October 22, 2014
I want to make sure everyone is aware of what our party has accomplished this year and what’s at stake on November 4th, because we have a very real chance to take a huge leap forward this year.
LPMN Vice Chair
It’s been an extraordinarily busy year. We organized a spring convention that featured diverse speakers on a wide variety of liberty-related topics, and it’s safe to say everyone who came had an absolute blast. We’ve reached out to the public at various county fairs and events like the State Fair, like we do every year. We’ve focused on expanding our reach across the state with new regional affiliates. We don’t yet have a presence in every area, but we now do in many. That was not the case just one year ago.
This year, our main focus has been on fielding statewide candidates for Governor & Lieutenant Governor, US Senator, Auditor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General. Finding qualified candidates was no easy task. Not many want to run as a candidate of a “minor party” with the minimal publicity they’ll receive. We sought out several potential candidates, only to have them drop out or opt for other parties. But WE DID NOT GIVE UP. We in the LPMN leadership kept pounding at it until we found a candidate for every statewide race!
Our candidates knew the challenges, but stepped forward anyway to run under our Libertarian banner. Why? They’re not professional politicians, just ordinary people who care about their communities. They decided it was time to personally take a stand for liberty, and to help build a party, a movement.
Then we needed to get them onto the ballot. What a frenzy, 13 thousand signatures for 5 candidates in just 14 days. I still can’t believe we did it! It’s the first time we’ve been able to run a full slate since 1998. To indicate how difficult that is, it’s also the only time ANY minor party has accomplished it since that year.
Now it’s time to do something about the “minor party” thing.
As much progress as we’ve made over the past few years growing our organization, jumping in with active stands on issues, and running more candidates, we are stymied. That’s because most of the public still doesn’t know about us. They don’t know what we stand for or how THEY will benefit from our libertarian ideas. The media doesn’t cover us because we haven’t yet achieved significant support. We haven’t achieved significant support because the media doesn’t cover us. Classic chicken and egg.
To take our movement to the next level, we need a breakout. And that opportunity is before us, right now.
If ANY of our statewide candidates get 5% of the vote this November, we will vault to “major party status”. It would be one small step for the candidate, one giant leap for our party. It will make all the difference in the world for us.
But this is a bit more difficult than it sounds. With no publicity at all, we can count on about 2% to vote Libertarian no matter what. So we just need 3% more. However, there are other alternative party candidates who will split the “protest vote”. And there will always be those who continue to waste their vote on the tired candidates of the Two Big Old parties when they could’ve used their vote to push for real change. In this election, we need about 105,000 votes in any race. That’s triple what Gary Johnson got in 2012.
How can we do this? That’s where our statewide Radio Ad Campaign comes in.
We’ve already reached about 200,000 Minnesotans over the airwaves. Many listeners are hearing about us for the very first time. It’s already the biggest mass-marketing effort in our state party history. But it’s not enough. We need to reach a few hundred thousand more.
At this moment, we do not have the funds to ramp up for the home stretch, so we need YOUR help … TODAY. Literally. There’s an incredibly easy way to give us a hand. Use Minnesota’s Political Contribution Refund (PCR) program by donating $50 to help us put on more ads, and get that money refunded back to you from the state out of your own tax payments. It’s like contributing for FREE, so why not? The LPMN is 100% funded by individuals. We depend upon you, our supporters. Check out the link to hear the ads and to find out more on how the PCR works …
Put the Libertarian Party on the Air!
$50 gets our message out to 5,000 people!
We need to reach enough people so that 105,000 brave pioneers go out and pull the trigger for our Libertarian candidates on November 4th. Help us reach as many as we can. Let’s make our message of liberty and prosperity ring from the Northland to the Red River valley to the Iowa border!
It’s time for the Libertarian Party to take its next step forward. We in the LPMN leadership have been working relentlessly since summer, and our Libertarian candidates are doing all they can. But we can’t do it alone, we need a little help. For all of you who’ve been following us on our website and Facebook page and liked what you’ve heard, now is your chance to take ACTION. Let’s shake up Minnesota’s political scene!
We can DO this! Not in a few years … not “someday” … but NOW!
Imagine how you’ll feel when we become Minnesota’s newest major party, and knowing that YOU helped make it happen. Imagine the reporters in the media, their mouths hanging agape, as they scramble to figure out what just happened with headlines like “Who are the Libertarians?”
Imagine how much stronger yet we will be when liberty candidates no longer need to hide in other parties, but can come home to the LP where their friends are. Imagine more Libertarian candidates dressing up for the TV debates, and when Major Party A proposes to take away your freedom in one area, Major Party B wants to take away your freedom in another area, and Major Party C says they should just meet somewhere in the middle … now there’ll be a Major Party D to call them all out and assert that power belongs to the people, not the government.
It’s time for our clear, principled voice for personal freedom and economic freedom to be much louder. It’s time for the public to hear from a party that champions liberty on all issues, all the time. We can succeed. But only if YOU are willing to help. We’ve got just two weeks till the election, and we need a boost from you RIGHT NOW.
Please take a moment to contribute to our Radio Ad Campaign. If you use the PCR and donate by credit card, you’ll get the bill at about the same time as your refund arrives from the state. If you’ve already utilized the PCR this year, please consider throwing a few more bucks our way for this effort.
This is our critical hour. Let’s keep the momentum going. Let’s step from the political shadows and into the limelight. We are ready. So are you. The public will soon be too.
Put the Libertarian Party on the Air!
This is YOUR party. Let’s DO this. For Liberty!
S.L. Malleck
LPMN Vice Chair
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.
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