I've been drafted (to run), what should I do?

Try to raise money for newspaper ads. Point out the nasty things the opponents support.
 
It would take multiple devastating scandals, a sea-change in the voting population's view of the LP, and a whole litany of other conditions precedent. Not saying "impossible" - but I am saying that it's easier said than done.
WOW, Your opponents must have alot of skeletons if this is what it would take for you to appeal to the voting public.:rolleyes:
 
It would take multiple devastating scandals, a sea-change in the voting population's view of the LP, and a whole litany of other conditions precedent. Not saying "impossible" - but I am saying that it's easier said than done.



Great, do you have $200 to donate for a 6 month website run?



And I don't need that many volunteers if I have enough money. Right now I have neither, and don't have a source for either.

Are there no members of the party, other than you, in the whole state?

And, if you think a good run could be made, I don't think $200 would be hard to come by, from support in the state or from this site.

Does anyone run as "Independent" anymore?
 
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Yes, and seeing as the Libertarian Party has never won a single statewide or federal race, the only party you can win in is the GOP.

I look at things on an individual basis and from what I know about the office that he is on the ballot for it looks pretty open for any individual to win
 
WOW, Your opponents must have alot of skeletons if this is what it would take for you to appeal to the voting public.:rolleyes:

Lol, it's not that I, personally, can't appeal to people - it's that pesky "LP" next to my name.
 
So I wasn't planning on running, but the state LP held their convention this past weekend, and needed to fill a spot. I agreed, filled out the paper-work, and put my name on the ballot.

It's for a state-wide office, there's an incumbent Republican and two Democrats running in their primary. I don't see any chance to win, at all, and don't have time or money to devote to an educational campaign.

So, should I just let my name sit stagnant on the ballot? Should I reach out to anyone for money/volunteers to do the "heavy lifting"? Should I even bother putting up a website?

Should the educational message of my campaign be "If you are reading this, don't get your hopes up"?

I'm not feeling very good about it, even though there are some professional benefits (and costs) to the state-wide name recognition.

Any thoughts?

Are you a good public speaker? If not, better go to Toastmasters yesterday.

Will you be able to put a statement in the official Voter Guide? That is important. It is a good way to get out information. It should be well written, and to the point. That's your best education opportunity. A website would be easy, just to put up a message. Use one of those free website builders.
 
Are there no members of the party, other than you, in the whole state?

And, if you think a good run could be made, I don't think $200 would be hard to come by, from support in the state or from this site.

Does anyone run as "Independent" anymore?

State Members? A couple thousand, probably. Active? Maybe 100.

That's the crux: I don't think a good run can be made with less than $200k - and that's hard to come by.

And lastly, no: there are too many barriers to "independents" in most states, with ballot access laws requiring hundreds of thousands of signature petitions and dollars to even declare for a race, it's just not feasible for anyone outside the .005% - and they already have all the political power they need with the two major parties.

Maybe Elon Musk can run independent.
 
Yes, and seeing as the Libertarian Party has never won a single statewide or federal race, the only party you can win in is the GOP.

Actually, the only party one can win in, in my local city/county is the Democratic Party. Something like 60% of county voters vote straight ticket D.

So the whole "infiltrate the GOP" thing that emerged from the RP campaigns was lost on me. Which is partly why I've stayed affiliated with the LP; if going to the GOP with the rest of the C4Lers was going to be a loss anyway, I might as well keep some personal integrity.
 
If your heart and mind are not in it to win it then what's the point? Sure you can attach your name to a losing campaign for some name recognition, but what is that really worth if you're not trying to win. Sounds like you want to tarnish your reputation then. If you're going to run for office then actually do it and don't sit idly as the world spins around you. You have an opportunity here that is yours to seize. If you want it, take it and make something of it.

FYI, the Libertarian party has a truly atrocious record of electing candidates to office. If you want to run and win then it would be wise to evaluate your party affiliation. However, don't give an inch when it comes to principle and if that means running as a third party candidate then do it.
 
Run as a Republican and primary an incumbent RINO. Way more fun than running an educational campaign ;)
 
If a website needs to be created I would like the chance to earn that business. I have a nice portfolio I can share as well as a couple of people here at RPFs that can vouch for my work.
 
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