broader system of ownership to create a more "local, responsible, and sustainable" economy. The ASP favors a rewrite of regulations and tax incentives to favor small businesses and family farms, rather than major corporations.
The party describes distributism as "an economic system which focuses on creating a society of wide-spread ownership…rather than having the effect of degrading the human person as a cog in the machine."
Carroll says he had never heard the word "distributism" until he joined the ASP, but as soon as he read the description, it clicked for him.
He said he encounters many people, particularly non-Catholics, who like him were not familiar with the vocabulary of the ASP, but who appreciate the platform once they understand the principles behind it.
"All those things are things people everywhere want to see. They may not understand our vocabulary, they may not understand our immediate logic, but everybody, I think, is going to be in favor of the general goals."
Like most political candidates, Carroll's in-person campaigning efforts have been severely curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic. But he says he has engaged with potential voters and those interested in the party via social media.
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As a historian, Carroll said he appreciates that the ASP platform is rooted not just in history, but also in political theory, theology, economics, and ecology.
"There's an amazing amount of intellectual talent in the party, and all of it goes into the platform," he commented.
Carroll admits that his chances of actually winning the presidency are remote. The ASP will be on the November ballot in eight states, and a certified write-in option in two dozen others.
He says he is excited by the party's growth, and says party members are already eying local races for 2022, particularly in Texas.
Like any U.S. third party, Carroll said the ASP hopes to draw converts who typically vote Democrat, Republican, or neither.
"We hope to take an equal number from each party, and then even more so we hope to bring in a lot of people that have simply given up and stopped voting," Carroll told CNA ahead of the debate.