John Jay Myers, Libertarian for U.S. Senate, won’t defeat Republican Ted Cruz who, and according to a recent poll, has an 18 percent lead over the Democrat, former state representative Paul Sadler.
But because Sadler has run half-heartedly, Myers believes his active statewide campaign has a shot at winning the most votes ever for a Libertarian for U.S. Senate in the state. Several past Libertarians brought in 2.3% of the vote in a 3-way race. Although there is a forth candidate in the race this year, a recent poll puts Myers at 4%.
Despite being called a ""Tea Party" candidate by some media accounts, Cruz is no such thing according to Myers who said, "People think Cruz is an outsider, but he’s as insider as you can get. He helped design Bush’s policies that gave us the bailouts."
John Jay Myers calls for ending the wars, ending corporate welfare, ending the Drug Prohibition, and legalizing same-sex marriage.
“While our country is rapidly going bankrupt, we are spending over one trillion dollars a year to be the world’s police. Our destructive actions around the world create more terrorists than they stop. We need to bring our troops home from everywhere, now,” he said.
A debate that was to be held by the local PBS affiliate was cancelled after Cruz dropped out, despite Myers and the other two candidates’ agreement to participate. "They called the rules of their debates ‘very fair’ but the criteria kept changing," says Myers. "Ted Cruz didn’t want to do it. So I guess Ted Cruz decides."
Nonetheless, Myers feels his active campaigning will make a difference. When he spoke in Austin last month with Libertarian presidential candidate, Governor Gary Johnson, over 400 college students attended. "When we show up, college kids show up," he said. "We thought that was a pretty cool thing and a good thing for the future."
The John Jay Myers campaign has raised over $15,000 and is running TV spots.
"The best thing has been going around talking to Ted Cruz people and then having them say they’re voting for me," says Myers with a chuckle. "I talked to an Obama supporter and asked her why Obama didn’t end the wars, and it changed her mind, too. The liberty message still rings true. People just need to hear it."
