Paul Stanton wins Florida Libertarian primary

Libertarian Paul Stanton wins big over Augustus Invictus as supporters watch in Tampa Bay - Tampa Dispatch:

August 31, 2016 - "Libertarian voters spoke on Tuesday in an unprecedented party primary in Florida, as Paul Stanton defeated Augustus Invictus and the race was called by Bay News 9 with 92 percent of the state’s voting precincts in.

"As of the time of the election being called by the local affiliate, Stanton held 74 percent of the statewide vote and the voting totals neared 4,000 registered Libertarians....

"'In this historic election we can go from speaking to just Libertarians to spreading Libertarian solutions to all Floridians, our solutions concerning peace, liberty and empowerment,' Stanton said after being declared the winner. 'I’m deeply humbled to be on the same ballot as Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld for President and Vice-President.'

"No statewide primary in Florida had ever been held in a Libertarian race. Only Missouri (U.S. Senate) and Alaska (U.S. House seat) also had Libertarian primaries for federal seats.

"The DeLand resident held a watch party in one of the Libertarian hotbeds in Florida — the greater Tampa Bay area. Supporters gathered with Stanton in St. Petersburg and watched as the returns came in."

Read more: http://www.tampadispatch.com/libertarian-paul-stanton-wins-big-augustus-invictus-supporters-watch-tampa-bay-54348/
'via Blog this'

Johnson2016 to spend $1M on radio, billboards

Libertarian candidate Johnson focuses on battleground states in ad blitz - Politico - Daniel Strauss:

August 26, 2016 - "Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson’s campaign is spending nearly $1 million on advertising in four battleground states, plus Oregon, Utah and his home state of New Mexico, as part of a new advertising blitz.

"The new ad spending is the first indication of where Johnson is hoping to compete in the coming weeks. The former New Mexico governor’s campaign is spending $806,195 this month on radio ads in Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin, according to a media buying source.

"The campaign also is spending money on digital billboards as part of its advertising push, said Johnson campaign spokesman Joe Hunter. Additional advertising is expected through Labor Day, bringing the total spending to at least $1 million, he said.

"One of the ads features Johnson arguing that 'if a Democrat is elected president, if a Republican is elected president, in four years we will still be at war, America will be four years deeper in debt, we will have four more years of rising taxes.

"A second ad is Johnson arguing against a two-party system.... '60 percent of you have said you want another choice in 2016 and now you have one in me,' Johnson says in the ad. 'We the people have a chance to do something in 2016 that may not come again in our lifetime. We have a legitimate chance to elect one of our own to the highest office in the land.'

"The third ad features Juan Hernandez, an expert on trade policy and economics who’s served as an adviser to Sen. John McCain, former Mexico President Vicente Fox and former President George W. Bush.... 'I’ve always considered myself a Republican, but this year I’ve decided to support Gary Johnson for president,' Hernandez says. 'As a Latino, I’m tired of the insults coming from [Donald] Trump, and I can no longer believe that this the promises of the left will be kept'.... Hernandez goes on to highlight Johnson’s immigration plan."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/gary-johnson-ads-battleground-states-227459

'via Blog this'

Minnesota Libertarians put Johnson on ballot

Gary Johnson to appear on Minnesota ballot | Libertarian Party of Minnesota:

August 23, 2016 - "We did it! Former governor of New Mexico and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson has achieved a spot on Minnesota’s ballot....

"LPMN activists submitted an initial 2200 signatures on August 2, of which 1950 have already been validated. An additional 1000 signatures were submitted on August 22. The two submittals bring the total to over 3200, which all but assures Johnson’s placement on the ballot once certification by the Secretary of State is complete.

"In Minnesota, 2000 signatures are required for a presidential candidate of any alternative party to appear on the statewide ballot. The deadline for submittals was Tuesday, August 23.

"The end of the petition drive culminates a summer-long effort. Public signatures were gathered at numerous outreach events... Additional signatures came from our statewide affiliates, individuals who drew upon their personal networks of friends and family, and from volunteers who took it upon themselves to go door-knocking. In particular, kudos are deserved for superactivists Marge and Norm Beard, who accounted for over 1000 of the signatures at various events!

"Numerous people were shocked to learn that Libertarians must obtain thousands of signatures simply to be on the ballot, especially since the major parties get on the ballot automatically....

"As evidence of the LPMN’s growing organizational strength, it is notable that no petitioners were brought in from the National LP, nor was anyone hired as a paid petitioner, as had been done in 2008 and 2012.  In 2016, all efforts were 100% grassroots and volunteer."

Read more: https://www.lpmn.org/gary-johnson-to-appear-on-minnesota-ballot-2016/
'via Blog this'

Abraham Lincoln endorses Gary Johnson (video)

This Hilarious (But Accurate) Ad for a Gary Johnson Vote Is the Best Political Ad Ever | RedState - Brandon Morse:

August 26, 2016 - "BalancedRebellion.com came up with a system that allows Republicans and Democrats who mutually hate their candidates [to] come together to vote for [Gary] Johnson, and balance out the scales so that neither party gets the benefit of a lopsided vote. It's a pretty fun system that pairs you with a Democrat in your area, and makes you feel better about leaving your party to vote for Johnson.

"But while the site alone is a pretty good idea, it's the video promoting the site that sells.

"Acting as part promotion for the site, and part campaign ad for Gary Johnson, Balanced Rebellion has 'Dead Abe Lincoln' get up as their spokesman and give one of the most hilarious speeches I've seen this election season. In it, he reminds you that this year you've been screwed, that you don't have to vote for someone you hate, and that Abe Lincoln himself was third party when he was elected....

"It also gives a very good explanation as to why you should vote for Johnson over the other two. So if you're looking for a good five minute video that will help convince your friends and family to leave the false safety of their mainstream party, this is the video to do it."

Read more: http://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2016/08/26/hilarious-accurate-ad-gary-johnson-vote-best-political-ad-ever/
'via Blog this'

Johnson, PACs fight to get him into debates

Libertarians hope rallies and ads can nudge them into the presidential debates - The Washington Post - David Weigel:

August 27, 2016 - "Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson ... a two-term governor of New Mexico, has avoided the fringe label that often sticks to third-party candidates. Since announcing former Massachusetts governor William Weld as his running mate, Johnson has risen in polls to the high single digits — and to the mid-teens in some swing states. His rallies draw hundreds of voters, bigger than anything he saw during his 2012 bid. He talks about 'spoiling the party,' and voters cheer.

""Despite that, Johnson is struggling to grab the prize he has eyed all year: To be invited to the televised presidential debates. He needs to close in on 15 percent in an average of polls, and he’s doing what he can. Two super PACs are trying to boost him in. It’s not clear that they can pull it off....

"The Commission on Presidential Debates, which has controlled the process since 1988, has held fast to its 15 percent threshold. A Johnson-backed lawsuit against that threshold was thrown out this month, though, and the voters filing into Johnson-Weld rallies this week were acutely aware that their man might be kept offstage....

"Two libertarian efforts are underway to boost Johnson past the debate commission’s 15-percent hurdle. Purple PAC, steered by former Cato Institute president Ed Crane, began a $1 million ad buy this week, with cable spots casting Johnson as an 'honorable choice' who favors tolerance and free markets.... Alternative PAC, launched by former FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe, is spending $50,000 to kick-start a Web campaign aimed at millennials....

"As Purple PAC’s Crane noted, the two standard-bearers for libertarianism have become some of the least ideological candidates in America.... That’s led to steady criticism from more traditional libertarians, who pounce on every Johnson or Weld sop to the center as a gaffe. Weld, who signed a gun-control bill as governor, struggled to win the Libertarian vice-presidential nomination.... After Johnson refused to rule out a tax on carbon — only if it was revenue-neutral and it replaced income taxes — he was criticized by libertarians on social media.

“'I’m still on the fence about whether I’m going to cast a write-in vote for None of the Above or myself,' said Darryl Perry, a New Hampshire voter who ran against Johnson for the Libertarian presidential nomination. 'I know a few [people] who have said, "Well, he’s the lesser of the evils." The lesser evil is still evil in my eyes.'

"But the dazzling possibility of the debate invite — something no Libertarian candidate has ever achieved — has kept most fellow travelers on board.... At one rally, in Concord, close to 300 people stood in a steady and meteorology-defying rain to hear Weld and Johnson speak about the six-lane highway between the parties.

"'Standing in the rain,' Johnson said with disbelief. 'You honor us. You really do.'"

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/libertarians-hope-rallies-and-ads-can-nudge-them-into-the-presidential-debates/2016/08/27/2517567c-6b9d-11e6-8225-fbb8a6fc65bc_story.html
'via Blog this'

Purple PAC spending $1M on TV ads (video)

Super PAC goes on the air for Gary Johnson as he struggles for debate access - The Washington Post - David Weigel:

August 25, 2016 - ""Purple PAC, the Libertarian-friendly super PAC steered by former Cato Institute president Ed Crane, has put $1 million into cable TV spots that will run for at least 10 days.

"The goal: boosting former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson's name recognition to get him polling close enough to 15 percent to cross into the televised presidential debates.

"'This thing can really catch fire," Crane said in a short interview. 'If Gary is in the debates against two people who are very unpopular, it could be quite a dramatic change in how voters look at the election'....

"But to achieve that, Johnson needs to crack 15 percent support — something no third-party candidate has done since 1992, and something made trickier by the splintering of the anti-Trump vote....

 "Meanwhile, a new Quinnipiac poll found Johnson at 10 percent in a four-way presidential race. Six times as many poll respondents — 62 percent — said that Johnson should be onstage at the debates."

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/08/25/super-pac-goes-on-the-air-for-gary-johnson-as-he-struggles-for-debate-access/
'via Blog this'

Voting for Johnson is "treason against Trump"

Editorial: Trump's Virginia chairman Corey Stewart goes ballistic - Richmond Times-Dispatch:

August 20, 2016 - "As more Republicans run from their presidential nominee, some have begun looking favorably on the Libertarian ticket, which consists of two former Republican governors: Gary Johnson and William Weld. A recent poll showed Johnson at 11 percent in Virginia. Retiring Rep. Scott Rigell, a Republican, has endorsed Johnson.

"'This is not a standard two-person race,' says Liz Mair, a spokesman for Republicans for Johnson/Weld, 'and we might see Johnson gain pretty significant traction here pretty quickly.'

"This news is not being greeted calmly by Team Trump.

"Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of Supervisors and head of the Trump campaign in Virginia, called Republican support for Johnson/Weld 'traitorous and destructive'....

"'If we lose, I’ll know where to go to place blame,' Stewart said. 'If they want careers in politics afterwards, they won’t get them. They’ll be destroyed. This is treason against Trump. For whatever reason — their pride, their personal interests — they will damage America permanently by helping elect Hillary Clinton. They are immature babies who are tearing down the Republican Party'....

"The idea that one could commit 'treason against Trump' has some disturbing overtones; it reeks of a personality cult. The bigger question, though, is who bears blame for the GOP’s travails.

"At the start of the campaign, 16 candidates stood for the nomination, including several governors and two U.S. senators. Any one of them likely would be trouncing Hillary Clinton in the polls right now. Instead, voters chose a megalomaniac and pathological liar with zero experience in politics or government and zero fidelity to traditional Republican conservatism.

"The GOP does indeed have a gigantic problem. But the Republicans opposed to Trump didn’t cause it — they were the ones trying to prevent it."

Read more: http://www.richmond.com/opinion/our-opinion/article_304d83a0-cf4e-5725-a0e8-219492f79af8.html

'via Blog this'