I hope you are all having a great summer. In the world of politics, we have to think a few months ahead. Campaign 2018 is coming up very soon. With all of the dysfunction in Washington and the left-wing insanity in Sacramento, Libertarians are needed now more than ever to provide a principled alternative.
A lot of offices are up for election in 2018. There are all the statewide offices, like Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Controller, Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. Dianne Feinstein’s U. S. Senate seat is up, along with all 53 congressional districts. For state offices, all 80 State Assembly seats and the 20 even State Senate seats will be voted on.
One of my main projects as a Libertarian activist for over 30 years has been to recruit Libertarians to run for office. I believe it’s the best way to us to get our views out before the public. That’s because most people don’t pay attention to politics outside of election season. We used to have a lot of candidates. That changed starting in 2012, after voters passed Proposition 14 to create the “Top Two” voting system in California. As you know, it has been difficult to get past the primary and be one of the top two candidates in the November general election.
But we are certainly not giving up. Libertarians need to run for as many offices as possible. So I am asking you to step forward and volunteer for this important task. Please contact me at tbrown@ca.lp.org if you are interested, and we can talk about what office is the best fit for you.
Not only do we need candidates, we also need funds to help candidates pay their filing fees, candidate statement fees, and general campaign expenses. The Libertarian Party of California has a separate political committee called the Candidate Support Committee (CSC) to raise money and then spend it to support Libertarians running for state and local office. We are embarking on a fundraising effort to raise money for the CSC and to have funds available to back our dedicated Libertarian candidates in the 2018 election cycle.
Baron Bruno, who ran a great Libertarian campaign in coastal Los Angeles County last year, has volunteered to raise funds to help our candidates. You will probably be hearing from him in the near future. But there’s no need to wait for Baron’s call. You can contribute online right now. Any amount will be helpful to our candidates. Just go to:
Our state convention was only 3 months ago, but planning for the next one is important as well. The 2018 Libertarian Party of California State Convention will be held April 27-29, 2018 at the Long Beach Airport Marriott, 4700 Airport Plaza Drive, in Long Beach. If you know already that you plan to attend, you are in luck. That’s because there is early bird pricing for convention packages. You can save a bundle now. And then you won’t have to worry about paying next April. The convention committee, headed by Mimi Robson, has already signed up a few great speakers, including Judge Jim Gray, former Congressman Tom Campbell, and Matt Welch of Reason Magazine. Be one of the first to sign up for this great event. Just go to:
If your membership in the Libertarian Party of California has expired or soon will, please be sure to renew it. Just go to:
For liberty,
Ted Brown
Chair, Libertarian Party of California