After a campaign touting his stands on civil liberties, foreign affairs, and religion, Baldwin won the nomination at the April 26 Constitution Party National Convention.

During the general election, Baldwin expressed paleo-conservative positions on a number of issues including protectionism on trade, nonintervention in foreign affairs, religious practice in the public sphere, and nativism.

He cast himself as a close ally of 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Representative Ron Paul, who ultimately endorsed Baldwin's campaign.

In the 1970s, he founded Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, which President Ronald Reagan recognized for its growth and influence.

"[3] He praised Congressmen Tom Tancredo and Ron Paul as well as activists Pat Buchanan and Alan Keyes, but stated that the Republican Party had steered too far to the left for him to support any of their candidates for president.

[9] Until the convention, Baldwin did not campaign and in an April 17 interview with Miller Politics, he stated that he was "not running" but merely placing his name into consideration, "trusting that God will reveal His will accordingly.

He won the majority of delegates from most states with the exceptions of Missouri, Maryland, and Oklahoma, where Keyes narrowly edged Baldwin.

He expressed frustration with evangelicals who "coalesc[e] around John McCain" despite his "twenty-plus year track record of liberal policies.

Comments surfaced that were made by Baldwin, raising the possibility of a 9/11 conspiracy theory of a controlled demolition stating, "I don't know whether there was any kind of an inside apparatus involved in this or not...

[27] The campaign began in August by announcing its plans to participate in a demonstration against illegal immigration in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.

Baldwin was joined by Bob Barr, Alan Keyes and Tom Tancredo at the "Rally Against Illegal Immigration" during the first day of the convention.

[29] On September 10, Baldwin appeared on the Lou Dobbs Tonight television program on CNN where he proclaimed that if elected president he would release U.S. Border agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos.

[30] In October, Baldwin was interviewed by NPR where he discussed his opposition to the Federal Reserve, which he described as a "fraudulent system" and which he blamed for the financial crisis of 2007–2008.

[33] He was a write-in candidate in eleven additional states including Montana where Ron Paul was listed as the party's nominee.

In 2012, he briefly ran for Lieutenant Governor of Montana as the running mate of Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Bob Fanning, but dropped out due to the lack of campaign funds.