Unfortunately, no LPMN candidates won this time around. Nonetheless, important positives can be gleaned from the results. Many thanks to all of our candidates for making the personal decision to stand up, spread the message, and get active for liberty! In addition, a news roundup is presented of other races around the nation which may be of interest to Libertarians.

In Apple Valley, first-time Libertarian candidate Ryan Richard Moe pulled over 5000 votes, but failed to unseat incumbent Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland by a wide margin. In a minimal-effort campaign against a well-known incumbent, results were Moe 5,600 votes (30%) vs Hamann-Roland 13,100 votes (70%).

Good news can be seen from the other LPMN candidates, who had run previously against the same opponent, this time closing their margins. This appears to show the benefit of name-recognition from previous campaigns.

In Hennepin County, Libertarian candidate Mary O’Connor ran for Commissioner against 18-year incumbent Mike Opat. Results were O’Connor 17,000 votes (39%) vs Opat 26,000 votes (60%). This is a slight improvement over her results from 2006, when she gained 18,700 votes (38%) vs Opat’s 29,700 votes (61%). In a strongly Democratic district, her margin of loss improved slightly from 11,000 votes in 2006 to 9,000 votes this time.

But in Columbia Heights, Libertarian candidate Bob Odden narrowly missed a victory in his Mayor’s race. Results were Odden 2180 votes (42%) vs incumbent Gary Peterson 2970 votes (58%). This is a considerable improvement over his results from 2008, when he gained 3150 votes (37%) vs Peterson’s 5290 votes (62%). His margin of loss improved significantly from 2100 votes in 2008 to only 800 votes this time.

The results of any Minnesota race can be obtained from this link.

While the losses are disappointing, these results should show that local races are in fact winnable. All LPMN candidates put forth minimal-effort campaigns. But with a more organized push and a few more volunteers to assist our candidates, these local races could easily become wins for us, especially against a complacent incumbent. Because of these outcomes, the LPMN is now strategizing to give our candidates the assistance they need to push them over the top. A greater focus will be made toward winnable local races. While perhaps less glamorous than state or federal races, local offices provide great opportunity for prinicipled libertarians to slash property tax burdens, oppose intrusive new restrictions, stop growing bureaucracy, and repeal silly ordinances.

Wish we had more Libertarians on the ballot? Please consider becoming a candidate in your area. If a candidacy doesn’t interest you, you can still volunteer to help us build a support team to give our candidates the edge they need to win. Every helping hand makes a tremendous difference in a small organization like the LPMN.

Finally, a few other noteworthy results from around the nation:

In Wisconsin, Libertarian Mayor of Tomah Ed Thompson, who gained an unprecedented 11% of the vote when he ran for Governor as a Libertarian in 2002 and who spoke at our LPMN Convention in 2005, ran for State Senate as a Republican. Unfortunately, a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer curtailed his campaign efforts. He narrowly lost his State Senate District 31 race by just 400 votes. We wish him well and a speedy recovery.

In Texas, 2008 Libertarian Presidential contender Dr. Mary Ruwart, who spoke at our LPMN Convention this year, ran for state Comptroller. She didn’t win the office but gained over 10% of the vote. Comptroller is a statewide race and she crossed the key 5% threshold, so the LPTX retains “major party” status and will avoid costly ballot-access petitioning through 2014. This is important since the LPTX has become one of the strongest state parties and is now able to run a Libertarian candidate in nearly every race. Also, Ron Paul, 1988 Libertarian Party Presidential candidate and now Republican U.S. Congressman in District 14, won re-election by a landslide 76%.

In Arizona, Libertarian Party founder David Nolan ran for U.S. Senate and participated in a four-way televised debate with incumbent Republican John McCain, a Democrat, and a Green. However, he pulled only 5% of the total vote.

And in New Hampshire, statewide Libertarian Party candidates garnered only single digit percentages. However, the LPMN-endorsed Free State Project seems to be gaining some traction. The libertarian talk radio program Free Talk Live is reporting that liberty activists have more than tripled their numbers in the state legislature. Throwing a wrench into the system by running as both Democrats and Republicans, libertarians and liberty activists increased their elected representatives from 4 to at least 12 in New Hampshire’s statehouse. Libertarians are also starting to attract mainstream press coverage of their conventional political activism as well as their more controversial civil disobedience tactics.

Concerned about the relentless expansion of government control and the erosion of individual liberty? Consider joining and becoming active in the Libertarian Party of Minnesota. Libertarians stand in support of liberty on all issues, all the time. Libertarianism is a philosophical and political movement promoting individual freedom, voluntary interaction, genuine free markets, and peace.