Libertarian Burt elected to Wyoming state House

Libertarian Candidate Marshall Burt Wins Wyoming State House Race | Reason - Brian Doherty: 

November 4, 2020 - "The Libertarian Party (L.P.) had high hopes for a win in the Wyoming state House in two different races — and one of them came through. Marshall Burt has won in District 39 against Democrat Stan Blake, 1,696 to 1,420, according to Apollo Pazell, who was running the L.P.'s campaigns in the state. This is only the fifth time the L.P. has won a state legislative seat with a candidate running only under the Libertarian label. 

"In Wyoming's House District 55, Bethany Baldes, who in 2018 lost a state House race against an incumbent GOP majority leader by only 53 votes, lost to Republican Ember Oakley by only 32 votes, 2,058 to 2,026.

"In other L.P. races of note around America, Donald Rainwater, in a three-way race for governor of Indiana, has earned 13.1 percent of the vote with well over 90 percent of the results in. That is right in line with polling from last month, even though third-party results tend to fall precipitously from earlier polls when actual votes are cast. Rainwater came in ahead of Democrat Woody Myers in nearly two dozen counties around the state. Republican incumbent Eric Holcomb won reelection.

"In Arkansas, with 81 percent of the vote counted, the L.P.'s Ricky Harrington got 33.3 percent in his race to dethrone Republican Sen. Tom Cotton. (No Democrat was on the ballot.) Harrington won outright in two counties. In Pulaski County, which contains the state capitol of Little Rock, Harrington leads Cotton 59 percent to 41 percent.

"In Kentucky's Senate race, which Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won with 58 percent of the vote, Libertarian Brad Barron got 4 percent while losing Democrat Amy McGrath earned 38 percent.

"In Montana, L.P. gubernatorial candidate Lyman Bishop currently has around 3.5 percent with about 52 percent of the votes counted. That's more than 10,000 votes in a race where the declared winner — Republican Greg Gianforte — is presently ahead of Democrat Mike Cooney by about that many votes."

Read more: https://reason.com/2020/11/04/libertarian-candidate-marshall-burt-wins-wyoming-state-house-race/

KY Libertarians defeat early candidate deadline

Libertarians Win Fight Against Kentucky on Voting - Kevin Koeninger, Courthouse New Service:

January 23, 2020 - "A change to the deadline for independent political candidates to register for elections signed is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Kentucky House Bill 114, signed into law by former Governor Matt Bevin in March 2019, changed the deadline for state and local candidates to declare their candidacy from April 1 to the last Tuesday in January.

" The law was made retroactive to include 2019, and prevented several Libertarian candidates from filing their statements of candidacy with the board of elections. The candidates were informed by former Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes they could not be placed on the ballot without a court order, so they filed a federal suit, joined by the Kentucky Libertarian Party....

"By May 2019, the local defendants and the board of elections had entered into consent orders that said they would not defend the legislation and would be bound by any decision made by the federal court. The only board member to opt out of the consent order was Katrina Fitzgerald, who defended the filing deadline on her own before the Wednesday ruling.

"U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman sided with the Libertarians and granted their motion for summary judgment, finding the early registration requirement unconstitutional. Bertelsman credited lay and expert testimony provided by the candidates, and determined the early deadline 'creates numerous serious problems for would-be independent candidates. Among those problems were the difficulty of organizing a campaign during the holiday season, and attempting to recruit candidates so far in advance of the election....

"Bertelsman cited the 1990 Fourth Circuit ruling in Cromer v. State of South Carolina, which dealt with a similar early deadline. The court in Cromer held that the problem with the deadline 'is in having to make the draconian decision at a time when a rational basis for making it does not exist. At this time the party candidates have not been chosen, and even the identity of those who may become candidates may not be known. The election itself is seven months of unfolding events away.' Bertelsman found that Kentucky’s early deadline was just as burdensome as the one in Cromer.

"Fitzgerald ... argued that the law advanced the governmental interest of making voters aware of candidates as early as possible and promoting 'voter education,' but Bertelsman ... cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1983 ruling in Anderson v. Celebrezze, in which it rejected voter education as a justification for early filing deadlines for independent candidates.

"Bertelsman’s ruling affected only the filing deadline portion of HB 114 and left other parts of the legislation untouched, including changes to the board of elections. One change designated the secretary of state as a nonvoting member of the board of elections, which prevents the secretary from serving as chairman of the board. Previously, the secretary was automatically named the chairman of the state Board of Elections."

Read more: https://www.courthousenews.com/libertarians-win-fight-against-kentucky-on-voting/
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Kentucky Libertarian makes governor's ballot

Kentucky governor's race 2019: Libertarian candidate joins - Billy Kobin, Louisville Courier-Journal:

May 14, 2019 - "After a federal judge temporarily blocked a new section of a state law related to filing deadlines, a Libertarian Party candidate has officially joined the 2019 race to become Kentucky's next governor.

John Hicks officially became a candidate Monday, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State's office.

"Hicks is a Louisville native and information technology consultant who made a bid to represent the 43rd District in the Kentucky House of Representatives in November. He lost the race to Democrat Charles Booker. Hicks, 72, is ... a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, and he previously taught in Jefferson County Public Schools and published a community newspaper in Fern Creek.

"The Libertarian candidate's running mate is Ann Cormican, a native of Paris, Kentucky, who works at the Toyota Kentucky manufacturing facility in Georgetown. Cormican also made an unsuccessful bid last November to represent the 72nd District in the Kentucky House of Representatives....

"State legislators approved a measure, House Bill 114, in March that retroactively moved up the filing deadline for third-party and independent candidates from April 1 to January 11. Hicks said he had filed his candidacy before April 1 but after the January deadline.

"The Libertarian Party of Kentucky took the matter to federal court, arguing the measure denied its candidates access to the statewide ballot in 2019. On May 9, a U.S. District Court judge in Covington agreed and temporarily blocked the section of the state law related to filing deadlines....

"Hicks and Cormican already won the Libertarian Party's state primary back in March, meaning they will appear on ballots in November. (The Libertarian Party is not included in the May 21 primary involving Republican and Democratic candidates.)"

Read more: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/elections/kentucky/2019/05/14/kentucky-governors-race-2019-libertarian-candidate-joins/3664867002/

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KY Libertarian, Constitution parties sue for ballot status

Libertarian Party of Kentucky, and Constitution Party of Kentucky, File Lawsuit on Definition of “Party” | Ballot Access News - Richard Winger:

December 4, 2015 - "On December 4, the Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party filed a lawsuit against the Kentucky definition of a qualified party. The case is Libertarian Party of Kentucky v Grimes, e.d. 3:15cv-86.

"Kentucky is the only state in which it is impossible for a party to ever be ballot-qualified until it polls a particular share of the vote for President. The law requires 2% for President. No other index of support matters. Kentucky is one of only five states in which the only ballot-qualified parties since November 2000 have been the Democratic and Republican Parties. The others are New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.... In the last 100 years, only four parties have met the Kentucky 2% presidential vote test....

"History shows that voters are far more likely to support a party, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, for office other than President. The Libertarian Party of Kentucky polled 3.08% for U.S. Senate in 2014, but that doesn’t count. Also it has almost 5,000 registered members, but that doesn’t count either."

Read more: http://ballot-access.org/2015/12/04/libertarian-party-of-kentucky-and-constitution-party-of-kentucky-file-lawsuit-on-definition-of-party/
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Kentucky Libertarian kept out of Senate debate

Oligarchy Wins, Kentucky Loses, Libertarian Candidate Says of Being Excluded from Senate Debate | The River City News:

October 13, 2014 - "Mitch McConnell and Alison Lundergan Grimes will face each other in a televised debate on Monday evening.... Absent will be the third candidate seeking the office: Libertarian David Patterson.

"A judge ruled against Patterson's emergency injunction filed by the Libertarian Party of Kentucky and the campaign. Patterson's campaign said that an open records request revealed that KET 'continually shifted criteria for inclusion' in the debate, to ensure that the Libertarian would not be part of it.

"'I'm running the best campaign that I can. I don't have $50M worth of out-of-state special interest money. My campaign has always been about regular Kentuckians, and that's who has lost today,' Patterson said in a statement on Sunday. 'KET has testified under oath that their mission and values statements don't apply to the decisions they make. They intend to apply a financial threshold to all future criteria. That means you must be rich or have rich friends to even stand a chance. Kentuckians now have their hard-earned tax dollars being used to deprive them of knowing their options when they walk into the ballot box.'

"'It is extremely disappointing that the court has said state entities can re-write the rules in the middle of the game,' said Libertarian Party of Kentucky Chairman Ken Moellman. 'KET testified under oath that Grimes and McConnell were invited without any criteria, while David Patterson was scrutinized under an ever-increasing set of criteria. This isn't even about Libertarians, it's everyone who's not part of the Old Parties. The First Amendment now only applies to the "chosen ones". Welcome to the illusion of choice. Welcome to the oligarchy.'"

Read more: http://rcnky.com/articles/2014/10/13/oligarchy-wins-kentucky-loses-libertarian-candidate-says-being-excluded-senate
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Kentucky Libertarian thrown off ballot

Judge throws Libertarian off ballot - Scott Wartman, Cincinnati.com:

August 23, 2014 - "It turned out that county attorneys need to be practicing attorneys after all.

"That's how Circuit Court Judge Gregory Bartlett ruled Friday afternoon when he threw a Libertarian candidate for Boone County attorney off the November ballot.

"Libertarian Joseph Szeremet is one of two Libertarian candidates in Northern Kentucky fighting to stay on the ballot in a year when the Libertarians have put six candidates on local ballots in Northern Kentucky.

"In the other case, Kenton County Clerk Gabrielle Summe filed suit against her Libertarian challenger, Christopher Robinson, alleging he hasn't lived in Kentucky long enough to qualify to run for office.

"That case will have a hearing in Kenton County Circuit Court next Friday....

"The judge commended Szeremet on his interest in running for public office but called his candidacy 'an absurdity.'

"Szeremet was a licensed attorney for 32 years in Michigan but retired 10 years ago and isn't licensed in Kentucky....

"Szeremet said Bartlett misconstrued the constitution, which states that a county attorney should be a practicing attorney for two years. Szeremet interpreted that as any two years and not necessarily the current two years. He doesn't know if he'll appeal.

 "'Frankly I'm losing interest, because I'm by myself,' Szeremet said. 'I don't have a law firm or anything like that. But I have time. I'm not going to necessarily be on the ballot, but I may take the issue up just to prove him wrong.'"

Read more: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2014/08/22/lawsuits-threaten-kick-two-nky-libertarians-ballot/14442423/
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Libertarian makes U.S. Senate ballot in Kentucky

Kentucky Tea Party Activist on Senate Race: 'Majority of Our Group Will Vote for the Libertarian' - Michael Patrick Leahy, Big Government, Breitbart.com:

August 12, 2014 - "David Patterson, the Libertarian Party's nominee for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, confirmed on Tuesday to the Fox Business Network that Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes has certified his signatures, and he will be included on the ballot in November.

"Grimes is also the Democratic challenger to incumbent Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and stands to benefit from Patterson's inclusion on the ballot....

"Patterson emphasized that his entry into the race significantly increases the number of undecided voters, a point first highlighted in a Breitbart News article. '[W]hether I am in the race or not, the incumbent is two points ahead of the Democratic challenger,' Patterson said, referring to a recent Bluegrass Poll. '[W]hen I am included, the undecided vote swells from about 8 percent to 13 percent"....

"Tea Partiers in Kentucky, angry at McConnell's history of treating them poorly and stung by his crushing defeat of their endorsed candidate, Matt Bevin, in the May Republican primary, responded positively to the news that Patterson had qualified for the November ballot.

"'The Kentucky Tea Parties are not going to endorse or work for any of the candidates," Scott Hofstra, a spokesperson for the United Kentucky Tea Party, told Breitbart News. 'The large majority of our group will probably vote for Patterson, the Libertarian," Hofstra added. 'Estimates are that he will take 7-9% of votes. Probably hurt McConnell more than Grimes.'

"A new poll released on Tuesday by Public Policy Polling (PPP) confirms Hofstra's assessment."

Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/08/12/Kentucky-Tea-Party-Activist-on-Senate-Race-Majority-of-Our-Group-Will-Vote-for-the-Libertarian
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Kentucky LP running most candidates in a decade

Libertarian Party backing most candidates in 10 years - Cindy Schroeder, Cincinnati Enquirer:

April 6, 2014 - "The Libertarian Party of Kentucky has 17 candidates running for public office in November’s election, including nine in Northern Kentucky, the most candidates that party’s had in a decade.

"Most of the Northern Kentucky Libertarians are seeking office in Boone County, where six filed a statement of candidacy to run by Tuesday’s deadline.

"Libertarianism holds that a person should be free to live as that person chooses, accepting responsibility for their own actions, without forcibly effecting the lives of others.

"'I would have liked to have seen more candidates statewide, but we had a good turnout in Northern Kentucky,' said Pendleton County resident Ken Moellman, state executive committee chair for the Libertarian Party of Kentucky. 'The leadership up here has done a great job (recruiting candidates).'"

Read more: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/northern-ky/2014/04/06/libertarian-kentucky-election-candidates-ken-moellman/7364823/
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Libertarian candidate enters Kentucky Senate race

Libertarian candidate enters Senate race in Ky. - Associated Press - WHAS-TV:

August 26, 2013 - "Libertarian David Patterson has announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky.

"A 42-year-old Harrodsburg police officer, Patterson said in a statement that he's making a bid to unseat Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell because voters are looking for an alternative.

"Ken Moellman, chairman of the Libertarian Party's state executive committee, said he's pleased Patterson wanted to get into the race. Patterson will seek the party's nomination in an internal primary on March 1.

http://www.whas11.com/community/blogs/political-blog/UN-Syria-team-says-vehicle-shot-at-by-snipers-221147401.html

Libertarian Party of Kentucky holding annual convention this weekend

Libertarian Party of Kentucky Holding Annual Convention This Weekend | WFPL - Philip M. Bailey:

March 1, 2013 - "The Libertarian Party of Kentucky is gathering in Bowling Green this weekend for its annual convention.

"Last year, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson received less than one percent of the vote in Kentucky and the party has no officeholders at the state or federal level.

"But the party has seen a 30 percent increase in registration over the past nine months, and recently opened up new chapters in Boone and Campbell county.

"Ken Moellman is a former libertarian candidate for state treasurer and is chairing the convention. He says reaching local voters is becoming equally important to the party, and more candidates will be running for those offices in the coming "

Read more: http://www.wfpl.org/post/libertarian-party-kentucky-holding-annual-convention-weekend
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