Jo Jorgensen on lockdowns

Jo Jorgensen was the 2000 Libertarian Party candidate for VPOTUS, and the 2020 Libertarian Party candidate for POTUS. The following is from her 2020 campaign website:

Dr. Jo Jorgensen pledges to sue states for unconstitutional lockdowns that harm low and middle-income families | Jo20.com

"Democrats like Joe Biden constantly promise to harm the wealthy for the benefit of low and middle-income families. But so-called income inequality was actually falling between 2016 and 2019, according to a report by the Federal Reserve. In fact, low-income families gained the most, and high-income families gained the least. But now this progress has stalled. Why? Because of the COVID-19 shutdowns, most of which were illegal.

"As President, I would use the Attorney General’s office to sue state and local officials who impose COVID-19 mandates. Such mandates violate the 14th Amendment, which says 'nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”'The shutdowns were dictated by governors without due process. That makes them unconstitutional acts of aggression. Some court rulings have already confirmed those, others have disagreed, and some are still pending. I would add the weight of the federal Executive Branch to these cases."

https://jo20.com/dr-jo-jorgensen-pledges-to-sue-states-for-unconstitutional-lockdowns-that-harm-low-and-middle-income-families/

UPDATE, January 3 - I have expanded the page by adding part of an interview NPR did with Jorgensen in May.

Libertarians Name 2020 Candidate: Meet Jo Jorgensen | NPR: 

May 30, 2020 - "After four days of online campaigning and speechmaking, the Libertarian Party has selected its nominee. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Jorgensen, an activist who teaches psychology at Clemson University....

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: The Libertarian Party has nominated their candidates for president and vice president online. Jo Jorgensen, a party activist who teaches psychology at Clemson University, is the 2020 Libertarian candidate for president. She joins us now from Greenville, S.C. Dr. Jorgensen, thanks so much for being with us.... You've been critical of the federal government's response to the coronavirus crisis. What would a Libertarian administration do?

JORGENSEN: Well, the Libertarian administration first wouldn't have put everybody under house arrest. We believe in individual freedom and that people should be able to go about their lives as they choose. And I'd like to point out that part of the problem that we had is that people weren't tested to know if they were contagious or not, if they had the virus or not. If people who had the virus knew they had the virus, then they would have been able to know to stay home or not go about their daily lives. But the people who are healthy or who have already had the flu let the economy go on and don't destroy the economy in the process.

SIMON: I want to follow up on your use of the phrase house arrest. I doubt any governor or mayor who declared that people should stay at home would consider that to be house arrest.

JORGENSEN: People who want to go out and go about their daily business felt like it. And in fact, I know here in South Carolina, I was told I could only leave the house to go to work, medical emergencies and other things. And within my city, if there were more than three people outside, then there was a possibility that we would either be fined $100 or that we would go to jail.

SIMON: But isn't - in the middle of a pandemic, isn't that just wise?

JORGENSEN: Of course, it's wise to stay at home during a pandemic, especially if you've got other conditions. My problem, though, is that the government is the one who decided it and not the individual person. And in fact, when they did a survey - what? - maybe about a month ago and they asked people, should we be opening up the economy, something like 60 to 80% of the people said no, it's too soon. We should still stay at home. OK, so that just shows that people have enough common sense to stay at home without the government telling them to.

SIMON: There are now more than 40 million unemployed people in the United States. You have opposed, I gather, the stimulus bills that have been passed to provide unemployment benefits and other forms of relief. Why?

JORGENSEN: Because what we're doing is we're letting the bureaucrats spend the money how they want to. And it's going to the large corporations and not often to the people who need it. So I say that private charity always works best. What happens when you give money to the government, and let's say they don't spend it wisely? Nothing happens. Taxes get raised, but it's not like people get fired. There is absolutely no accountability. And one of the things that brought me into the Libertarian Party is the idea of voluntary cooperation, of how people working together can do a better job.

SIMON: But when 40 million people are unemployed virtually at once, I mean, how can you begin to raise the amount of charitable capital? Particularly, by the way, I believe one of the stories we keep doing is that individual donations are way down because 40 million people are out of work.

JORGENSEN: Right. Well, don't forget, if the government hadn't shut down the economy, people wouldn't have lost their jobs in the first place. So this is typical where the government breaks your leg and then thinks that you should be grateful that you're getting a crutch from them. If the government doesn't break your leg to begin with, you don't need the crutch.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/30/866059206/libertarians-name-2020-candidate-meet-jo-jorgensen

Also read: Libertarians oppose all the mandates

Why was Shikha Dalmia 'cancelled'?

by George J. Dance

Reason Foundation senior analyst, and well-known magazine columnist, Shikha Dalmia has been let go by Reason. As yesterday's Daily Beast headline has it: "Anti-‘Cancel Culture’ Reason Magazine Accused of Canceling Columnist for Being Too Anti-Trump." Let the Beast tell the story: 

"After 15 years, the curtains came down for me at Reason today. My views, I was told, had become too out-of-step with those of the organization," Shikha Dalmia announced Tuesday evening in a Facebook post.... The Reason veteran further suggested that her demise came as a result of complaints from the Reason Foundation’s donors — many of whom are also big donors to Republicans and conservative think tanks.... 

Reason editor-in-chief Katherine Mangu-Ward publicly commented on Dalmia’s post, replying, "I disagree with your characterization of our parting, but certainly won’t get into it here on your page." And in an internal memo sent to staffers, obtained and reviewed by The Daily Beast, Mangu-Ward announced Dalmia’s departure on Tuesday evening: “Today is Shikha’s last day, after 15 years at Reason. It has been an honor to work with a person of such tremendous journalistic talent and deep libertarian conviction. Her contributions to Reason have been enormous, especially in the area of immigration policy. This change has been in the works for a while, and I wish her great luck in her next phase.

Mangu-Ward refuses to discuss personnel issues with the media. Which leaves us only Dalmia's interpretation, which is: "I had a staunch and uncompromising anti-Trump voice calling out his authoritarian tendencies unambiguously. That this made many libertarians uncomfortable raises all kinds of interesting questions about the state of the liberty movement." Furthermore, "Defending my work to donors and stakeholders had evidently made me too much of a liability."

I am sure that is how Dalmia sees it; but she is hardly an impartial witness. Even the Beast writer had some trouble with her explanation, pointing out that "Reason has excoriated the president’s trade wars, scorned his calls to crack down on social-media outlets because they 'censor' his fact-free missives, and called out his nativist immigration policies including family separations.... It is unclear how Dalmia’s expressly anti-Trump views would have fallen outside Reason’s 'big-tent understanding' of libertarianism." Dalmia's viewpoint, as the Reason Foundation's immigration expert, was an integral part of the magazine's messaging. 

Nor does Reason reflect any general pro-Trump bias. In this year's poll of "How Will Reason Staffers Vote?", 11 writers chose Jo Jorgensen, 6 chose not to vote, 4 chose Biden, 1 was still undecided, and 1 chose Trump as the 'lesser evil'. (That last was Bob Poole, who runs the Reason Foundation – he and Dalmia may have exchanged words on Trump. But that is his belief, not what anonymous 'donors' tell him to say.) And that list does not include other Reason associates, like Ilya Somin of the prestigious Volokh Society legal blog hosted on Reason's website, who this year went full Bidenista. 

Full what? I made up the "Bidenista" term to be provocative; in fact, Bidenistas do not care a fig for Joe Biden. They are the voters, of all parties, who decided the most important thing this election was to vote Democrat to remove Trump from office – basically, people who bought into Trump's narcissistic narrative that U.S. politics is all about him (when in fact he is no more consequential than, say, Biden). Note that Trump is a narcissist, but not "selfish" - it is not his actual self that he cares about, but his public personality, his reputation or image. He made himself a star with that image on The Apprentice, and used that program's ratings to make himself the star of the 2016 Republican TV debates. That's how he got to be President. Enough about him. 

There are millions of Republicans (mainly new blood) who idolize that image. There are also millions who loathe it as the symbol of all that is evil. The former I've called "Trumptards"; the latter are the "Bidenistas". Both groups suffer from what has been labelled Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS): both wrongly believe Trump's line that his image is the most important thing in American politics. For no other reason than their TDS, both groups have spent this election campaigning against Jo Jorgensen and the Libertarian Party (LP). 

Dalmia herself went full Bidenista during the campaign, writing in The Week that "civic duty as a libertarian requires me to help defeat President Trump by casting my ballot for the only candidate who can defeat him: Joe Biden." (That column, which did not appear in Reason, may have been submitted there and rejected.) In the Washington Post she wrote: 

But even a lifelong Libertarian like me realizes that this time around, voting for my party’s ticket could only diminish my vote against Trump. In the face of Trump’s xenophobic demagoguery and the Democratic base flirting with socialism, Libertarian Party delegates complacently put forth a ticket of ideologically rigid unknowns who are selling theories of libertarianism, as if this campaign were unfolding in a vacuum — or a college dorm.

After the election, she hectored Libertarian voters too stupid or gullible to do their identical civic duty – "What’s been disappointing is how many libertarians actually didn’t see through Trump's authoritarianism, how much they allowed him to tarnish Biden as a socialist, ignoring how aggressively economically interventionist he himself was" – in an interview headlined, "Republicans aren’t the only party to be changed by Trump, says libertarian writer.' Sure, that's just one expression of opinion, but consider: Had Trump won, all the Bidenistas would still be screaming it.

No, Ms Dalmia: the Libertarian Party has not been changed by Trump. Jo Jorgensen's presidential campaign, with its obvious similarity to Harry Browne's 1990s campaigns, is enough to show that. Nor has Reason been changed; the magazine has consistently judged all presidential candidates regardless of party not by donors' whims but by the standard of "big-tent libertarianism," and that continues to be its standard. What has been changed by Trump is you. Donald Trump turned you into a Bidenista and an anti-Libertarian. 

If anyone connected with Reason was "uncomfortable" with the anti-Libertarian Bidenista message, that was more likely to have been (1) Libertarian supporters and (2) believers in 'big-tent libertarianism' regardless of party. Since the LP's founding, some libertarians, from Sam Konkin III to Murray Rothbard (initially) to 2016's Liberty Herald, have tried to build a 'libertarian movement' from which the LP was excluded. Reason to its credit never had anything to do with that tendency to divide libertarians, which is one reason it has succeeded as the flagship magazine of the larger libertarian movement. Reason has a role to play in criticizing LP candidates and officers, but there should be no room in it for explicity anti-Libertarian messaging. (Except, as with Mr. Solmin's Bidenista turn, as part of a debate, balancing a pro-Libertarian message.) 

I have appreciated Shikha Dalmia's work at the Reason Foundation and Reason magazine. I hope that another libertarian think tank offers her a position to continue that work. There is far more to the libertarian movement than the Libertarian Party or Reason, and no reason (pun intended) for them or for Dalmia to worry about each other. I wish her all the luck in the world. But I believe that her view of events should not pass unchallenged. 

Three U.S. libertarians debate whom to vote for

Should libertarians vote for Biden, Jorgensen, or Trump? A Soho Forum Debate | Reason - John Osterhoudt:

July 24, 2020  - "Should libertarians vote for Biden, Jorgensen, or Trump in the next presidential election? That was the topic of an online Soho Forum debate held on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. It featured George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin; Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County; and Francis Menton, a retired attorney who blogs at Manhattan Contrarian. The debate was moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein.

"Arguing that libertarians should vote for Joe Biden was Somin, whose books include Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter and Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom. In support of Libertarian Party candidate Jo Jorgensen was Angela McArdle, author of The Communist Cookbook: Delicious Dining for the Modern Marxist. Francis Menton made the case that libertarians should help to re-elect Donald Trump. Menton is a retired partner in the Litigation Department and co-chair of the Business Litigation Practice Group of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York."

Libertarians oppose all the mandates

Libertarians are not against people social distancing, wearing facemasks, or vaccinating their kids. They are against people trying to bully or force other people to do those things.

Jo Jorgensen: 'Requiring People To Vaccinate Their Children Is One of the Most Egregious Things That the Government Can Do' | Reason - Matt Welch: 

October 10, 2020 = "As the Libertarian Party has established itself as the most electorally successful third party in the United States, voters have grown accustomed to the group's radical messaging against taxation, prohibition and war.... Less broadly known, though on full display in a streamed interview I conducted last night with presidential nominee Jo Jorgensen, is the party's antipathy toward international institutions, pandemic restrictions, and vaccine mandates.

"Jorgensen last night volunteered the latter as an example of the type of 'personal decision' best left to individuals, rather than determined via the political process. So I asked her whether, philosophically, she considered it wise for public schools to require children be vaccinated as a condition for enrollment. 'I think it is immoral,' she responded. Then, after noting that she personally has chosen to vaccinate her family, Jorgensen contrasted vaccination policy with the types of prohibitions Libertarians have long opposed — on drugs, gambling, vaping, consensual sex transactions, and so on.

"'All of these are laws that the government is telling you what not to do,' she said. 'Vaccinations, on the other hand — we're talking about somebody forcibly putting a substance into your body. I am just shocked that that's even a question in our country that is supposed to be free. And even though I have chosen vaccinations, and I've chosen vaccinations for my children, I would never use the excuse of herd immunity to force other people to put something into their bodies that they don't want to.'

"This is not a majority opinion – 82 percent of American adults favored school-based vaccines in 2016 ... [and] the vaccine mandate issue divides libertarians, too, as illustrated by Reason's 2014 debate "Should Vaccines Be Mandatory?" [Still] the COVID-19 pandemic has not only put such once-esoteric philosophical discussions on the political front-burner; it has given what many Libertarian candidates see as their opening.

"The Libertarian gubernatorial candidate making the biggest splash in 2020 is Indiana's Donald Rainwater, who has polled between 6 percent and 24 percent in a three-way race. 'Indiana Libertarian candidate for governor targets voters upset by COVID-19 mandates,' went the headline this week in The Indianapolis Star. 'I don't think it's the government's responsibility to tell people how to take care of themselves," Rainwater told the paper. "I think this all goes back to the idea that I get to choose what I do to keep myself safe. I am against mandating vaccines, too.'

"The other Libertarian gubernatorial candidate likely to make Election Day waves — Montana's Lyman Bishop, who is polling within shouting distance of the Republican-Democratic margin — is also campaigning against pandemic mandates. 

"'I have said from the beginning, asking people to stay home is one thing. Telling people they have to stay home is something else altogether,' Bishop recently told Montana Public Radio.   'The same logic applies to any other precautionary measure. In the face of any threat, our liberties and individual rights must come first.... The pending collapse of our economy and the steady growth of tyranny and authoritarianism in our country is of the utmost importance and supersedes all other issues. If we cannot address these issues there will be nothing left for us to discuss'....

"As we approach the finish line, the radical limited-government party is reacting more and more to big-government pandemic policies. The politics of face masks, it turns out, is not a strictly bipartisan affair."

Read more: https://reason.com/2020/10/16/jo-jorgensen-requiring-people-to-vaccinate-their-children-is-one-of-the-most-egregious-things-that-the-government-can-do/

Also read: Jo Jorgensen on lockdowns

Jorgensen / Cohen get 5% in NPR / PBS poll

Libertarian Presidential Candidate Jo Jorgensen Cracks 5% in Latest NPR/PBS Poll | Liberty Herald - Robert J. Bentley: 

September  19, 2020 - "In one of the first national polls that we have seen the Libertarian candidate for President Jo Jorgensen is polling at 5% in the latest NPR/PBS Poll.

http://abc6onyourside.com/news/nation-world/trump-tests-democrats-hold-on-minnesota-but-polls-show-biden-far-ahead

"The biggest hurdle for any Libertarian candidate is to get the media to include them in their polling. In this case over 7% of Americans are wanting something different and they are not really getting that option. 

"5% is a good comfortable number for Jorgensen to work with, but it is going to be an uphill battle to keep being included in the polls."

https://thelibertyherald.com/2020/09/19/libertarian-presidential-candidate-jo-jorgensen-cracks-5-in-latest-npr-pbs-poll/

Libertarians on ballot in NH and Texas

It’s official: Libertarian Party candidates to be on general election ballot | WMUR 9 - John DiStaso: 

September 3, 2020 - " The Secretary of State’s Office on Wednesday certified that nine Libertarian Party of New Hampshire candidates will appear on the general election ballot on Nov. 3. It was the final step in the LPNH effort that began in the spring to relax the thresholds for nomination papers needing to be collected, due to the restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, to have the candidates appear on the ballot.

"The party last week said it collected enough nomination papers in each congressional district to meet lower thresholds ordered into place by a federal judge. 'This closes this cycle’s ballot access saga,' said LPNH vice chair Richard Manzo.

"Appearing on the ballot will be candidates for president Jo Jorgensen; for U.S. Senate, Justin O’Donnell; for 1st Congressional District, Zachary Dumont; for 2nd Congressional District, Andrew Olding; for governor, Darryl W. Perry; for Hillsborough County Attorney, Nicholas Sarwark; for Hillsborough County Treasurer, Richard Manzo; for Hillsborough District 14 state representative, Robert Daniel; and for Sullivan County District 9 state representative, Tobin Menard."

Read more: https://www.wmur.com/article/this-day-in-history-sept-11-terrorist-attacks-shock-america/28990240

Texas Supreme Court rejects Republicans' attempt to remove 44 Libertarians from the November ballot | Texas Tribune - Sami Sparber:

September 5, 2020 - "The Texas Supreme Court on Saturday rejected an attempt by Republicans to kick 44 Libertarians off the ballot in the November elections. Several Republican Party candidates and organizations had sued to remove the Libertarians, arguing they did not pay filing fees — a new requirement for third parties under a law passed by the Legislature last year. But the Supreme Court dismissed the suit, finding that the Republicans missed the Aug. 21 deadline to successfully boot people from the ballot....

"Groups affiliated with both major parties have gone to court in recent weeks to remove from the ballot non-major-party candidates perceived to be a threat. In general, Libertarians are believed to peel votes away from Republicans, while the Green Party is thought to siphon votes from Democrats.

"In multiple cases citing the same lack of a filing fee paid, state and national Democrats were successful in removing some Green Party candidates. The Supreme Court suggested that at least some Libertarians may have made the same mistake, but said the GOP was too late in bringing its legal challenge forward."

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/09/05/Republicans-libertarians-ballot-remove/

Libertarians make ballot in Iowa

Libertarian Party Gains Ballot Access In Iowa | Libertarian Party of Iowa - Mike Conner jr:

August 28, 2020 - "YOU did it! The Libertarian Party of Iowa received confirmation from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office this morning that there were no objections to the filings submitted for Libertarian Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen. This means that Iowa will once again have a choice on the ballot this November that represents liberty, freedom, and principles!

"This was not an easy accomplishment, but we did it and it is all thanks to you! Hundreds of volunteers from across the state came out in force to promote libertarian principles and gather more than 2300 signatures from over two-thirds of Iowa’s counties. This was truly a grassroots effort unlike anything I have seen in our state.

"Thank you to the Jorgensen campaign and the national Libertarian Party for their support in our battle for ballot access. Thank you to LPIA Co-Chair Ed Wright, LPIA Treasurer Amy Wixted, and former LPIA Secretary Jules Ofenbakh for their help in reviewing and organizing the signatures and paperwork to be filed. Thank you to Bryan Jack Holder and Logan Spangler for attending and documenting the official filing of signatures with the Secretary of State.

"Most importantly, thank you to everyone who contributed to the effort, either through donating to the LPIA, gathered signatures, or even simply signed a petition to get Jo and Spike on the ballot. This would not have happened without all your support!

"Now, let’s get ready to vote for real change and real principles in Iowa this fall!"

Read more: https://lpia.org/2020/08/28/libertarian-party-gains-ballot-access-in-iowa/

Libertarian POTUS ticket makes ballot in Alabama

Libertarian POTUS candidate makes Alabama ballot | Sand Mountain Reporter:

August 24, 2020 - "The Libertarian Party of Alabama recently received confirmation from the Secretary of State’s Director of Elections, Clay Helms, that Jo Jorgensen and Jeremy “Spike” Cohen have met the signature requirements to be on the Alabama ballot Nov. 3, 2020.  Jorgensen and Cohen were nominated during the national Libertarian Party convention in June, the nation’s first completely online national convention.

"Collecting signatures is a legal requirement for a Libertarian candidate, but is not required for the Democrat nor Republican parties, which require only the certified nomination by their national and state party representatives. However, those same vintage parties that require only paperwork for themselves, are putting additional burden on their challengers, Jorgensen said.

"This 'disproportionate requirement' is based on defining the Libertarian Party as a 'Political Action Committee', instead of a 'Political Party', and effectively excludes the libertarian candidates from including their party affiliation on their ballot....

"Volunteers across the state helped collect the signatures. Petitioning during a regular election cycle is difficult enough, but in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic made canvassing complicated; masks and social distancing challenged communication and 10 person gathering limits eliminated rallies and voter drives, Jorgensen said.

"Despite all the challenges, she said the grassroots Alabama libertarians were able to do what no other party in the state has done: get thousands of people to sign their name and say, 'I want HER to be an option for POTUS.'"

Read more: http://www.sandmountainreporter.com/free_share/article_1e3234f0-e60d-11ea-a61c-8fe703c74e34.html

Maryland LP collects 7,000 sigs to make ballot

Libertarian Presidential Candidate Delivers Signatures for Maryland Ballot | Maryland Matters - Hannah Gaskill:

August 5, 2020 - "Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen presented more than 7,000 signatures to the State Board of Elections Monday, which she hopes will more than fulfill Maryland’s requirement to appear on the state ballot for president.... About 30 people lined the sidewalks of Annapolis’ West Street as Jorgensen exited a big blue campaign bus adorned with her face. Bob Johnston, chair of the Libertarian Party of Maryland, followed as she walked to the Board of Elections office, three cardboard beer boxes of petitions in tow, bearing 7,731 signatures. The minimum requirement for third party candidates in Maryland is 5,000 valid voter signatures.

"According to Joe Bishop-Henchman, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, Jorgensen has qualified to appear on the ballot in 42 of 50 states. Bishop-Henchman said the party is still working toward meeting requirements in the other eight states....

"Addressing her supporters in a parking garage near the State Board of Elections office, Jorgensen thanked volunteers for pushing for her to be on the ballot.

"'It’s just so important to be on the ballot in all 50 states,” she said, 'because right now the status quo is giving us the impression that we have an alternative — that we have a choice, but we’ve got two big government people, they both want to increase spending, they both want to take away your decision-making power and neither one wants to bring the troops home, so the only way to get that choice to every American is to be on the ballot in all 50 states.'

"Twice in her interview with Maryland Matters Jorgensen asserted that, if she were in the Oval Office, her first priority would be 'bringing the troops home — day one. Because that’s something I can do myself,' she said. 'I don’t need Congress to do that. I don’t need their help to do that.' She also recommended bringing overseas troops home as one solution to America’s major economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus crisis.

"Despite its effect on every aspect of American life, the pandemic has not slowed Jorgensen. Annapolis was one of her first stops along her '20-city, 16-day bus tour,' going as far west as Kansas City, Mo. and Dallas, Tx. Jorgensen jabbed at presumptive Democratic Nominee Joe Biden (D) for being 'locked up in his basement giving Zoom interviews' while she is traveling around the country.

"Jorgensen said the date of the election should not be moved. 'We’ve been through much worse than this in our country,' she said. 'And I just want to point out that my goal as president would be to make government so small that it wouldn’t even matter if people forgot to vote, that they could make their own choices in health care, environment, health, education, and so on, and that they wouldn’t even worry about who was in the White House'.... She criticized the current administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that Trump should have lifted FDA restrictions on U.S.-made test kits and promoted testing for asymptomatic citizens."

Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2020/08/05/libertarian-presidential-candidate-delivers-signatures-for-maryland-ballot/  

Libertarian ticket makes ballot in Maine

Libertarian presidential candidate qualifies for Maine ballot, ending lawsuit against state | Bangor Daily News - Michael Shepherd:

August 11, 2020 - "Libertarian presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen qualified for the Maine ballot on Tuesday, bringing an end to the third party’s lawsuit over state rules and putting the fifth and final party hopeful on the November slate here. The party promoting civil liberties and small government was recognized in Maine between June 2016 and December 2018, but it then failed to reach a voter threshold to be recognized as a party. Jorgensen was therefore required to collect 4,000 signatures of registered voters to get on the ballot, the state’s threshold for non-party candidates.

"Jorgensen’s campaign sued the state in late July over the threshold, asking a U.S. District Court judge to halve the requirement, which it said was too onerous amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the office of Secretary of State Matt Dunlap determined the campaign had enough signatures to qualify, Assistant Attorney General Phyllis Gardiner said in a Tuesday filing. That led the parties to agree to dismiss the suit. 

"Jorgensen will be on the Maine ballot in November alongside President Donald Trump, a Republican, former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and Green nominee Howie Hawkins and Rocky de la Fuente of the Alliance Party. The latter candidate had to meet the same threshold as Jorgensen.

"The Maine race will be under the microscope as Trump looks to repeat his 2016 win in the 2nd Congressional District with Biden leading recent public polls statewide. The third-party candidates could have an outsized importance with the state planning to use ranked-choice voting for the first time in the history of presidential elections."

Read more: https://bangordailynews.com/2020/08/11/politics/libertarian-presidential-candidate-qualifies-for-maine-ballot-ending-lawsuit-against-state/

Libertarians make ballot in Pennsylvania

 Libertarian Presidential Candidate to Speak in Centre County | StateCollege.com - Geoff Rushton:

July 31, 2020 - "Earlier this week the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Libertarian Party's challenge, filed in the spring, to Pennsylvania's requirements that third parties collect in-person signatures for ballot access in the November general election. The party argued that the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions made it too difficult to collect the signatures in person before the Aug. 3 deadline.

"This weekend, [presidential candidate Jo] Jorgensen and the party's vice presidential candidate, Spike Cohen, are on crisscrossing tours across the commonwealth in an effort to gain the needed 5,000 signatures by Monday. Cohen's tour will cover eastern Pennsylvania. Liz Terwilliger, Libertarian candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, which includes part of Centre County, said in a statement she appreciated the top ticket candidates embarking on the signature drive."

Read more: http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/libertarian-presidential-candidate-to-speak-in-centre-county,1483748/

There will officially be a Libertarian candidate for President on Pennsylvania’s ballot in November | ABC 27 - WHTM:

August 10, 2020 - "Libertarian Presidential candidate Dr. Jo Jorgenson has officially gained ballot access in Pennsylvania for the November election.

"Jorgenson and running mate Jeremy 'Spike' Cohen campaigned on a three-day tour in 20 cities around PA to voice their opinions and introduce themselves to the Pennsylvania public. Spike visited York County earlier this month as a part of this campaign.

"Despite the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, recent court rulings required volunteers to collect over 5,000 physical signatures to ensure ballot access in November. With help from hundreds of volunteers, the candidates collected double the number of required signatures."

Read more: https://www.abc27.com/news/local/there-will-officially-be-a-libertarian-candidate-for-president-on-pennsylvanias-ballot-in-november/

3rd party POTUS candidates registering in polls

Libertarian and Green Party Candidates Are Making Surprising Appearances in 2020 Election Polls | Newsweek - Jason Lemon:

July 21, 2020 - "As the 2020 presidential election is now less than four months away, Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Party candidate Jo Jorgensen are registering support in national polls, signaling that their respective messages resonate with a segment of voters frustrated with Democrats and Republicans....

"Polling conducted by CNBC/Change Research from July 10 to 12 showed Hawkins with support from 2 percent of respondents, while Jorgensen was backed by 3 percent. Although that's marginal compared to the 51 percent support for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and the 41 percent for Republican incumbent President Donald Trump, even a few percent could sway what ultimately could become a close election. Separate polling this month by Redfield & Wilton Strategies showed Hawkins with 1 percent support, while Jorgensen was backed by 2 percent of respondents....

"The Green Party positions itself to the left of the Democratic Party, with Hawkins highlighting his differences with progressives such as former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Meanwhile, Libertarians align with more conservative principles when it comes to the economy, while being liberal socially due to their strong belief in individual freedoms.

"'I don't want the government making choices for you. I want you to have lots of choices provided by a wealth of free market alternatives, and to make those choices for yourself, for your family, and for your business,' Jorgensen explained. She emphasized that she wants to keep taxes and government spending down, end the war on drugs, bring the troops home and 'end cronyism in the energy business' while allowing nuclear-power initiatives to move forward.

"Hawkins pointed out that Greens have some overlap with Libertarians on social issues.... 'But there are some issues we agree on — drug policy reform, staying out of stupid foreign wars, civil liberties, mass surveillance unwarranted by the state, warrantless surveillance,' Hawkins said....

"In 2016, some political analysts pointed to Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson as having shifted the race in Trump's favor. The president narrowly beat former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in several key swing states, where the votes won by Johnson and Stein made up the difference.... Many Republicans and Democrats have warned about the possibility of a similar impact from third-party candidates this upcoming election. But Hawkins and Jorgensen are dismissive of these concerns, pointing out that people should vote for who they actually support the most. Additionally, it's not at all clear that those who voted for third-party candidates would have cast a ballot for Trump or Clinton if the other options were not available.

"'Don't waste your vote on the status quo. Vote for real change for real people,' Jorgensen said."

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/libertarian-green-party-candidates-are-making-surprising-appearances-2020-election-polls-1519464

Alaska LP submits 5,000 sigs for ballot access

Alaska Libertarians turn in over 5,000 signatures to get Presidential ticket on ballot } KINY 800/94.9:

July 20, 2020 - "The Alaska Libertarian Party has turned over signatures in order get the party's presidential ticket on the ballot. The ALP has submitted 5,024 ballot access petition signatures, well exceeding the 3,212 signatures required for state permission to allow Libertarian Presidential candidate Dr. Jo Jorgensen and Vice Presidential candidate Spike Cohen as a choice on Alaskan ballots in November.

"The ALP had sought pandemic-related relief from the statutory provisions requiring that the party obtain voter signatures on petitions to qualify for placement on Alaska’s November 3, 2020, general election ballot, from both the State of Alaska and the courts.

"'We have been met with opposition at every level of the State government, to include a response from the court that we, in essence, petition harder,' said Jon Briggs Watts, Chair of the Alaska Libertarian Party. 'In the face of additional health risk for all concerned, the state’s callous disregard for constituent safety gave us no choice but to do just that, even amidst a steep rise in cases around Alaska.'

"Watts said that. rather than take an opportunity to be supportive and offer an open hand during this crisis, the 'party system doubled-down on the preservation of their monopoly of control. But their actions continue to expose this as the harder they grasp, the more each individual sees this collectivist control for what it is.'"

https://www.kinyradio.com/news/news-of-the-north/alaska-libertarians-turn-in-over-5000-signatures-to-get-presidential-ticket-on-ballot/

Jorgensen campaign responds to "boogaloo" story

Response to the Guardian from Dr. Jo Jorgensen | Jorgensen/Cohen 2020:

"An article in the Guardian, a British newspaper, featuring a picture of Dr. Jo Jorgensen, attempts to smear the Libertarian Party presidential candidate by associating her with a movement known as boogaloo, because of her appearance on a podcast hosted by some members of the movement. The Guardian describes boogaloo by detailing its most radical elements.

"The boogaloo movement has no organization and no leadership. Participants within vary widely, from white supremacists, at one extreme, to those who vehemently condemn both racism and white supremacy. Their unifying characteristic is the belief that citizens have the right to rise up against an oppressive government, and in particular, [against] one that denies their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, or their right to self-defense.

"This view is enshrined in America’s Declaration of Independence from, coincidentally, Great Britain. It states that whenever a government becomes destructive of human rights, 'it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.'

"The Guardian article fails to distinguish between anti-government and anti-authoritarian government sentiment, the latter of which better describes the views of boogaloo members.

"As both the Libertarian Party and the Jorgensen campaign have made consistently and abundantly clear, and as the Guardian‘s journalist surely knows, libertarians vehemently oppose the initiation of force, whether by government or civilian forces.

"As Dr. Jorgensen explained to the reporter, the Libertarian Party has a membership requirement unlike that of any other U.S. political party. To be eligible to join, each individual must sign a pledge attesting that they oppose the initiation of force for the purpose of achieving social or political goals.

"'I reject violence and bigotry, and I advocate non-aggression, peaceful persuasion, and voluntary cooperation,' Jorgensen said. 'At the same time, I and my fellow libertarians reject so-called cancel culture, which denies people their right to free speech.'"

https://joj2020.com/response-to-the-guardian-from-dr-jo-jorgensen/

Jo Jorgensen interviewed on "boogaloo" podcast

Libertarian 2020 candidate appears on podcast tied to ‘boogaloo’ movement | The Guardian - Jason Wilson:

July 6, 2020 = "Libertarian party presidential candidate, Jo Jorgensen, has appeared on a podcast associated with the anti-government 'boogaloo' movement just days after an adherent of the movement was arrested for allegedly murdering two law enforcement officers.,,,

"The Libertarian party is one of the largest political parties in the US, outside the dominant pairing of the Democrats and Republicans. Although the party’s vote is still comparatively small, it has finished third in the last two presidential elections, and has increased its share of the vote in four successive elections, going from 0.4% of the vote in 2004 to 3.3% in 2016, when it fetched almost 4.5 million votes

"On the Roads to Liberty podcast, Jorgensen was quizzed on her policy proposals by a group of men who were introduced as 'some of the head admins for some of the most influential pages in the so-called boogaloo movement'. The word 'boogaloo' refers to the prospect of a second civil war in the US by playing off a reference to a movie sequel, Breakin’ 2: Electric boogaloo.... [Among those] questioning Jorgensen was a man identifying himself as 'Squid', an administrator of the 'Patriot Wave: V 2.0” (PW2) page.... the PW2 page features dozens of memes which reference fascist, white nationalist, and 'accelerationist' neo-Nazi imagery....

"The questioners ask Jorgensen about a range of policy areas, including taxes, veteran's affairs, and second amendment issues. 'Squid', however, asks about Jorgensen’s 'views on the boogaloo movement as a whole'. Jorgensen replies, 'Oh, can you please explain that to me again?”, and appears not to know about the movement.... Squid explains the purpose of the movement as 'basically liberty and justice for all'. 'Well, I am definitely for liberty and justice for all', Jorgensen replies....

"In an email, after being given examples of troubling images on the PW2 page, Jorgensen declined to specifically repudiate the support of the boogaloo movement, writing: 'I welcome the support of anyone who will reject violence and bigotry in favor of non-aggression, peaceful persuasion, and voluntary cooperation.'

"Asked if the boogaloo movement were anti-government extremists, Jorgensen wrote: 'The media tend to lump together peaceful protesters and those who advocate violence, and paint the entire group as being violent'.... She added: 'The boogaloo movement is highly decentralized and comprises both those who are aligned with the principle of nonaggression, and some who run counter to it'. 'Squid', the PW2 administrator, denied that the group were racist in an email, writing that they were 'constitutionalists'....

"Dozens of boogaloo groups, including many of the largest ones, have been promoting Jorgensen’s candidacy in recent days, and a dedicated Jorgensen meme group involves many self-identified boogaloo adherents. Facebook, meanwhile, banned hundreds of boogaloo-related accounts, pages, and groups on Instagram and Facebook on 30 June.... The Libertarian party formally condemns racism in its platform. However in 2017, after the Unite the Right rally, the party’s leadership had to issue a public denunciation of white nationalism....

"Asked about how the Libertarian party will keep extremists at a distance in future, Jorgensen wrote: 'The Libertarian Party is the only political party that favors non-aggression as a fundamental principle. Every Libertarian Party member has signed a pledge that they oppose the initiation of force for the purpose of achieving social or political goals.'"

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/06/libertarian-2020-candidate-jo-jorgensen-podcast-boogaloo-movement

Jorgensen on lockdowns, crypto, and the Fed

2020 Libertarian Presidential Candidate Jo Jorgensen Talks Bitcoin, Endless Wars, Covid-19 Response | News.Bitcoin.com - Jamie Redman:

June 9, 2020 - "On June 8, news.Bitcoin.com ... discussed a number of issues with the Libertarian 2020 presidential candidate Joanne Jorgensen, otherwise known as 'Jo.' The Libertarian nominee is a well known political activist and academic researcher during the last few decades.... 

"BC: What are your thoughts on how the US government handled the coronavirus outbreak —  specifically the business shutdowns and lockdown orders?...
JJ: It was tragic, they put us all under house arrest and tens of millions of people lost their jobs. Many of those jobs are not coming back. One of my grandfathers immigrated from Sweden and his family came to America for freedom. You know the land of the free and home of the brave. And while we are all under lockdown, the old country that he left they were all out walking about, going to school, going to restaurants, and having a general freedom that you would expect Americans to have.

"BC: Since the coronavirus and even months prior, the US Federal Reserve has created trillions of dollars and it has been distributed to private dealers and interests. What are your thoughts on the Fed and how would you address this private bank as President?
JJ: First all the Federal Reserve should have never been created to begin with. Unfortunately, they are teaching history a little wrong in the textbooks these days. Because a lot of people say that if it wasn’t for the Fed stepping in, the Great Depression would have been so much worse. But actually the Federal Reserve caused the problems....

"[T]he first thing I would do if I was President of the United States would be to audit the Federal Reserve.... Eventually, I’d like to see the Fed abolished. Because through the Federal Reserve we get money created out of thin air, which is basically the equivalent of counterfeit money....

"BC: A great number of Libertarians like money such as gold and silver. However, in recent years many free-market advocates support bitcoin. What is your stance on Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency economy?
JJ: A message from the Libertarian Party platform says: 'We favor free-market banking with unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types — Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies and unconstitutional legal tender laws.'

"So a number of people say that they want to back USD with gold. That would be a step in the right direction, but that is not enough. We have competition in cars, competition with computers, and competitive grocery stores. Why not have competition with money? So the people have access to something that is more planned and a monetary system they can better predict. Right now what we have is money that’s created under the whims of Congress and the Federal Reserve Chair.

"I would act in support of a free market in currencies. Some people say that the constitution authorizes the federal government to create currency, just like it authorizes the creation of the post office. But in neither case, does the constitution give the federal government a monopoly on currency or the delivery of mail. Businesses should be able to trade and accept whatever they want and that would mean bitcoin and all the other cryptocurrencies....

"I would enact Ron Paul’s Free Competition in Currency Act. This would repeal legal tender laws and taxes on coins and monetary metals. And it would repeal the prohibition on coining money. Also, I would repeal the Bank Secrecy Act, Know-Your-Customer (KYC), and other laws that violate our right to financial privacy. Many people go to bitcoin because they do want privacy so I would work to repeal those unjust laws.

"I would also appoint commissioners to the CFTC and the SEC who would then seek to deregulate Bitcoin and other crypto-assets. I would appoint leaders at the Treasury Department, who would be told to leave bitcoin and crypto operations alone. Lastly, I would pardon Ross Ulbricht, the individual who operated the Silk Road (SR) marketplace. Ulbricht is serving more than one life sentence in prison for nonviolent offenses, partly because some of the SR members were selling drugs for bitcoin."

Read more: https://news.bitcoin.com/2020-libertarian-presidential-candidate-jo-jorgensen-talks-bitcoin-endless-wars-covid-19-response/

New Hampshire Libertarians sue for ballot access

NH Libertarians sue over ballot access rules amid pandemic | Keene Sentinel - N.H. Public Radio:

June 10, 2020 - "The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire is suing the governor and the state’s top election official for not adjusting ballot access requirements amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Under existing election laws, Libertarian candidates running for president, governor or U.S. senator in New Hampshire need to collect signatures from 3,000 registered voters to get on the ballot for the 2020 elections. In a complaint filed in federal court Monday, the Libertarian Party argues this threshold is unreasonable, as signatures are typically collected door-to-door, and it is less safe to do that now, due to the ongoing pandemic.

"Instead, the party is asking the state to lower the signature requirement or suspend it altogether for the upcoming elections. Similar lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Libertarians in other states, including Georgia, Illinois and Pennsylvania."
Read more: https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/nh-libertarians-sue-over-ballot-access-rules-amid-pandemic/article_f441d432-e2f4-50d7-a729-ba83053656ce.html

NH Primary Source: Libertarian presidential candidate Jorgensen urges end of police ‘militarization’ | WMUR - John DiStasio:
June 4. 2020 - "Libertarian Party nominee Dr. Jo Jorgensen ... was in the state Wednesday to file her declaration of intent to appear on the New Hampshire ballot. Jorgensen turned down a telephone interview, but did answer our question on the issues of the day in writing....

"Dr. Jorgensen: 'Governor Sununu’s refusal to work with the party places an undue risk on thousands of voters who know they deserve a real choice on their ballots in November. The state clearly agrees that collecting petitions is dangerous, as it recommends against everything involved with gathering petitions. From large gatherings, to close personal contact with strangers, signing a petition creates a risk to public safety.

"'Refusing to grant relief puts health and pursuit at odds with an open democracy. With stay-at-home orders in effect, the governor is violating the right to free speech, constitutionally-guaranteed equal rights to be elected to office, and effectively outlaws the gathering of petitions as required by law.'"

Read more: https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-primary-source-libertarian-presidential-candidate-jorgensen-urges-end-of-police-militarization/32761826

Libertarian Party chooses Jorgensen / Cohen

Jo Jorgensen Wins Libertarian Party Presidential Nomination | Reason - Brian Doherty:

May 23, 2020 - 'In a day-long virtual meeting, after four ballots, the 1,035 delegates assembled for the Libertarian Party's online convention selected Jo Jorgensen as their presidential candidate. She won with slightly over 51 percent of the vote (not every delegate voted in every round) on that fourth ballot, with 524 votes. Jacob Hornberger came in second, with nearly 28 percent of the vote. Vermin Supreme came in third, with 20 percent of the final vote....

The party's voting procedure involved six candidates officially in nomination: Jorgensen, Jacob Hornberger, Vermin Supreme, John Monds, Judge James Gray, and Adam Kokesh. (Members could vote for other people if they wanted, or for none of the above, and many did.) Jorgensen led the vote in every round, though she was only 12 votes ahead of runner-up Jacob Hornberger on the first ballot.

"As per the party's procedure, the lowest vote getter in each round was technically eliminated for the next one. Kokesh was eliminated after round one, Gray after round two, and Monds after round three. Jorgensen's lead grew with each round, to 82 votes over Hornberger on the second ballot and a 126-vote lead on the third. Hornberger's support remained pretty steady, rising only to 285 from his first-round 236 votes.

"Jorgensen vowed to 'make this the most successful campaign we can' in a speech after the results came in." Runner-up Hornberger said in a concession speech that he 'hold[s] her in the highest respect and esteem.'"

Read more: https://reason.com/2020/05/23/jo-jorgensen-wins-libertarian-party-presidential-nomination/

Libertarian Party Picks Spike Cohen as Its Vice-Presidential Candidate | Reason - Brian Doherty:

May 24, 2020 - "Spike Cohen, who runs Muddied Waters Media, won the Libertarian Party's nomination for vice-president today. On the online convention's third ballot, Cohen got 533 votes — 52 percent of the total — narrowly edging out former presidential candidate John Monds.

"Jo Jorgensen, a Clemson psychologist who served as the party's vice presidential candidate in 1996, was chosen as the Libertarian presidential nominee yesterday in a separate vote. Jorgensen had expressed a preference for Monds to be her vice president. Cohen has linked himself to political satirist Vermin Supreme, who ran this year for the party's presidential nod."

Read more: https://reason.com/2020/05/24/libertarian-party-picks-spike-cohen-as-its-vice-presidential-candidate/

2020 Libertarian National Convention in limbo

Libertarian Party's Presidential Nominating Convention in Coronavirus Limbo | Reason - Matt Welch:

March 25, 2020 - "On Tuesday, the city of Austin, Texas, issued a coronavirus-avoidance stay-at-home order that permits residents to leave their homes only for 'essential' work and activities, such as providing medical care or buying groceries. The order, which lasts preliminarily until April 13, could have at least an indirect impact on the 2020 presidential race....

"Austin is the site for what was scheduled to be the May 21-25 Libertarian National Convention, ... the sole venue and mechanism by which the party's presidential and vice presidential nominees are determined. Rather than arrive with delegate slates earned in binding state primaries and caucuses the months before, Libertarian candidates show up, vie for scarce space on the debate stage, then endure however many rounds of voting it takes (lowest candidate lopped off after each round) among the 1,000 or so delegates in attendance until someone wins 50.1 percent of the vote.

"'We are evaluating all of our contingency plans,' Libertarian National Chair Nicholas Sarwark told Reason Friday.... The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) is scheduled to discuss precisely that [at] a special meeting conducted via Zoom Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET. Sarwark reckons that some kind of remote meeting, or an Austin plus remote hybrid, might be set up with a pared-down agenda focusing mainly on candidate selections both for the presidential ticket and the LNC.

"The convention website on March 19 informed delegates, 'The Coronavirus crisis is of an incredibly fluid nature, and as of the writing of this 61 days before our event, it is still too early to make any "permanent" plans.... Expect more definitive guidance as to the plan for the event about one month before the delegates and attendees are scheduled to arrive for registration and credentialing. For now, we can expect release of more definitive guidance on 4/20.'

"Added Sarwark: 'Basically the convention oversight committee meets weekly with updates and is in constant contact with the venue, and then they give me updates at a slightly lower periodicity. We're looking at probably somewhere around 30 days out, maybe three weeks out, to make a final decision.'"

"There have been seven nonbinding Libertarian primaries and caucuses thus far.... In the overall popular vote thus far, according to this Wikipedia page, [Jacob] Hornberger leads [Vermin] Supreme 22 to 10 percent, with 1996 L.P. vice presidential nominee Jo Jorgensen just behind with 9 percent. The rolling shutdowns across the country — postponing primaries and most large gatherings — alter the basic calculus for winning delegate votes, which is usually: Show up to state conventions, glad-hand, and perform in debates....

"The L.P.'s presidential nominating process can be a lengthy event, filled with horse-trading and intrigue. Since the goal is to win a majority of delegates on-site, ... candidates have in prior cycles invested much energy into making sure friendly state delegates show up. Canceling or significantly physically altering the Austin gathering will certainly upend business as usual for America's third party."

Read more: https://reason.com/2020/03/25/libertarian-partys-presidential-nominating-convention-in-coronavirus-limbo/

Why Jorgensen opposes LP abortion plank

Jo Jorgensen Talks Diversity-Less Democrats, DOPE, Dershowitz, And The Elephant In The Room | The Libertarian Republic - Gary Doan:

March 5, 2020 - TLR: "This is Gary Doan ... talking to Jo Jorgensen. She’s best known for being Harry Browne’s running mate on the ’96 Libertarian presidential ticket and is currently running for the nomination, herself.... How far off do you think the Libertarian Party is from being competitive in ... an actual electoral sense? And how do you get there?
JJ: "Well, I think ... that in order to get anywhere, we need to have candidates at all levels: state, local and federal. And we need to have, of course, supporters, donors, people knocking on doors and all of that. So in 1996, Harry Browne and I focused on membership, and we doubled the party during those two years, and that’s been the largest growth in Libertarian Party history. And that’s what I think we need to replicate.... I think we need to become so big that people can’t ignore us. I’m not sure that the best way to do it is to look for people ... who’ve been elected for years, and then try to convince them to go our way. A lot of times, they got there by money from the special interests, from lobbyists. There have been a few exceptions. I will point to Ron Paul, I think Ron Paul is a libertarian....

TLR: "You’ve talked a lot, even here, about your connection to Harry Browne, as his VP in ’96. However, a lot has changed in the last 14 years. Why are you the best choice to head the ticket in 2020? And what have you done since ’96 that makes you more qualified for the top slot than then?
JJ: "First of all, there are some things that haven’t changed. Government is still too big and there are still a lot of the same philosophical reasons, some of the same history..... I was on something like 300 radio shows back then. I’ve had a lot of experience. So I can speak to a lot of these things. So that’s one thing that I think would help me that would carry over from ’96. But you’re right, things are different now. We’ve got social media, which we didn’t have before. And for those types of things, I do have other people....

TLR: "You have called for the Libertarian Party to delete the abortion plank, which would presumably mean that the platform was actually silent on the matter and individual candidates could feel more free to run under their own interpretations on the interplay between that and the non-aggression principle. If there were no abortion plank, would you personally run as a pro-life Libertarian?
JJ:.... "I am not going to feature abortion, whether pro-choice, pro-life… I am not going to have that as part of something that I’m campaigning on or that I’m emphasizing. Because there’s something like 2% of the population, where that’s their number one voting issue. Something like 80% of Americans thinks that abortion should be okay in the first three months. It just seems like for the most part that’s been set aside for more urgent things. So I would not run on the issue one way or the other. And in fact… right now I just say I support the party platform.

"But let me point out, the reason I thought that the plank should be eliminated isn’t to have candidates who are pro- life, but [for] people outside the party.... So many times I see this [perceived] as a litmus test. And so many times I run into people who are just so frustrated with Republicans because they’re not following through on smaller government. They’re frustrated with the Democrats, because they’ve changed. They’re no longer for free speech. Now they’ve become, I hate to throw terms around, but let’s just say more authoritarian. So people are looking for another party, and they look towards the Libertarian Party and they say, 'Well, I can’t be in the Libertarian Party because I’m pro-life.'

"And a lot of Libertarians send that message out that if you don’t agree with us, 100/100, you can’t be in our party. The main reason I wanted to get rid of that plank is so that all of these many fine voters out there who are lost - who don’t have a small government party to go to - will look at us as an option. And my experience is that once people join the party, they become more Libertarian on all issues. In fact, I was just talking with somebody a couple of weeks ago, at the Florida convention. And he said, 'You know, when I joined the party, I was 80/100, but being around all the people in here and all the ideas now I’m 100/100.'

"So what I would like to do is drop that one barrier that seems to be a big barrier, so that we can increase membership and then get people to look at the other things."

Read more: https://thelibertarianrepublic.com/jo-jorgensen-talks-diversity-less-democrats-dope-dershowitz-and-the-elephant-in-the-room/

UPDATE, February 16, 2024: Since this story is still being read, with over 100 reads in the past month, I should add here that the abortion plank was deleted at the Libertarian Party's 2022 National Convention.