We’ve all heard the old George Santayana adage, often paraphrased as “those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it.” A New Yorker cartoon by Tom Toro added a new angle: “Yet those who do study history are doomed to stand by helplessly while everyone else repeats it.” As we approach another national election, most people are worried about who will control the reins of power, the Republicans or the Democrats. A better option is available, though. By choosing Libertarian Party candidates for public office, American voters can untie those reins and usher in a new era of freedom.
“Voters who want to change the course of history have an historic chance in Tuesday’s elections,” said Libertarian National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark. “Obviously, voting for a Democrat or a Republican will change little other than who rules the voter. For voters who believe that the people should rule and that politicians should be temporary employees of the citizenry, there is another choice. There are well over 800 Libertarians running for local, state, and federal office this year. That’s a 39 percent increase over 2016. Elected Libertarians are happy to let everyone rule themselves so long as they don’t harm, steal from, or cheat their neighbors.”
Many Libertarians are running highly competitive races this year. Nebraska Libertarian state Sen. Laura Ebke is running for reelection. She secured a spot in the general election by placing in the top two during the primary despite concerted opposition by the political machines of Nebraska’s dinosaur parties.
As mayor of Calimesa, Calif., Libertarian Jeff Hewitt succeeded in reforming the city’s broken pension system. He made it to the top two in the primary and is now running for supervisor in Riverside County, where he proposes to bring the same kind of pension reform to California’s fourth-largest county. He was endorsed by both the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the Press-Enterprise, the largest newspaper in the county.
Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who also ran twice as the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate, is raising significant campaign funding and polling well in his race for U.S. Senate from New Mexico, and could upset the Democratic incumbent Martin Heinrich.
In Rhode Island, Libertarian William Hunt, Jr., is running for the state House in District 68. He has received the endorsement of the retiring Democratic incumbent of the office he’s seeking, as well as getting an endorsement from a former Democratic representative from neighboring District 67. He’s also been endorsed by the two most prominent Republicans in two of the largest cities in his district.
The Boston Globe endorsed Daniel Fishman for auditor of Massachusetts. “An auditor without any partisan axes to grind could shake up the state,” the newspaper wrote. “In that spirit, the Globe endorses Daniel Fishman of Beverly, the Libertarian candidate, in the Nov. 6 general election.”
The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., has endorsed Steve Dutner for Illinois secretary of state. “Dutner offers the most practical solutions that could improve and modernize the office, and comes with the least political baggage,” the newspaper wrote. “Dutner is endorsed.”
Larry Sharpe is running a highly energetic and serious campaign for governor of New York. He has visited every county in the state and has an impressive online presence.
Nicholas Sarwark, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, and Lauren Daugherty, development director for the LNC, are not just talking the talk in electoral politics, they’re also walking the walk. Sarwark is running a winnable campaign for mayor of Phoenix, Ariz. Daugherty scored an above-the-fold front-page news article in the Waco Tribune-Herald about her race for justice of the peace of McLennan County, Texas. She’s challenging the incumbent who had locked up 177 bikers with $1 million bail after the 2015 Twin Peaks shooting incident, a severe punishment especially given that only 27 were ultimately indicted. “The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution says we as Americans should be free of excessive bail,” Daugherty said.
There are Libertarian Party candidates throughout the United States, and voters can find the Libertarian candidates in their jurisdictions by visiting the candidate page at LP.org.
Every year, regular voters wind up voting the same and hope for — but don’t get — different results. If voters instead elect Libertarian Party candidates, they can be assured of different results. Nonvoters who are apathetic because they, understandably, cannot see a dime’s worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats can find a vast difference in value by voting Libertarian. For many of those nonvoters, it may not even be too late to register and make a difference. In 18 states, same-day registration is available.
“No one is doomed to stand by helplessly while those who don’t study history repeat it,” Sarwark said. “Voting Libertarian is a real, concrete way to change history for the better.”
