LIBERTARIAN PARTY ENTERS LEGISLATURE!!
79,000 VOTES CAST FOR LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATES!!
Table of Contents
NEIL RANDALL ELECTED TO LEGISLATURE FOR ORANGE-3
Party stalwart Neil Randall, running as a Libertarian/Republican, won a seat in the Vermont legislature as representative for Orange district 3 (Corinth and Bradford) by getting 53% of the vote in his district.
Neil ran on a platform advocating a) a freer educational system with emphasis on quality, affordability, and parental control, b) better control of spending and taxation through reduced government, c) individual property rights, d) real welfare reform including an end to corporate welfare, and e) affordable health care by allowing the free market back into medical insurance and the health industry. And, above all, Neil stressed government controlled by the people, not government control of the people.
Neil has given the Vermont Libertarian Party its first seat in the legislature. He is ready to work hard for liberty. His first press release as representative-elect is given inside. Congratulations Neil. You ran a great campaign and the Party is proud of you!!
Long-time Party member, Jack Simons, running as a Libertarian, won election as High Bailiff for Caledonia County with 99% of the vote. The position will give Jack--and the Party--a pulpit for calling attention to waste, excesses of law enforcement, and unwarranted government intrusion in Caledonia. Jack, an experienced writer and columnist, is perfect for the job, and his long-time (18 years) membership in our Party gives him impeccable Libertarian credentials.
Libertarian Party member Gary Richardson won re-election to the House as representative for Windsor district 4 by winning 942 votes or 64.3% of the votes in his district. Gary ran as a Republican only, albeit with the Libertarian endorsement. His decidedly Libertarian orientation and past legislative experience will make him an important supporter of liberty during the next legislative session. Congratulations Gary!!.
Vermont Libertarian Party candidates drew about 79,000 votes (not counting Libertarians who ran only as Republicans), far exceeding the votes cast for other alternative parties. (The Vermont Grassroots Party polled about 58,000 votes, and the Liberty Union Party polled about 27,000.) Our total of 79,000 votes represents a major leap from the 22,000 votes we polled in the 1996 a presidential election year.
Hugh Douglas's Kickoff Announcement
Former Party Chair, Lynn Fife got 44% of the vote running for the House for Chittenden 7-9, and Party Secretary Hardy Macia got 29% in his bid for the state senate from Grand Isle--both stunning results! Party members Karen Patenaude got 15% for the state senate from Caledonia, Vaughn Button got 15% for the House for Washington-Chittenden 1, and Charles Arnold got 11% for the House for Washington 4-2. These Libertarians campaigned with limited resorces against seasoned incumbents, but their vote indicates that there is indeed a libertarian spirit abroad in the land. Particularly worthy of mention is Party stalwart Doug Richmond's 19% for High Bailiff for Chittenden County, and Carl Ellis' 14% for the same office in Orange county. Everyone, regardless of vote size, played his or her bit in piling up our superb electoral showing. Thank you, everyone!!!
| Office | Candidate | Vote | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Amy Berkey | 2,141 | 1.0% |
| U.S. Senator | Hugh Douglas | 4,199 | 2.0% |
| U.S. Rep. | Robert Maynard | 2,097 | 1.0% |
| Lt. Governor | Faeterri Silver | 1,310 | 0.6% |
| Sec.State | Pat Richmond | 6,125 | 2.9% |
| Atty. Gen | Chris Costanzo | 9,122 | 4.5% |
| Treasurer | Peter Baker | 7,501 | 3.7% |
| Auditor | David Baker | 5,893 | 2.9% |
| Sen (Addison) | Chris Coolidge | 451 | 1.7% |
| Sen (Bennington) | Mike Honan | 485 | 2.0% |
| Sen (Caledonia) | Karen Patenaude | 3,112 | 15.4% |
| Sen (Chittenden) | Steve Pollak | 2,352 | 1.0% |
| Sen (Chittenden) | Brendan Kinney | 2,175 | 0.9% |
| Sen (Ess/Orleans) | Fred Martin | 1,277 | 6.2% |
| Sen (Franklin) | Kevin Volz | 266 | 1.2% |
| Sen (Grand Isle) | Hardy Macia | 2,225 | 29.1% |
| Sen (Orange) | Scott Berkey | 204 | 2.6% |
| Sen (Washington) | Dwight Duke | 917 | 1.6% |
| Sen (Washington) | Fred Pike | 697 | 1.2% |
| Sen (Windsor) | Bill Ferrell | 714 | 1.2% |
| Sen (Windsor) | Charlie Young | 688 | 1.2% |
| Sen (Windsor) | Hunter Melville | 530 | 0.9% |
| Sen (Windham) | Clint Barnum* | 4,173 | 15.9% |
| Rep(Chitt 2-4) | Joanna Chappelow | 102 | 1.9% |
| Rep(Chitt 4) | Larry Mitchell | 33 | 2.0% |
| Rep(Chitt 7-9) | Lynn Fife | 724 | 43.9% |
| Rep(Frank 3-1) | Karlene Hughes-Isham | 286 | 8.3% |
| Rep(Orange 3) | Neil Randall + | 733 | 52.8% |
| Rep(Wash 2) | David Tanstaafl | 107 | 1.9% |
| Rep(Wash 2) | Don O'Donnell | 249 | 4.4% |
| Rep(Wash 3) | Tony Hammond | 51 | 0.9% |
| Rep(Wash 4-2) | Charles Arnold | 391 | 10.9% |
| Rep (Wash 5) | Andy Hooper | 222 | 3.7% |
| Rep (Was-Ch 1) | Vaughn Button | 700 | 14.9% |
| Rep (Windh 1) | Eddie Cutler | 133 | 2.8% |
| Rep (Winds 4) | Gary Richardson*+ | 942 | 64.3% |
| Bailiff (Caled) | Jack Simons+ | 7905 | 99.7% |
| Bailiff (Chitt) | Doug Richmond | 7949 | 19.0% |
| Bailiff (Orange) | Carl Ellis | 1488 | 13.6% |
| Bailiff (Windham) | Bob Parzych | 681 | 4.8% |
| Bailiff (Windsor) | Larry Curtis | 1401 | 7.0% |
| Ass.Judge(Grand Is.) | K. Chapman | 514 | 8.8% |
| Ass.Judge(Grand Is.) | Brian Pearl | 260 | 4.5% |
| Stat Att (Windham) | John Wilmerding | 563 | 4.0% |
| *Ran only as Republican | |||
| +Winner |
The election of Libertarian Neil Randall to be our "friend in court" and a true Libertarian voice in the House, is a strong indication of things to come.
Also, our widespread presence on the ballot and our large number of votes makes us a new factor in Vermont politics. Although Libertarians historically take votes from both Democrats and Republicans, it can be argued that because of the polarized situation in Vermont, and the nature of the issues before the electorate this year, we drew most of our votes from the Republicans and thereby affected some of the outcomes.
Whether it is true or not, many perceive it to be so, such as in the upset victory of Democrat Deb Markowitz over Repulican Secretary of State Jim Milne which was by only 5,517 votes, but where Libertaran candidate Pat Richmond got 6,125 votes. Also, Lieutenant Governor Racine's slender victory over Republican challenger Barbara Snelling was by 1,129 votes, where Libertarian candidate Faeterri Silver got 1,310 votes. Similar spreads could have also been filled by Republican votes that we took away in the very close senatorial races in Chittenden and Windsor counties. The composition of the new state senate might have been somewhat different if we had not had candidates in the race.
Our image as a political force, even if in a "spoiler" role, will give our Party better access and more respect when we approach legislators this next session regarding new bills before the Assembly.
With 98% of the vote counted, WCAX-TV (CBS) reported that Chris Costanzo, our candidate for Attorney General, had 10,170 votes or 5.2% of the total, enough to make the VLP an official "major party" in Vermont. (Major party status requires at least 5% of the vote for one of its candidates in a state-wide election.) However, the official canvass of the final vote gave Costanzo 9,122 votes for 4.5% of the total.
Of all forty-seven candidates of all the political parties running for state-wide office, Costanzo is the only one whose vote at the 98% level did not advance predictably and consistently when the final tally was made, but instead fell--by a significant 1,048 votes. The Party finds it disturbing that this occurred in Costanzo's case only, especially when VLP major party status was at stake. We have asked the Secretary of State to investigate the matter.
Although major party status would have given us a psychological and public-relations boost, it would have brought a number of negative consequences as well. We would have been required to hold open primaries, and to have our candidates get petition signatures. It would have permitted people who do not have Libertarian views to organize a raid on our party and force us to name candidates who would not have been of our choosing, much as when a Democrat or Republican forces an opposing party to nominate him, as often happens in Vermont. This sort of possibility can destroy a small party, so "major party status" would not necessarily have been a boon to us.
The outcome of the national and state elections may have brought gloom and misery into your hearts and souls. You may envision a future of insatiable government presence in your lives, unconscionable intrusion in you pocket books, blatant invasion of your privacy, shameless expropriation of your property, intolerable restriction of your freedom, and gross insults to your dignity. Perhaps, as you contemplate your situation and consider the future of your progeny, the simple pleasures of daily living no longer make you glad and happy, and you are beset instead by flashes of misery and despair knowing that there are forces that make you afraid.
Yet, despite all such foreboding about the relentless creep of state authority over your very being, you might take some comfort in remembering that we still have our Constitution, and an increasingly successful Libertarian Party to defend it.
We still have our Constitution that protects the little from the big, the poor from the rich, the weak from the powerful, and the many from the few! Our Constitution that also protects the big from the little, the powerful from the weak, and the few from the many! Our Constitution that surrounds each and every citizen equally with a protective iron ring of rights and immunities, giving him that dignity which in many other countries only a privileged few may enjoy! Our Constitution that strictly describes and limits the powers of the state! Our Constitution which must be interpreted strictly, if it is to have any meaning!
The Libertarian Party is the ONLY party which for almost thirty years has never deviated from a strict interpretation of Constitutional limits to state power. Support the Libertarian Party which offers you the only realistic alternative to government abuses of your basic rights and freedom!! Become a Libertarian! Join today!