I am writing to share some inspiring news! I have dedicated the last six years of my life’s work to libertarian causes, messaging, and events. I’ve seen a lot of things in that time… But I had to take a minute to share a critical shift with you that feels significant and wildly impactful. The number and caliber of libertarian candidates is inspiring! And, we’ve already got elected officials in place — learning and growing through the political process in order to spread the ideas and bring conscientious thought back to the conversation. Not only that, they are taking command of their platforms and highlighting how the libertarian tenets of voluntary action and humanitarian causes are the best possible solutions for societal ills. We can be the example of how to truly solve real-life problems, outside of the cumbersome, ineffective, and costly government programs.
We’ve been building the Libertarian Party of Sacramento County for over 6 years. For context, we have just over 1.5 million residents in Sacramento County. In that time, we have shifted what it means to be a libertarian in our county and surrounding areas by showing up in a professional way and providing support to our surrounding county organizations. We have exceeded 1% registration in our county, which literally houses the California State Capitol.
In addition, as a single mother of 3 young children and a full-time breadwinner, I ran for State Senate in District 6 against an entrenched and incredibly well-funded incumbent. We crafted a professionally branded campaign in a district with close to a million residents. In a 4-way contested race, we earned 11% of the vote, which was just 2 points away from making it into the General Election. This was done on a meager budget of $28,000. That particular Senate District had only 0.76% registered Libertarians so we wildly out-performed our base and grew the party registration even more during that campaign. We learned a great deal about what it means to truly support candidates who step up to run for office.
I have grown to believe we need to support our candidates. We need to empower the local libertarian communities to rally around their candidates as well as increase the robustness of the state party affiliates. This is paramount to our continued growth in these critical areas. We ask people to sacrifice their privacy, resources, and personal time in order to represent our interests in an unfriendly political landscape. The least we can do is bring together some basic resources to support their efforts.
Someone I have grown to respect a great deal recently joined the National Libertarian team and he’s making great strides towards this effort. Several key team members are building programs to do exactly what I’m talking about here, but they need the financial resources to develop these programs. As such, I have agreed to re-join the national Libertarian Party and I implore you to join me in making a recurring monthly donation to support the candidates around the country who have been identified as being the best representatives in their local communities.
If you can give $20, $50, or more each month to help support candidates, I would truly appreciate it. And if you are able to do even more by volunteering in your local organization, I am here to help you get started. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you’d like help connecting with your local or state affiliate. I truly believe that many hands make light work and I appreciate you taking the time to get involved!
Sincerely,
Janine DeRose
