By Zach Harvey
I’ve always enjoyed politics – let alone history in general. I can remember from the time I was in grade school I’ve fantasized about being involved in government.
If you’re anything like me, you might enjoy following races that are not even in your own state. I’ve made it somewhat a big deal to follow out of state races – especially for Senate – this year. For example, I have been following the Missouri US Senate race very closely. More specifically, the Austin Petersen campaign. As a Libertarian, Petersen is a very familiar name to my ears; just a few years ago in 2016, he was attempting to secure the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination. And he very well could have done so had he not come up in second place behind Governor Gary Johnson. Now, Austin finds himself vying for the Republican Party nomination for Senate in Missouri, a race that he has shown to do well in. He easily bests the Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill; he also outperforms his closest opponent, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley. Petersen has proven himself over and over again to be a very close friend and defender of the Second Amendment. He supports lowering taxes, auditing the Federal Reserve, and among a sea of other libertarian positions, balancing the federal budget. He has even shown to, ahem, put his money where his mouth is, and has lead a very successful debt-free, grassroots campaign. Petersen faces his other Republican opponents on August 7th.
Earlier in this article, I mentioned former Governor Gary Johnson. As some of you may know, Johnson is the successful former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico. Gary made a bit of a name for himself as governor where he quickly became known by his reluctancy to approve bills that would lead to an increase in taxes. He even directly slashed taxes up to fourteen times in New Mexico. Rest assured, New Mexicans still had great roads, schools, and the like – all with more money in their pockets. Recently, the current Libertarian Party nominee for Senate, New Mexico Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn Jr., dropped out of the race. Shortly following, the media and supporters quickly speculated that Johnson would step in to fill the gap, with Johnson himself saying that he was interested in the idea. Of course, this is not a definite; Johnson has not confirmed whether he will or will not run, but a Johnson for Senate campaign doesn’t sound too bad given his track record.
Over in Maine, there is another campaign that has given the Liberty Movement a bit of hope, and that is none other than State Senator Eric Brakey, who has secured the Republican Party Nomination for US Senate, and will face his closest opponent, independent Angus King. Now, admittedly, I know less about this race than any other mentioned in this article. However, it should be noted that Brakey also has a pristine track record when it comes to libertarian issues. He stands for balancing the budget, lowering taxes, and, among many other key positions, legalizing Cannabis.
Lastly, I want to give a mention to the Gubernatorial race here in Texas. As I’m sure everyone knows, Incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott is set to face off against Democratic candidate Lupe Valdez. However, there is another, arguably more qualified, candidate. Libertarian Mark Tippetts will also appear on the ballot alongside Abbott and Valdez. As a matter of fact, he is the only other candidate on the ballot besides Valdez and Abbott – not even the Green Party was able to get their candidate on the ballot for November. Unfortunately, Tippetts has been excluded from the gubernatorial debates thus far. As is signature with Libertarian positions, Mark stands for lowering taxes, eliminating needless government regulation both at home and federally, and fiercely protecting the Second Amendment – something Abbott is weak at best at doing. Here’s to hoping the Tippetts campaign, and all of the Texas Libertarian candidates for that matter, does well in November. And while I am certainly not the biggest Trump fan – that’s an article for another time – I believe that this slate of candidates have what it takes to truly deliver on his campaign promise to Make America Great Again.
Libertarian governor candidate Mark Tippetts
Photo by Tippetts Campaign