Daily Beast: Southern-Fried Freedom Lovers Propel Libertarian Candidates

Andrew Hunt Libertarian for Governor in Georgia
Andrew Hunt

From the Daily Beast article dated June 5, 2014, about Libertarian candidates in the southern United States:

Drawing surprisingly high support, a trio of Libertarian candidates has the potential to disrupt already tight races in the Deep South, where Democrats and Republicans are waging epic battles for Florida governor, Georgia governor, and one of North Carolina’s seats in the U.S. Senate

In Georgia, nanotechnologist Andrew Hunt is polling at 9 percent in the governor’s race …

In North Carolina, the headlines have focused on the Thom Tillis-Sen. Kay Hagan face-off in November, but quietly amassing 11 percent in the contest is Sean Haugh, the Libertarian candidate running on an anti-war agenda …

In Florida, Adrian Wyllie will be on the November ballot with Gov. Rick Scott and former governor Charlie Crist. Although Wyllie is polling at 4 percent, he’s at 10 percent with Florida’s all-important independent voters …

Carla Howell, political director for the Libertarian National Committee, says the current election cycle is revealing the Deep South to be rich territory for Libertarians’ stay-out-of-my-life message, which has really been the South’s attitude toward the federal government all along …

As proof of the party’s strength in the South, Howell pointed to the strong recruiting class for 2014. Libertarians are up and down the ballot, from Alabama sheriff to Texas county coroner, to statewide races in South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, along with a 6.5 percent result in last year’s Virginia governor’s race.

Read the full article here.