The candidates for the 24th are now in place
Today is the first of several important dates on the election calendar. The reason today is imporant is that it is the deadline for filing for the August 1st primaries. Since my party (the Libertarian Party) does not have primaries, I bypassed this step and went directly to the ballot (the LP nominates and votes on candidates internally at our state convention). The other two parties must have primaries because they are considered major parties. Since only one candidate from each party filed, we now know who the participants in the November race are.
I will be facing Mr. Ed O'malley (R) (incumbent) and Mr. Andy Sandler (D). I know very little of Mr. Sandler, and I have absolutely no idea what his campaign issues will be. I do know something of Mr. O'Malley since I have been his constituent and have followed his voting record. This presents several challenges to me, but the most significant challenge is recognition. Since it's a 3 way race, there is a possibility that I will have to struggle in this area because I'm from a minor party. That's not a new problem for the Libertarian Party unfortunately.
In the last presidential election, the Libertarian Party had a candidate on the ballot in 48 states, more than any other 3rd party. This is not as easy as it sounds. We work very hard to maintain our ballot access. In some cases, petition drives are required, and in some cases we have to earn a certain percentage of votes in a statewide race. In the case of Kansas, it's the latter. At any rate, not only did the media largely ignore our candidate, but he was arrested trying to get into the national debates. Is this the America you know? A legitimate presidential candidate denied participation in critical discussions? Do you even know his name? I bet not. It's Michael Badnarik, for the record.
At any rate, even with the odds against me, I will press on. In poker circles there is a saying, "if you have a chip and a chair, you're in the game". Well, I recon I've got a printing press and ballot access, so I'm in the game here as well. It should be a very interesting next few months. Regardless of your party affiliation, or your political leanings, please celebrate your patriotism by studying the issues, the candidates, and GO VOTE!
I will be facing Mr. Ed O'malley (R) (incumbent) and Mr. Andy Sandler (D). I know very little of Mr. Sandler, and I have absolutely no idea what his campaign issues will be. I do know something of Mr. O'Malley since I have been his constituent and have followed his voting record. This presents several challenges to me, but the most significant challenge is recognition. Since it's a 3 way race, there is a possibility that I will have to struggle in this area because I'm from a minor party. That's not a new problem for the Libertarian Party unfortunately.
In the last presidential election, the Libertarian Party had a candidate on the ballot in 48 states, more than any other 3rd party. This is not as easy as it sounds. We work very hard to maintain our ballot access. In some cases, petition drives are required, and in some cases we have to earn a certain percentage of votes in a statewide race. In the case of Kansas, it's the latter. At any rate, not only did the media largely ignore our candidate, but he was arrested trying to get into the national debates. Is this the America you know? A legitimate presidential candidate denied participation in critical discussions? Do you even know his name? I bet not. It's Michael Badnarik, for the record.
At any rate, even with the odds against me, I will press on. In poker circles there is a saying, "if you have a chip and a chair, you're in the game". Well, I recon I've got a printing press and ballot access, so I'm in the game here as well. It should be a very interesting next few months. Regardless of your party affiliation, or your political leanings, please celebrate your patriotism by studying the issues, the candidates, and GO VOTE!
posted by Jason E. Peck at 12:54 PM
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