February 8, 2016
On Tuesday March 1, the Libertarian Party of Minnesota will be caucusing across the state. These caucuses are an opportunity for Libertarians to gather and organize on the regional level. With 12 candidates competing for the Libertarian presidential nomination, an important feature will be a presidential straw poll to be conducted at each location, with final results to be reported to the public and media.
What happens at a caucus?
A caucus is a local organizing event conducted by each political party. Any person eligible to vote may participate in the Libertarian caucus in the region where they reside. Participants do not need to be LPMN members. For caucuses located at dining establishments, attendees may order food or beverages during the event.
The caucus provides an opportunity for Libertarians to discuss issues, identify candidates for office, select local leadership, and vote in the presidential preference straw poll.
It also provides an opportunity to join as an LPMN member for those who wish to become a delegate at the upcoming 2016 LPMN State Convention (April 16) or who want to be a Minnesota delegate to the Libertarian National Convention (May 27-30). The presidential preference straw poll is informational and nonbinding, as the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee will be selected by delegates at the National Convention.
Information about the Caucus Locations and Presidential Candidates is offered below.
Caucus locations
The Libertarian Party of Minnesota is organized on the Congressional District (CD) level. These maps offer city-level detail of each CD.
CD1-East (Southeastern Minnesota east of I-35)
Godfather’s Pizza
1611 16th St NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Convener: Randy Anderson
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
CD1-West (Southwestern Minnesota west of I-35)
Whiskey River Emporium
34166 MN Highway 99
St Peter, MN 56082
Convener: Shane Wernsing
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
CD2 (Southern Metro Suburbs & Mississippi Valley)
Nutmeg Brewhouse
1905 County Rd 42 W
Burnsville, MN 55306
Convener: Rob Vance
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
CD3 (Western Metro Suburbs)
Old Chicago
3505 Vicksburg Ln N #100
Plymouth, MN 55447
Convener: Ryan Waterbury
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
For LPMN members in this region, see Special Note below!
CD4 (St Paul & Suburbs)
Gulden’s Restaurant
2999 Maplewood Dr
Maplewood, MN 55109
Convener: Michael Toman
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
CD5 (Minneapolis & Suburbs)
Whiskey Junction
901 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Convener: David Arvidson
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
For LPMN members in this region, see Special Note below!
CD6 (Central Minnesota)
Rockwoods Grill and Bar
9100 Quaday Ave NE
Otsego, MN 55330
Convener: Steve Berk
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
CD7-North (Northwestern Minnesota)
Black Cat Bar and Grill
1080 Hwy 32 S
Thief River Falls, MN 56701
Convener: Matthew Volker
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
CD7-Central (West-Central Minnesota, Perham/Detroit Lakes area)
Otter Supper Club
306 MN Highway 78 N
Ottertail, MN 56571
Convener: Tawnia Hoehne
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
CD7-South (Southwestern Minnesota, Marshall area)
Cottonwood Community Center, Room C
50 W 1st St N
Cottonwood, MN 56229
Convener: Travis Engler
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
CD8 (Northeastern Minnesota)
Grandma’s Saloon and Grill
525 Lake Avenue S
Duluth, MN 55802
Convener: Mitch Pitoscia
Date: Tuesday March 1 at 7pm
Special Note for CD3 and CD5 regions: These caucuses will double as Affiliate Conventions. In addition to the caucus activities, the CD3 Libertarians Affiliate (CD3) and the Metro Lakes Libertarians Affiliate (CD5) will hold elections to select new affiliate leadership. To vote in these elections, you must reside in the region, be a current or renewing LPMN member, and have been a member at least 60 days prior to March 1. To seek a leadership post, the same applies with the additional criteria that you may not hold a leadership position in another party’s name.
Presidential preference straw poll
Those who participate in a Libertarian caucus will be able to vote in a straw poll for their preferred Libertarian presidential candidates. The 2016 race has become quite active, with 12 candidates vying for the nomination to become the Libertarian Party’s standardbearer in 2016. If you aren’t yet familiar with the Libertarian candidates, now’s the time to come up-to-speed! The information provided here will assist you. You do not need to be an LPMN member to vote in the poll.
The poll will be conducted according to the Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) method. That is, you may select your favorite candidate as your 1st Choice. Presuming that your 1st Choice would not win the nomination, you may select a 2nd Choice. Should your 1st and 2nd Choices not win, you may select a 3rd Choice. As with all balloting conducted by the LPMN, None Of The Above (NOTA) shall also be a choice.
Due to the number of candidates, they are split into “first-tier” and “second-tier” categories. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order. Important note: In seeking the Libertarian nomination, not all contenders may necessarily adhere to a libertarian philosophy or been members of the Libertarian Party prior to their announcement.
FIRST-TIER CANDIDATES
These candidates are conducting active campaigns, hold celebrity status, have received significant results in online polls among Libertarian Party members, or especially, have obtained media coverage of their campaigns.
Gary Johnson of New Mexico, a former governor and the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee in 2012.
Resources: [Website] [Facebook] [Television Interview #1, Jan2016, 8min]
[Television Interview #2, Jan2016, 6min] [Radio Video Interview, Jan2016, 26min]
Steve Kerbel of Colorado, a small business owner and an entrepreneur in the insurance industry.
Resources: [Website] [Facebook] [Television Interview, Jan2016, 35min]
[Radio Interview, Aug2015, 39min]
John McAfee of Tennessee, a cybersecurity expert and founder of the software firm McAfee Antivirus.
Resources: [Website] [Facebook] [Television Interview #1, Sep2015, 11min]
[Television Interview #2, Dec2015, 2min] [Television Interview #3, Jan2016, 9min]
Darryl Perry of New Hampshire, a broadcast media specialist on several radio shows, including the nationally-syndicated libertarian radio program Free Talk Live.
Resources: [Website] [Facebook] [Radio Interview, Nov2015, 10min]
[Online Audio Interview, Dec2015, 30min]
Austin Petersen of Missouri, a political commentator and a producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show Freedom Watch.
Resources: [Website] [Facebook] [Wikipedia Page]
[Television Interview, Dec2015, 51min] [Online Video Interview, Jan2016, 16min]
SECOND-TIER CANDIDATES
These candidates have conducted minimal campaigns, received minimal support in online polls, and so far have obtained no media coverage. Nonetheless they are included for your consideration.
Marc Feldman of Ohio.
Resources: [Website] [Facebook]
Cecil Ince of Missouri.
Resources: [Website] [Facebook]
Derrick Reid of California.
Resources: [Website]
Jack Robinson Jr of South Carolina.
Resources: [Website]
Rhett Smith of Texas.
Resources: [Website] [Facebook]
Shawna Sterling of Kentucky.
Resources: [Website]
Joy Waymire of California.
Resources: [Website]
We hope that LPMN members and those interested in exploring the LPMN can take this opportunity to attend their regional caucus if able to do so.
Concerned about the expansion of government control and the erosion of individual liberty? Please consider joining and becoming active with the Libertarian Party of Minnesota. Libertarians support liberty on all issues, all the time! Libertarianism is a philosophical and political movement to promote personal freedom, strong civil liberties, a genuinely free marketplace, and peace.
Want to comment? Join this conversation on our Facebook thread.
.