Some state LPs want to chase Oliver off ballot

Libertarian Party POTUS nominee Chase Oliver is on the ballot in 36 states, and ballot access efforts are ongoing in the others. But the executives of a few state Libertarian parties don't want him on theirs. 

The Libertarian Party vs. Chase Oliver | Reason | Brian Doherty: 

July 11, 2024 - "In May, the Libertarian Party (L.P.) nominated Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat as its presidential and vice presidential candidates.... Before the end of June, two state affiliate parties vowed they would not submit Oliver and ter Maat's names to appear on their state ballots. 

"One state, Colorado, announced in early July that it would instead nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This week the secretary of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), Caryn Ann Harlos, used her legal authority as national secretary to submit the Oliver/ter Maat ticket to Colorado's secretary of state office anyway. The LNC is the governing body of the national party. Harlos is herself a member of the Colorado L.P. but strongly objected to the Kennedy nomination. The Oliver campaign also this week submitted a necessary slate of electors to the state.... The Colorado L.P. still intends to file to get Kennedy on the ballot as a Libertarian, though it is likely his campaign will submit enough signatures by the deadline today to achieve that without the L.P.'s help. Colorado secretary of state spokesperson Jack Todd told The Denver Post that dueling filings from the same party is something the state has never had to deal with before.

"Montana's Libertarian Party also announced in early June that it would not put Oliver on its state's ballot and encouraged other states to follow suit. The Montana L.P. asked the national party to 'consider suspending and replacing him.' At publication time, Montana's party chair had not responded to an email asking if his party intended to submit a different name or leave Montanans no L.P. presidential ticket to vote for.

"Another state L.P., Idaho, saw its secretary, Matt Loesby, publish an open letter in mid-June calling on the LNC to rescind Oliver's nomination, mostly because of his position on transgender care for minors. Idaho's official state party account retweeted Loesby, though according to an email from Loesby last week, the party has made no formal decision to keep the Oliver ticket off its ballot. (New Hampshire's L.P. also rejects Oliver, but he can get himself on that state's ballot without its cooperation.)....

"Colorado takes issue with Oliver making the personal choice to wear a mask during COVID-19, insufficiently defending his opponent Donald Trump from accusations made against him, and being arguably more consistently libertarian than it is on minors' right to make choices about their medical care in alliance with parents and doctors. Trans issues are the flash point for many of Oliver's most vocal opponents.... Oliver sticks firmly to the libertarian idea that the state should not interfere with the decisions a parent, child, and doctor make about appropriate or desired care. (Oliver is asked about the 'transing kids' stuff far more than he brings it up on his own; when the issue is brought up, he routinely stresses the small number of children and families affected by this issue.)...

"Currently, the LNC is considering forming a joint fundraising committee with Kennedy. Harlos has been upbraided publicly on the LNC's business email list by [LNC Chairman Angela] McArdle for daring to place the L.P.'s nominee on her state's ballot rather than Kennedy. The LNC is currently voting on a motion to ensure it files all necessary nominating paperwork for Oliver with state election officials. So far at least six members of the LNC have voted against this.

"For his part, Oliver has been out on the road conducting an ordinary presidential campaign, including public appearances, media spots, and advertising. His X feed is full of hits on debt, gun control, bodily integrity, and presidential legal immunity. He stresses his youth — he's 38 — compared to his doddering major party opponents.... Dustin Nanna, chair of the LNC's ballot access committee, said in a phone interview in late June that they are locked in 36 states and have ongoing ballot access efforts, some funded by the party and some all-volunteer, in the others....

"This much opposition within the L.P. to its nominee is 'highly unusual,' said Oliver's campaign manager Steve Dasbach, himself a former LNC chair, in a phone interview in late June..... Dasbach thinks moves against Oliver's access are "not in the best interests of the Party as a whole, and not in the best interest of registered Libertarians in those states.' To Dasbach, Oliver's position on trans issues is 'straight out of the party platform' with its support for medical freedom for individuals and for parental rights against state interference. Dasbach also has found some Libertarians erroneously believe Oliver supported mask or vaccine mandates merely because he personally chose to wear a mask or socially distance in some circumstances. 'We are working with the LNC and we are confident we'll ultimately be able to work these issues out and Chase will appear on the ballot in all states where the L.P. is qualified,' Dasbach says."

Read more: https://reason.com/2024/07/11/the-libertarian-party-vs-chase-oliver/

Libertarian Presidential Nominee Chase Oliver Reacts To Biden-Trump Debate | Forbes Breaking News | July 2, 2024:

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/

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

Montana Libertarians nominate None of the Above for Senate

Libertarians won’t have 2020 candidate for U.S. Senate in Montana | KTVH - Mike Dennison:

August 6, 2020 - "The Montana Libertarian Party will be without a candidate in Montana’s 2020 U.S. Senate race, after party members failed to choose a replacement candidate last month. The lack of a Libertarian candidate leaves three people in the high-profile race: Incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines, his Democratic challenger, Gov. Steve Bullock, and Green Party candidate Wendie Fredrickson.

"Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Susan Good Giese – who had replaced a Libertarian candidate that withdrew in March – announced in May that she would withdraw. Giese, a Lewis and Clark County commissioner from Augusta, said commissioner duties related to the Covid-19 pandemic would not allow her enough time to campaign. Libertarians then had until mid-August to choose a replacement. Yet at a July meeting of party officials to select that replacement, the choice that won the most votes was 'none of the above'....

"Chairman Sid Daoud of Kalispell told MTN News that 'none of the above' is always a choice in a Libertarian Party selection process. He said it wasn’t his choice, but because it was the top vote-getter, the party won’t name a replacement candidate. Libertarians usually get only a small percentage of the vote in statewide races. But, in past Montana U.S. Senate races, a third-party candidate can be a factor in a close contest."

Read more: https://www.ktvh.com/news/election-2020/libertarians-wont-have-2020-candidate-for-u-s-senate-in-montana

A win for the Republicans
George J. Dance

Montana can be called a solidly red state. In 2000, George W. Bush won the state by 25 percentage points – in 2016, Donald Trump's margin was more than 20 points – and the Republican nominee won in Montana every election between those years. The state's only congressman is a Republican. The GOP controls both state houses. Yet the governor and the senior U.S. Senator are both Democrats. How did that happen?

In the Senator's case, it happened thanks to the Montana Libertarian Party. The state LP began gaining traction in the 2000s during the big-government Bush years, and since then has been seen as the place for disgruntled Republicans to vote against their party, with both major parties buying into that narrative. In 2016 the GOP tried to remove a Libertarian from the ballot; while in 2012 a Democrat-controlled PAC spent $500,000 on television ads for the Libertarian in the Senate race (which the Democrat won, with the Libertarian playing 'spoiler'). This year, given anti-Trump sentiment, the Libertarian could conceivably have bled enough votes from the GOP to elect a second Democratic senator.

To forestall that, the Republicans took a page from the Democratic playbook, and spent $100,000 to ballot-qualify the Green Party candidate – while the Democrats went to court to have the Green kicked off. The GOP may also have put pressure on Giese to withdraw from the race, and may even have tried to influence the Libertarian vote on her replacement (though that is mere speculation). Be that as it may, it looks like this development will be enough to keep the seat in Republican hands. 

MT GOP county commissioner runs Libertarian

Republican Commissioner to Run for Senate as Libertarian | U.S. News & World Report - Associated Press:

March 19, 2020 - "Lewis and Clark County Commission Chair Susan Geise has announced she will run for the U.S. Senate race as a Libertarian Party candidate after serving as a Republican because of differences with the Republican Party leaders and concerns about the toxicity of partisan politics. Geise filed Wednesday as a Libertarian after formerly serving as the chair of the Montana Republican Party in the 1990s....

"Geise was selected by the Libertarian Party on Tuesday to replace Eric Fulton of Bozeman, who withdrew on the last day of the regular election campaign filing period, meaning the party had until Wednesday to nominate a replacement candidate, she said. Geise told the Independent Record that she was concerned by allegations that Fulton was linked to the Republican Party and his dropping out was a political move to prevent the Libertarian Party from fielding a candidate.

"'I have read the allegations, I don’t have any facts about it and I hope that’s not true, that this individual was a Republican and it was maybe a tactic, or what I might call a dirty trick, so that suddenly the Libertarians would have no one,' she said. Fulton previously ran as a Republican for the Legislature, but said in an email he chose to withdraw after Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock entered the race to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines....

"Geise served as a Republican on the commission since 2013, but recently attempted to make the commission elections nonpartisan in the future. She also was a state lawmaker representing Great Falls about 30 years ago. 'I want to be very clear, the Republicans and I have been unhappy with each other for a very long time, certainly since the 2016 election,' she said. 'I have elected dozens and dozens if not a hundred Republicans to elected office. I have invested my life to this and I feel that the Republican leadership profanes what we used to stand for and I can’t stomach it.'"

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/montana/articles/2020-03-19/republican-commissioner-to-run-for-senate-as-libertarian

Montana Libertarian: "No, I am not dropping out"

Despite Donald Trump Jr. Retweet, Libertarian Senate Candidate Rick Breckenridge Did Not Drop Out - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Brian Doherty:

October 31, 2018 - "Donald Trump Jr. retweeted a tweet this morning saying that Libertarian Party Senate candidate Rick Breckenridge of Montana had dropped out and endorsed Republican challenger Matt Rosendale to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester....

"But as Breckenridge clarified in a phone interview this morning, it is not true. The reporter on the original tweet misunderstood the meaning of Breckenridge declaring he had more trust in Rosendale on a particular issue bugging him this week: the use of political 'dark money' to send anonymous mailers; in this particular case, one slamming Rosendale for wanting 'to use drones and patrols to spy on our private lives,' while seeming to endorse Breckenridge as 'a true conservative' who 'opposes government intrusion into Montanans private lives.'

"'No, I am not dropping out' Breckenridge says, though he grants he used the word 'endorse' to reporters regarding Rosendale over Tester, but only on the issue of rooting out dark money, which this anonymous mailer has now made personal to him.... Breckenridge says he doesn't want voters thinking he actually supported something he sees as an unsavory direct public attack on his political opponents, neither of whom he views as an enemy, and both of whom he agrees with on certain issues....

"But he stresses this morning he is still running and wants people to vote for him. 'I did not say "do not vote for me, vote for Matt." I'm a Libertarian through and through, I'm not a Republican. I'm not going to be campaigning for [Rosendale], won't be on stage with' him. He characterizes his statement about Rosendale regarding dark money as 'an issue bigger than my candidacy, and I had to do something from a citizen standpoint.'

"He says he's known Rosendale and his family for over 10 years and appreciates his character, but 'I'm for liberty and the cause of liberty.' Breckenridge says he agrees with Tester on the Fourth Amendment and the Kavanaugh Supeme Court appointment (Tester was opposed to Kavanaugh's appointment and confirmation), and he disagrees with both men on the border wall (Tester and Rosendale are both for it). He also notes, regarding the anonymous pamphlet that tried to paint the Libertarian as a 'true conservative,' that he's 'very socially liberal.'"

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2018/10/31/despite-donald-trump-jr-retweet-libertar
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Libertarian Senate candidate drops out in MT

Libertarian candidate drops out of Montana's U.S. Senate race to back Rosendale | 406 Politics | helenair.com - Helena Independent-Record - Matt Brown, Associated Press:

October 31, 2018 - "The Libertarian candidate in Montana's U.S. Senate race threw his support behind Republican Matt Rosendale on Wednesday in response to an election mailer from an unknown group that appeared aimed at undermining Rosendale's support among conservatives.

"Rosendale, Montana's state auditor and insurance commissioner, is in a tight race against two-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, with the balance of power in the closely divided Senate potentially at play.

"Libertarian Rick Breckenridge has virtually no chance of winning. But his participation has threatened to peel away votes that might otherwise go toward the Republican and boost Tester's chances next week.....

"Breckenridge said in an interview that he doesn't know the source of the mailer, which promoted him as a 'true conservative' and claimed that Rosendale supports using drones to spy on private citizens.

"He said it appeared to be an attempt by so-called dark money groups to influence Montana's election.... Federal election laws require campaign materials to disclose their funding source. He said he disagreed with Rosendale on some issues, particularly the Republican's support for building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and shared Tester's concerns about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's stance on privacy issues. But dark money in elections is more important, Breckenridge said.

"The mailer is reminiscent of tactics used by Democratic-friendly groups in Tester's 2012 race to promote Libertarian candidate Dan Cox and siphon Republican voters from Rep. Denny Rehberg. Tester won the race by 4 percentage points, and Cox captured more than 6 percent of the vote....

"Rosendale said during a Thursday conference call with Breckenridge hosted by the Republican's campaign that he was honored to have the Libertarian's backing. Rosendale alleged that the flier was distributed by 'Jon Tester's allies' but offered no definitive proof."

Read more: https://helenair.com/news/government-and-politics/libertarian-candidate-drops-out-of-montana-s-u-s-senate/article_e7525245-9365-5d54-92d9-8e02b5216ce3.html
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Montana Libertarian: "No, I am not dropping out"

Libertarians get rep on MT co. election committee

Libertarian Party, college student to get seat on Missoula County's Election Advisory Committee ~ Missoula Current - Martin Kidston:

April 4, 2018 - "Missoula County commissioners approved changes to the by-laws governing the Election Advisory Committee on Wednesday, though the newly created positions will have to wait for a vacancy.

"The seven-member committee, currently comprised of several at-large members and one representative from both the Democratic and Republican parties, will be joined by a member of the Libertarian Party and a student representative from higher education.....

"The EAC is comprised of seven citizen volunteers appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to study the efficiency and effectiveness of the electoral process. The stated goals include advocating for fair and open elections and increased public participation.

"The committee has included one member from both the Democratic and Republican parties, though they’ll be joined by the Libertarian Party when a vacancy opens.

"'They (EAC) felt a party that has a central committee should have a seat,' [Dori] Brownlow, [director of the county’s development district], said. 'The number of members on the EAC will stay the same. When they have a vacancy, they’ll ensure it’s filled by those new members.'"

Read more: https://www.missoulacurrent.com/government/2018/04/election-advisory-committee/
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Libertarian Wicks impresses In Montana debate

Libertarian Candidate Mark Wicks Impresses Panelists In Montana Congressional Debate - Being Libertarian:

May 2, 2017 - "Libertarian Party candidate Mark Wicks appeared in a televised debate with Republican Greg Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist Saturday for Montana’s at-large congressional district election occurring May 25th.

"Wicks has been a virtual unknown in the race, with the media focusing almost entirely on the major party candidates. News coverage of the race has mentioned the libertarian as an afterthought, or not at all. Wicks would have been excluded from Saturday’s debate as well were it not for the committed work of libertarian activists and the national Libertarian Party.

"On Monday, April 24, Wicks received an email from Jon Stepanek, the News Director of KTVQ (Q2 News). Stepanek and other MTN News Directors had decided that “the one hour timeframe allotted for the debate will best be used between [Quist and Gianforte],” and that Wicks would not be invited to participate. Soon after, Wicks posted the email to his Facebook page.

"Responding to an action alert from The Feldman Foundation, Libertarian activists from Montana and across the country began commenting on KTVQ and other MTN stations’ social media pages. After being asked what criteria had been used to exclude Wicks, Q2 News responded via Facebook, 'When choosing candidates for the debate, we applied the same news standards we have used in the past for other political debates. Those standards include polling at 5% and actively campaigning.'

"However, of the very few polls for this race, one poll by Emerson College showed that Wicks had indeed attained 5%. Another poll by Gravis Marketing had Wicks at 3%, but with a margin of error of ±2.9%. Several Google Consumer Surveys polls showed Wicks receiving as much as 11% of the vote. And Wicks was indeed actively campaigning.

"The Feldman Foundation prepared to file a complaint with the FEC, on the grounds that MTN’s exclusion of Wicks constituted unreported campaign contributions to the Democratic and Republican candidates. The New Libertarian put out a call to action: members were asked to publicize MTN’s exclusion of Wicks, to contact Q2 News and other MTN affiliates, and to “make the voice of liberty heard.” At the same time, national Libertarian Party chair Nicholas Sarwark sent in the artillery – the party’s legal counsel....

"On Saturday, ... Wicks impressed the debate panelists, and many Montanans learned for the first time that they have an authentic alternative to the major parties.

"When asked who was the winner of the debate, Mike Dennison, MTN’s Chief Political Reporter, responded, 'I think a clear winner had to be Mark Wicks, the Libertarian. Not only because he got some great exposure statewide, probably for the first time in the campaign, but also because he answered the questions really well and directly. He was articulate, he was funny, he didn’t dodge anything; he did a great job of differentiating himself from the other two candidates throughout the entire debate.'

"Tim McGonigal, MTN Anchor/Producer said of Wicks, 'He was refreshing, he had the sound bites of the night.'"

Read more: https://beinglibertarian.com/libertarian-candidate-mark-wicks-impresses-panelists-montana-congressional-debate/
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Montana Libertarian chair Fellows dead in crash

Libertarian candidate Mike Fellows killed in car crash - NBC Montana - Associated Press::

September 20, 2016 - "Mike Fellows, the Libertarian Party's candidate for Montana's U.S. House seat, died in a car crash.... Fellows died in a head-on collision with another vehicle on Montana Highway 200 Monday night.

"He died at the scene.... A person in the other vehicle has been taken to a hospital for undisclosed injuries.

"The 59-year-old Fellows was making his eighth run for U.S. House.... Fellows has run in every statewide election since 1998. Besides U.S. House, he ran for Montana Supreme Court Clerk in 2012 and Secretary of State in 2000.

"The Montana Libertarian Party has released the following statement:

It is with the deepest of sadness that we learned of the passing of Mike Fellows, longtime chair of the Montana Libertarian Party....

Tom Lutey of the Billings Gazette recently referred to Fellows as the 'godfather of third-party politics in Montana.' As the longest-serving active state chair of the Libertarian Party, he worked tirelessly to advocate the party's message for more than two decades, often on his own dime, on his own time. Former Libertarian candidate Dan Cox said that Fellows’ effort on behalf of the party was “monumental,” sometimes funding candidates’ ballot fees from his own pocket. The word dedication doesn't even begin to describe Fellows’ contribution to and passion for spreading the message of liberty in Montana.

Because of Fellows’ single-handed perseverance, the Montana Libertarian Party garnered enough votes to be legally recognized as [a] major political party and has maintained ballot access across the state for more than twenty years, something few third-party state affiliates have been able to accomplish....

"The outpouring of support and condolences from people of all political leanings would have touched and honored him. Our sympathies go out to Fellows’ family and friends, as well as the many lives he touched across Montana."

Read more: http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/politics/local-elections/libertarian-candidate-mike-fellows-killed-in-car-crash/87938155
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MT Libertarian survives GOP ballot challenge

Montana court rules to keep Libertarian candidate on ballot | Government & Politics | billingsgazette.com - Matt Volz, Associated Press:

September 13, 2016 - "The Montana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to keep the Libertarian candidate for secretary of state on November's election ballots after the head of the state's Republican Party tried to have the candidate declared ineligible.

"The justices, in a 5-1 decision, denied GOP Chairman Jeff Essmann's request to remove Roger Roots from the ballot because Roots failed to file his required campaign finance disclosure paperwork.

"Roots is a long-shot candidate for the open seat against Republican Corey Stapleton and Democrat Monica Lindeen....

"Essmann argued that Roots is not eligible as a candidate because he failed to file his business disclosure statement and several campaign finance reports. Under Montana law, candidates who don't file the documents must be removed from the ballot.

"Essmann had asked the court to order county election officials to stop printing ballots and remove Roots' name.

"Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl responded that Roots filed the documents, though some were late and one was lost in his office after Roots submitted it. Roots also said that he filed all the paperwork that was required of him....

"Essmann denied that he was trying to give Stapleton an advantage against Lindeen by striking Roots from the ballot.

"The majority opinion written by Justice Patricia Cotter said that Motl and McCulloch properly carried out their duties in approving candidates and certifying election ballots. Statements by Roots, Motl and McCulloch establish that Roots did file the necessary paperwork, she wrote."

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/government-and-politics/montana-court-rules-to-keep-libertarian-candidate-on-ballot/article_cdd3804a-c60f-51b4-bf48-7045bf8171f2.html
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Libertarian Dunlap running for Montana governor

Libertarian from Conner running for governor | Montana Politics | helenair.com - Perry Backus, Helena Independent Record:

March 20, 2015 - "Along a slow-moving stretch of the East Fork of the Bitterroot, there’s a rock that Ted Dunlap likes quite a lot....  He calls it his thinking rock. Over the course of the next year, Dunlap plans to get to know this particular stone even better as he ponders the message he wants to spread as part of his campaign for the highest post in Montana politics.

"Dunlap filed as the Libertarian candidate for governor ... the third time he’s run for governor of a state. The first two tries came in Idaho, where he managed to spread the Libertarian message by participating in several debates broadcast statewide.

"'I didn’t win, of course, but I did influence the debate,' Dunlap said. 'The other candidates had to consider what I was saying. People told me later that what I said made sense.'

"When people ask Dunlap to define a Libertarian’s perspective on the world, he hearkens back to his years in junior high when someone told him: 'Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.' His wife prefers: 'Whatever floats your boat, as long as it doesn’t sink mine.'

'We don’t feel like anyone should have the right to tell you how to live your life,' Dunlap said.... “I grew up with a strong dislike for bullies,” he said. “I didn’t like seeing anyone get pushed around. In my mind, that’s what the Democrats and Republicans are. It’s their own way or the highway. They are bullies.... Who gave them the right to tell me how to use my money or how I should live my life?' ...

"Dunlap was living in California when he first realized that he didn’t fit. It was just after Dianne Feinstein was elected to the U.S. Senate.... So, he sold his mowing/hazardous fuels control business and moved to a small town just outside of Boise.... In Idaho, he went searching for members of the Libertarian Party.... 'I took over leadership, which required a bit of a battle at the time.'

"After putting on a convention that raised about $8,500 for the cause and creating some party unity, Dunlap spent the next few years adding his name to the ballot, twice for governor and once as sheriff.... 'It was the closest election the sheriff had ever suffered,' Dunlap said. 'He didn’t even see it coming. I didn’t really want the job of sheriff, but I would have done it better than him.

“'I feel the same way about the Montana governor’s job,' he said. 'I don’t really want the job, but I’ll do it, and do it better than what the governor has done.'

"Dunlap said he doesn’t really plan to travel much to campaign.... 'But I will do my best to spread the word about the Libertarian Party. Once you get involved in it, your mind will get stretched and it will never go back to its previous shape. We call it the party of principle.'

"Dunlap said he’s been heartened by the like minds that he’s found since moving northward.

"'I thought I would find more and more individualism if I went north,' he said. 'When I went to Idaho, it felt like there was about one in 10 people who thought like me. Here in Montana, it’s closer to 50/50. I’m making progress.'"

Read more: http://helenair.com/news/politics/state/libertarian-from-conner-running-for-governor/article_bab483a7-7dd8-5748-8842-af7fb7ce981a.html
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GOP entitlement rhetoric may boost Libertarian's chances in Montana

GOP Boosts Libertarian 'Spoiler' in Montana - Mike Flynn, Big Government, Breitbart News:

July 22, 2014 - "Most political handicappers of Senate races this fall generally assume that the GOP will capture the seat of former-Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). A new poll from liberal polling firm PPP, however, shows a race much closer than expected.....

"The new poll, released Monday, shows Democrat-appointed Sen. John Walsh trailing GOP Rep. Steve Daines by 7 points, 46-39. That result is a 10-point gain since November, when Walsh trailed Daines by 17 points, 52-35, in the same poll. A big factor in Walsh's surge is increased support from Republicans....

"Republican Daines has recently been attacking Walsh for believing that partial privatization of Social Security should be 'on the table' when discussing reforms to the entitlement program. Democrat Walsh was even attacked on this issue from the left during his primary race. Note to GOP strategists: When you are lifting attack lines from the progressive left, you are doing it wrong.

"There is no better indicator of the intellectual bankruptcy of many in the national GOP.... Entitlement programs, very shortly, are set to consume all federal revenues, before a dollar is spent on national defense and the myriad of things the government does. To write-off any market-based reform to entitlements obviates the entire point of having a Republican party....

"Montana has a strong libertarian tradition. In 2012, the Libertarian candidate for Clerk of the state Supreme Court won 42% of the vote as the sole opponent to the Democrat nominee. The party's Senate candidate, Dan Cox, took almost 7% of the vote in the hotly contested race between Democrat Sen. Jon Tester and GOP Rep. Denny Rehberg....

"Daines' attack on Walsh for being open to entitlement reform, of course, will only further boost the Libertarian candidate. If the Republican candidate, after all, is going on record against any kind of market-based reform of an unsustainable retirement program, a conservative protest vote for the libertarian candidate is tempting.

"What's the point of a Republican-controlled Senate if the GOP doesn't know what to do with it?"

Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/07/22/GOP-Boosts-Libertarian-Spoiler-in-Montana
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Montana Libertarians in 1st congressional debates

Libertarian candidate to join Montana U.S. Senate debate - Mike Dennison:

June 13, 2014 - "Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Roger Roots will be on the stage Saturday in the race’s first general-election debate – and the campaign of Republican Steve Daines is none too happy about it.

"'You can’t do an Internet search on Roger Roots without coming across a racist or offensive comment that he has made,' said Brock Lowrance, Daines' campaign manager. 'There is no room for racism in civil dialogue, and it does not reflect who we are as Montanans.'

Yet Democratic U.S. Sen. John Walsh, the third candidate in the race, is not objecting – and, in fact, has made it a point to invite Roots to take part in future debates among the three U.S. Senate candidates....

"Roots, who now disavows his racist past and said 'I haven’t uttered a racist remark in 15 years,' will join Daines and Walsh at a televised debate Saturday in Butte, sponsored by the Montana Newspaper Association.

"Mike Fellows of Missoula, the Libertarian running for the U.S. House, also will appear Saturday at the same event, joining fellow House candidates Democrat John Lewis and Republican Ryan Zinke at their own, separate debate....

"Roots said he knows some Republicans think Libertarians are to blame for the GOP losing close races for the U.S. Senate and governor in 2012, when Libertarians polled well and the Democrat won with less than 50 percent of the vote. But he believes Libertarians draw votes away from both Democrats and Republicans.

"'(Republicans) have no one to blame but themselves if they think their libertarian voters are going to vote Libertarian,' he said, noting that Montana Republicans have supported big-government, anti-libertarian stands on many issues, like opposing medical marijuana and supporting restrictions on abortion."

Read more:
http://missoulian.com/news/local/libertarian-candidate-to-join-montana-u-s-senate-debate/article_916ba392-f290-11e3-a913-0019bb2963f4.html
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Libertarian 'Spoiler' Alert!

Libertarian 'Spoiler' Alert! Seven Democratic Victories in Which the LP Candidate Received More Than the Margin of Defeat - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Matt Welch:

November 12 - "On Friday, Garrett Quinn pointed out two congressional races in which a Libertarian Party candidate received considerably more votes than the margin separating a winning Democrat from a losing Republican: Massachusetts' 6th District (48.3%-47.3%-4.5%** for Rep. John Tierney over Richard Tisei and Daniel Fishman), and Utah's 4th District (49.3%-48.1%-2.6%** for Rep. Jim Matheson over Mia Love and Jim Vein).

"Last Wednesday, Brian Doherty also flagged Montana's race for U.S. Senate, where incumbent Sen. John Tester defeated the Ron Paul-endorsed Denny Rehberg 48.7% to 44.8%, while LP nominee Dan Cox received 6.5% of the vote. All three losing Republicans had significantly more libertarian credibility than maybe 90% of elected GOPers on the national level.

"So are there any other 'spoiler' accusations out there? At least four, probably more"

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2012/11/12/libertarian-spoiler-alert-seven-democrat
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Montana PAC spends $500,000 on TV ad for Libertarian Dan Cox

Group sympathetic to Tester drops $500K on TV ad – for Libertarian - Mike Dennison, Billings Gazette":

October 26, 2012 - "HELENA - A hunters-and-anglers group sympathetic to Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has spent $500,000 on a new TV ad in his Senate race — telling voters to support the Libertarian candidate, Dan Cox ... the third person in the high-profile Senate contest between Tester and U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg.

"The ad, which began airing this week, criticizes Rehberg for supporting a bill that would give the Department of Homeland Security expanded authority over federal lands within 100 miles of U.S. borders.

"Its closing frame then says: 'Vote Cox. The Real Conservative.'

"The ad is funded by the Montana Hunters and Anglers Leadership Fund, a political-action committee financed earlier this year by the League of Conservation Voters, a leading conservation and environmental group backing Tester."

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/group-sympathetic-to-tester-drops-k-on-tv-ad-for/article_44197da9-b6d2-5e8a-ae05-7442aef0a45d.html#ixzz2AsT8r0yO
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Libertarian candidates wage online campaigns in races for U.S. Senate, House

Libertarian candidates wage online campaigns in races for U.S. Senate, House - Mike Dennison, Billings Gazette:

October 21, 2012 - "HELENA - "Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Dan Cox ... 36, the owner of a fishing-lure manufacturing firm in Hamilton, is the third man in what has become the most expensive race in Montana history. He’s taking on the incumbent, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, and the other challenger, Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg.

"But rather than buy campaign advertising by the bushel, as his opponents have done, Cox is relying on the Internet and social networking for his campaign – much like his counterpart in the U.S. House race and fellow Bitterroot Valley resident, Libertarian Dave Kaiser of Victor.

"'I don’t have a yard sign, I don’t have a bumper sticker, I don’t have a (campaign) business card, I don’t have a political powerhouse team protecting me from the media,' says Kaiser. 'I am not a politician. I just speak my mind.'"

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/libertarian-candidates-wage-online-campaigns-in-races-for-u-s/article_cdb9d2db-d90f-5b3b-93dc-82dd02a320ad.html#ixzz29zNxHsHz
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Gary Johnson, Other Libertarians, Make Montana Races Squeakers - Reason 24/7 : Reason.com

Gary Johnson, Other Libertarians, Make Montana Races Squeakers - Reason 24/7 : Reason.com:

September 12, 2012 - "Montana's a state where Gary Johnson may have a bigger impact than other places. When he's included he polls at 7% and since he pulls more from Romney than Obama he pushes Mitt's lead down to a 46-43 margin. Montana hasn't received the kind of attention it did in 2008 as a state that Obama could possibly win, but it looks like he's at least headed for a competitive loss there again this time around."

http://reason.com/24-7/2012/09/12/gary-johnson-other-libertarians-make-mon
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