Badger Paul
09-30-2008, 12:52 PM
Libertarians muster a full slate
Party even has two listed for president
By DANIEL BARRICK Monitor staff
September 25, 2008 - 12:00 am
For the first time in three election cycles, the New Hampshire Libertarian Party will field a full slate of candidates for the state's top political offices, including governor, senator and both congressional districts.
In fact, the state party may have been too successful in filling out the ballot: New Hampshire is the only state that will offer two Libertarian candidates for president this year. A lawsuit filed by the state and national Libertarian parties in U.S. District Court seeks to have one of those candidates removed from the ballot, but any change is unlikely before Election Day.
While a full slate of candidates may seem like a basic threshold for a political party, it's a big step for the New Hampshire Libertarian Party. State Libertarians have not had a guaranteed spot on the ballot since 1996, when the party failed to win enough of the popular vote to be deemed a viable political party by state election officials. (A party must gather at least 4 percent of the vote in the previous election to be granted a spot on the ballot.) Since then, individual Libertarian candidates have had to gather signed petitions to get a spot on the ballot. Candidates for statewide office have to gather 3,000 petitions; congressional candidates need 1,500.
Libertarians have not fielded candidates for the governor's office, Senate and Congress since 2002, when gubernatorial nominee John Babiarz won 3 percent of the vote. Since then, some Libertarians have run for state office as Democrats or Republicans, citing the difficulty of getting on the ballot as a third party. But Brendan Kelly, chairman of the New Hampshire Libertarian Party, said Libertarians have made a concerted effort in the past year to focus their energies on more practical goals.
Whole new concept
"We plan on getting people elected, and this is a whole new concept," Kelly said. "I was fed up with voting for Libertarians for 30 years and having absolutely nothing happen. So our goal this year was to run as many candidates as we could find. I think we have reached a point where we're serious."
The ultimate goal for this year's election, Libertarian Party leaders say, is to have one of their statewide candidates garner 4 percent of the vote, thus earning the party a permanent spot on the ballot in future elections.
"I think that's very realistic," said Morey Straus, chair of the party's membership committee and a Libertarian candidate for state representative from Manchester. "We're a small group, but the core activists are very enthusiastic and working very hard, and I think a lot of people are disgusted with the two options from the Democrats and Republicans."
State Libertarians say they're benefiting from a recent burst of energy from two sources: the Free State Project and Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The Free State Project has worked for the past few years to encourage 20,000 libertarian-minded people to move to New Hampshire and devote themselves to smaller government, among other bedrock tenants of libertarianism. And Paul's presidential campaign, with his engaging style and enthusiastic grassroots support, introduced libertarian ideals to a wide audience.
Energized
Only a few hundred Free Staters are known to have made the move to New Hampshire, and Paul declined invitations to leave the Republican Party and seek the Libertarian nomination. But state party members say publicity for the two movements has delivered a burst of energy to their efforts, even if tangible benefits have been harder to identify.
For instance, Ken Blevens, the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate, says he's found an audience in some of the "Ron Paul" book clubs that have sprung up in the candidate's wake.
"The feeling that I get from Free Staters and Ron Paul supporters is that there are enough numbers to start electing third-party candidates," said Blevens, who ran for Senate in 2002 and Congress in 2006. "We just have to get the word out. And they helped us do that."
Libertarians are a diverse lot, but as a general rule they favor smaller government and increased individual liberties. Most call for lessening government involvement in education, health care, business regulation and gun control. Some back loosening drug laws and other issues they consider matters of "personal liberty."
Party even has two listed for president
By DANIEL BARRICK Monitor staff
September 25, 2008 - 12:00 am
For the first time in three election cycles, the New Hampshire Libertarian Party will field a full slate of candidates for the state's top political offices, including governor, senator and both congressional districts.
In fact, the state party may have been too successful in filling out the ballot: New Hampshire is the only state that will offer two Libertarian candidates for president this year. A lawsuit filed by the state and national Libertarian parties in U.S. District Court seeks to have one of those candidates removed from the ballot, but any change is unlikely before Election Day.
While a full slate of candidates may seem like a basic threshold for a political party, it's a big step for the New Hampshire Libertarian Party. State Libertarians have not had a guaranteed spot on the ballot since 1996, when the party failed to win enough of the popular vote to be deemed a viable political party by state election officials. (A party must gather at least 4 percent of the vote in the previous election to be granted a spot on the ballot.) Since then, individual Libertarian candidates have had to gather signed petitions to get a spot on the ballot. Candidates for statewide office have to gather 3,000 petitions; congressional candidates need 1,500.
Libertarians have not fielded candidates for the governor's office, Senate and Congress since 2002, when gubernatorial nominee John Babiarz won 3 percent of the vote. Since then, some Libertarians have run for state office as Democrats or Republicans, citing the difficulty of getting on the ballot as a third party. But Brendan Kelly, chairman of the New Hampshire Libertarian Party, said Libertarians have made a concerted effort in the past year to focus their energies on more practical goals.
Whole new concept
"We plan on getting people elected, and this is a whole new concept," Kelly said. "I was fed up with voting for Libertarians for 30 years and having absolutely nothing happen. So our goal this year was to run as many candidates as we could find. I think we have reached a point where we're serious."
The ultimate goal for this year's election, Libertarian Party leaders say, is to have one of their statewide candidates garner 4 percent of the vote, thus earning the party a permanent spot on the ballot in future elections.
"I think that's very realistic," said Morey Straus, chair of the party's membership committee and a Libertarian candidate for state representative from Manchester. "We're a small group, but the core activists are very enthusiastic and working very hard, and I think a lot of people are disgusted with the two options from the Democrats and Republicans."
State Libertarians say they're benefiting from a recent burst of energy from two sources: the Free State Project and Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The Free State Project has worked for the past few years to encourage 20,000 libertarian-minded people to move to New Hampshire and devote themselves to smaller government, among other bedrock tenants of libertarianism. And Paul's presidential campaign, with his engaging style and enthusiastic grassroots support, introduced libertarian ideals to a wide audience.
Energized
Only a few hundred Free Staters are known to have made the move to New Hampshire, and Paul declined invitations to leave the Republican Party and seek the Libertarian nomination. But state party members say publicity for the two movements has delivered a burst of energy to their efforts, even if tangible benefits have been harder to identify.
For instance, Ken Blevens, the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate, says he's found an audience in some of the "Ron Paul" book clubs that have sprung up in the candidate's wake.
"The feeling that I get from Free Staters and Ron Paul supporters is that there are enough numbers to start electing third-party candidates," said Blevens, who ran for Senate in 2002 and Congress in 2006. "We just have to get the word out. And they helped us do that."
Libertarians are a diverse lot, but as a general rule they favor smaller government and increased individual liberties. Most call for lessening government involvement in education, health care, business regulation and gun control. Some back loosening drug laws and other issues they consider matters of "personal liberty."