Dear Friend of Liberty,
Gallup released a poll last Thursday with the headline “In U.S., Perceived Need for Third Party Reaches New High.”
According to the report, “60% of Americans say the Democratic and Republicans parties do such a poor job of representing the American people that a third major party is needed.” The report points out that Republicans and Democrats equally feel that way, with independents even more so.
What can Libertarians do to take advantage of this situation, and will we get it done?
Our chair, Geoffrey J. Neale, recently reached out to conservatives at CPAC in St. Louis, and made an excellent moral case for the Libertarian Party.
Our political director, Carla Howell, is reaching a more left-leaning crowd with her work to help organize a rally to protest mass surveillance in D.C.
As executive director, my top responsibility is fundraising for the party. You’ll be hearing from me. : )
I’m constantly thinking about how to best use my time, our staff’s time, and your contributions to build a bigger party as fast as possible while interest is high. Shall I make another phone call, write another email, recruit another candidate, make a better brochure, or visit an affiliate? Which should I do first?
I do hope to raise enough money so that we can do significantly more of all of those things. But I continue to think the biggest bang for the buck you can provide is to run for office. Robert Sarvis, candidate for governor in Virginia, was recently covered in a half-page article in the Washington Post. The article was mostly positive, and probably as effective as a paid ad. I priced an ad that size not too long ago, and an ad as big as the article would have cost about $50,000. Sarvis is getting lots of earned media.
I’m already seeing candidates announce for governor for the 2014 elections in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, and Texas. And I’m hearing about lots of interest in local races as well.
I hope our national Libertarian Party can do a better job of providing tools to help you be more effective. In the mean time, I want to remind people about some of the activism tools posted on our Campaign Resources page. It needs updating, but has some useful tools for getting started.
Additionally, if you’re looking for ways to upgrade your state or local party’s tool box, take a look at the Libertarian Party of Indiana’s website. I think they have one of the best state LP sites for activists.
We’re doing our best to help you. But don’t wait on us if you have a great idea. Just take action and get it done. Now. While there’s all-time high interest in a third party.
Yours in liberty,
Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee
