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/

1st online US POTUS convention begins tonight

Opinion: Libertarians to be first to nominate a presidential candidate via virtual convention | Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Jim Galloway:

May 19, 2020 - "Over the weekend, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan decided that he wouldn’t make a run for president under the Libertarian Party banner after all.... There is still a reason to keep an eye on Libertarians as they pick their presidential nominee this weekend. But many will consider the 'how' to be more important than the 'who.'

"The pandemic has forced the Libertarian nominating convention into cyberspace — something that Republicans and Democrats alike might find themselves mimicking.... On Friday evening and Saturday morning, 1,045 Libertarian delegates will become the first 50-state, national party to select their nominees for U.S. president and vice president via Zoom, one of several video chat services that have risen up to serve as a substitute for face-to-face contact....

"Libertarians were to gather in Austin, Texas, this Memorial Day weekend. Then the hotel they booked canceled its operations, and Texas officials imposed a 14-day mandatory quarantine on all out-of-state interlopers. They still hope to have an in-person national gathering in July.... But ... Libertarians are under deadline pressures when it comes to the presidential contest that Republicans and Democrats are not. The names of their candidate for president, along with electors, must be submitted far earlier in many states. Which is why, only two weeks ago, the Libertarian National Committee voted to take its presidential nomination process into virtual territory....

"'We’ve been running training sessions on how to run a parliamentary meeting online. We’re throwing every monkey wrench in,' said Dan Fishman, executive director of the Libertarian Party.... Fishman is a software architect – not uncommon among Libertarians, he said. 'We’ve always been a party of technologists. Among software engineers, the dominating preference is libertarianism. So we have a lot of technical people really helping out,' he said....

"Libertarians decided to use the Zoom 'webinar' feature. Delegates will be able to see the principals, but not each other. State party chairs, who as 'panelists' can see the convention/audience, will forward delegation votes and motions. Members of state delegations have set up Slack channels so they can chat among themselves throughout the process.

"The vote for president is expected Saturday. With Amash out – he will remain the first and only member of Congress to bear a Libertarian label – the race is an open one. The only Georgian in the contest is John Monds, who is something of a Libertarian legend. In 2008, in an obscure state Public Service Commission race against Republican Doug Everett, Monds became the first Libertarian in U.S. history to win more than 1 million votes....

"Fishman said he expects Republicans and Democrats alike to be paying attention. 'I know at some point in time people are going to want to talk to us about this. They don’t have quite the same issues that we do, in terms of how their conventions are run, but they are going to have to do something like this,” Fishman said....

"The Libertarian Party has a YouTube channel that will allow you to watch its proceedings, live or delayed. Do tune in, at least for a half-hour or so. You’ll get a glimpse of the skeleton of business that is actually conducted at a political convention – with all the froth and fancy removed."

Read more: https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/opinion-libertarians-first-nominate-presidential-candidate-via-virtual-convention/3wva19YUrooFK3ROU1dbzK/

A look at John Monds

Million-Vote Man | Florida Courier:

February 21, 2020 - "A stay-at-home dad living in a rural Georgia [c]ounty made a recent presidential campaign announcement ... in Talbot County, ... Georgia. The 2010 Census population there: 6,865. You probably missed it. But other people are paying attention.

"John Monds ... made history in the 2008 Georgia Public Service Commissioner race when he became the first Libertarian Party candidate to receive more than 1 million votes [and] again in 2010 when he became the first African-American candidate to appear on the ballot for governor in the state of Georgia. In his various campaigns, Monds has earned more than 1.8 million votes as a Libertarian candidate in Georgia.

"Monds lives in Cairo, Ga., about 140 miles south of Talbot County. He earned a degree in business administration from Morehouse College with a concentration in banking and finance before getting what he calls 'his dream job' – homeschooling his children.... He has been married to Dr. Kathaleena Monds for 21 years. They have four children.... Two ... have already earned their college degrees. Monds has been active in his community through various organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the NAACP....

"He has been an active member of the Libertarian Party for 15 years, and has run for four races as a Libertarian candidate. He joined the party after reading the platforms of all the political parties in Georgia ... because in his opinion, the Libertarian Party is 'serious about freedom.' ... Monds says. “I espouse a Freedom Agenda; getting government out of peoples’ lives'....

“'One thing that I espouse to Black audiences is that the government is not your friend,' he intoned. 'Go back 400 years in this country alone. Almost every problem the African American community has suffered has been at the hands of government. I don’t believe you should go to the perpetrator of your problem for the solution. Whether you were looking at slavery, Jim Crow, poor schooling, segregated housing, discrimination on all levels, those problems, and the problems that Black farmers had with the theft of Black land and Black wealth, all those things are tied to the government.'

"Monds maintains that his message is about 'empowering individuals to be able to guide and control their own lives. And I don’t think I have a right to decide what should be done for you, or to you, even if I win an election. In fact, I think government makes things worse just as often as they make things better'....

'Would a vote for John Monds be wasted? 'It depends on what you believe,' he explained. 'If you believe in freedom, you’re not going to get that from the Democratic Party; you’re not going to get that from the Republican Party. If you believe in freedom, voting for either of those parties would be a wasted vote'....

"Monds will be in Orlando this weekend for the Libertarian Party of Florida state convention.... The party’s national convention will be held in May in Austin, Texas. Until then, Monds will be traveling from one state convention to another vying for support. How is he financing his campaign? 'Bootstraps,' he laughed."

Read more: http://flcourier.com/million-vote-man/

Monds declares for Libertarian POTUS nomination

Former Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Announces Presidential Campaign | Georgia Public Broadcasting- Sharon Rose:

February 4, 2020 - "John Monds, a 2010 Georgia gubernatorial candidate, has announced that he will seek the Libertarian nomination for president. Monds was also the first Libertarian candidate to receive more than 1 million votes at the state level during his 2008 campaign for Georgia public service commissioner.

“'John Monds has been an incredible voice for Libertarians in Georgia,' said Ryan Graham, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Georgia. 'I look forward to seeing him extend that influence to a national scale, energizing supporters of libertarian principles.'

"Monds said the decision was one he had weighed for the past several years. 'Just recently I've made up my mind that this is exactly what I want to do,' Monds said. 'This is the right time.'

"Monds said his focus right now is not about President Trump, but securing the nomination of the party.... The Libertarian Party nominates their candidate through registered delegates at their national convention, which will take place in Austin, Texas, in May. Monds said he’s open to reforming the Libertarian nomination process, but believes ballot access restrictions for third parties have been a factor in preventing that....

"He believes the biggest way the Libertarian Party can make its case in 2020 is in sticking to its core [principles]. 'I definitely believe ... we don't need to water down our message and we have to be very careful about that,' Monds said.

"The Libertarian’s 2016 presidential nominee, Gary Johnson, received 3.27% of the popular vote in the last election, but did not win any electoral votes."

Read more https://www.gpbnews.org/post/former-georgia-gubernatorial-candidate-announces-presidential-campaign
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