Document:California Press Release 6 March 2000 114 Libertarians On Primary Ballot Tomorrow
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- NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
- 400 Capitol Mall, Suite 900
- Sacramento, CA 95814
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- For immediate release: March 6, 2000
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- For additional information:
- Juan Ros, Executive Director
- Phone: (818) 782-8400
- Mailto:director@ca.lp.org
- Web: http://www.ca.lp.org/
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114 Libertarians on primary ballot tomorrow
SACRAMENTO -- A record number of Libertarian Party candidates for partisan office will appear on California's primary ballot tomorrow -- 114 to be exact, more candidates than all other "third" parties combined, the party announced today.
"On Super Tuesday, the Libertarian Party of California is the 'Super Party,'" stated Libertarian state chair Mark Hinkle. "The reason for a political party's existence is to get candidates elected to office, and you can't do that unless you run candidates. That's exactly what we're doing."
45 Libertarians are running for U.S. Representative, 16 for State Senate, and 52 for State Assembly. At the top of the ticket is U.S. Senate candidate Gail Lightfoot, who received 217,000 votes in her 1998 run for Secretary of State.
That adds up to a total 114 Libertarian candidates, compared with 76 Natural Law Party candidates, 13 Reform Party candidates, 10 Green Party candidates, and only 5 American Independent Party candidates.
"Any way you cut it, the Libertarian Party has done its job better than any other third party on the ballot," Hinkle noted. "As a result, voters will have more Libertarians to choose from than ever before. Plus, with more Libertarian candidates campaigning up and down the state, more Californians will hear and understand our message of greater freedom and smaller government."
The Libertarian 114-candidate total is a record slate for the state party, shattering the previous record of 100 candidates in both 1992 and 1980. The Libertarian candidate count has seen a dramatic increase over the last several election cycles, from 74 candidates in 1996 to 93 candidates in 1998, to 114 in 2000.
"Our record slate of candidates this year is further proof that frustrated and disenfranchised Californians are turning to the Libertarian Party," Hinkle explained. "Party membership is up and our voter registrations surpassed the Reform Party's last month. By any standard, the Libertarian Party is a third party success story -- and our successes are just beginning."
Five Libertarian candidates for president also appear on the California ballot tomorrow in a presidential preference contest. The party's presidential nominee will be chosen by delegates to the Libertarian National Convention, to be held June 30 - July 3 in Anaheim.
An unknown number of Libertarians are running for nonpartisan local office as well.