As GOP, Dems squabble, Libertarians, Greens and others see opportunity – Whittier Daily News - Kevin Modesti:
July 25, 2018 - "Christopher Stare, a 28-year-old Silver Lake resident with a new PhD in cognitive neuroscience who is making his political debut by running for the state Assembly as a member of the Libertarian Party ... came in second as a write-in candidate in the June 5 primary and advanced to the Nov. 6 general election against Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, a Democrat from Los Angeles. The sobering footnote: Stare advanced because he was Carrillo’s only opponent. In California’s 'top two' primary system, he could have moved on by getting one vote. He wound up getting only four votes, including his own and his wife’s — trailing Carrillo by more than 42,500....
"Five Libertarian candidates finished second in their primaries and advanced to November ballots, all in races for the Assembly, including Stare in the 51st District, Autumn Browne in the 69th District (Orange County) and Honor “Mimi” Robson in the 70th District (L.A. County). Three Green candidates finished second and moved on to November.... Statistically, these were Libertarians’ and Greens’ best showings in the primaries since California voters approved the top-two system in 2010....
"But the third parties’ chances of actually winning any offices appear small.... Hurdles remain, ... among them the top-two system that usually is — pretty much by definition — bad for third parties....
"Stare’s goal is to use his campaign to win attention for Libertarian ideas — promoting fiscal responsibility in California government, opposing the state gas-tax increase, easing business and occupation licensing, fighting the housing crisis by allowing more home construction, loosening restrictions on immigration and decriminalizing drug use.
“'I think this is a time in our country when people are starting to look at other options,” Stare said. 'Donald Trump isn’t popular, even in his own party. People are fleeing the Republican Party. Democrats are seeing the rise of democratic socialism, and that’s kind of antithetical to our system'.... Stare thinks he could get a substantial number of votes 'by just being the "not Democrat" on the ballot'....
"Greens and Libertarians in California have achieved most of their electoral successes in local races ... and a Libertarian is mayor of Calimesa. Each party holds council seats in three small cities, among them Palm Desert and San Gabriel. A Green is on the board of supervisors in Mendocino County, and Calimesa Mayor Jeffrey Hewitt is running for Riverside County supervisor.
"In the latest voter registration data, Libertarians comprise 0.74 percent and Greens 0.45 percent of the state’s voters, far behind Democrats (44.4 percent), Republicans (25.1 percent) and people listing no party preference (25.5 percent)."
Read more: https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2018/07/25/as-gop-dems-squabble-libertarians-greens-and-others-see-opportunity/
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July 25, 2018 - "Christopher Stare, a 28-year-old Silver Lake resident with a new PhD in cognitive neuroscience who is making his political debut by running for the state Assembly as a member of the Libertarian Party ... came in second as a write-in candidate in the June 5 primary and advanced to the Nov. 6 general election against Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, a Democrat from Los Angeles. The sobering footnote: Stare advanced because he was Carrillo’s only opponent. In California’s 'top two' primary system, he could have moved on by getting one vote. He wound up getting only four votes, including his own and his wife’s — trailing Carrillo by more than 42,500....
"Five Libertarian candidates finished second in their primaries and advanced to November ballots, all in races for the Assembly, including Stare in the 51st District, Autumn Browne in the 69th District (Orange County) and Honor “Mimi” Robson in the 70th District (L.A. County). Three Green candidates finished second and moved on to November.... Statistically, these were Libertarians’ and Greens’ best showings in the primaries since California voters approved the top-two system in 2010....
"But the third parties’ chances of actually winning any offices appear small.... Hurdles remain, ... among them the top-two system that usually is — pretty much by definition — bad for third parties....
"Stare’s goal is to use his campaign to win attention for Libertarian ideas — promoting fiscal responsibility in California government, opposing the state gas-tax increase, easing business and occupation licensing, fighting the housing crisis by allowing more home construction, loosening restrictions on immigration and decriminalizing drug use.
“'I think this is a time in our country when people are starting to look at other options,” Stare said. 'Donald Trump isn’t popular, even in his own party. People are fleeing the Republican Party. Democrats are seeing the rise of democratic socialism, and that’s kind of antithetical to our system'.... Stare thinks he could get a substantial number of votes 'by just being the "not Democrat" on the ballot'....
"Greens and Libertarians in California have achieved most of their electoral successes in local races ... and a Libertarian is mayor of Calimesa. Each party holds council seats in three small cities, among them Palm Desert and San Gabriel. A Green is on the board of supervisors in Mendocino County, and Calimesa Mayor Jeffrey Hewitt is running for Riverside County supervisor.
"In the latest voter registration data, Libertarians comprise 0.74 percent and Greens 0.45 percent of the state’s voters, far behind Democrats (44.4 percent), Republicans (25.1 percent) and people listing no party preference (25.5 percent)."
Read more: https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2018/07/25/as-gop-dems-squabble-libertarians-greens-and-others-see-opportunity/
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