March 1998
Ex-mayor Carl Strang runs in special FL State Senate election
The former mayor of Winter Haven, Florida, has announced that he is running for State Senate in a special election to be held on March 10 -- and urged residents to vote for him to "send Tallahassee [the state capitol] a wake-up call."
Carl Strang, 64, made the announcement that he will seek the vacant District 17 State Senate seat at a well-attended press conference on January 14. His campaign represents the first time a Libertarian has been on the ballot for Florida Senate in state history.
"My campaign will be an assault on big, bloated, unresponsive government," he said. "Our children, especially, deserve to grow up in a freer society than we have today."
Switched in 1996
Strang, a long-time Republican before switching to the Libertarian Party in 1996, turned in over 3,000 petition signatures -- collected in just 10 days -- to get on the ballot.Now that he's overcome that hurdle, "we intend to run a very competitive campaign," said campaign manager David Owens. "Many people in this area are eager for Carl's message of greater freedom, and we intend to spread the message vigorously."
At his campaign kick-off, Strang zinged his older-party opponents with one-liners, including:
- "It's gotten so you can't tell the Democrats from the Republicans without a scratch and sniff test."
- "The Democrats want to be your Mommy. The Republicans want to be your Daddy. The Libertarians just want to treat you like an adult."
- "Choosing between Democrats and Republicans is deciding whether you want government to be enormous or just huge."
Strang said he plans to make the most of his short campaign, and promised, "I intend to be vigorous in taking our message of liberty to the people."
Strang's campaign is the "most exciting campaign in several years," said state newsletter editor Tom Regnier. "Strang is highly regarded in the community, where his portrait hangs in the public library and a wing of the hospital is named after his family. And the local press has been highly responsive."
Strang was mayor of Winter Haven from 1987-88. He is a member of the Polk County Charter Commission and on the Polk County Citizens' Committee for Efficient County Government.
