RUN FOR OFFICE!

RUN FOR OFFICE!

Current Priority Offices

We are currently seeking at least THREE qualified serious candidates for each U.S. Congressional District in Louisiana as well as for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Republican David Vitter.

If you, or anyone you know is interested in or would make a good Libertarian candidate, please contact one of the party officers or your regional represtentative ASAP.

The LPL currently can enjoy the benefit of a state run party primary for these offices. Having more than one Libertarian candidate for each seat will greatly increase exposure of our ideas to the voting public, most of which, have never heard of us, or know what we are about.

Ongoing Recruitment Offices

Our current party efforts are generally geared toward being competitive in small local races where financial expenditure can be minimized with hands on, feet on the ground, door to door campaigning.

Winning small local races, where neighbors and others in the community can learn what Libertarians are all about, will make us more successful in larger, and multi-parish races in the future.

If you are interested in running a real campaign for a local police jury, school board, city council, etcetera, please contact your Parish Executive Council, Regional Representative, or other party official ASAP to get you started.

How the LPL can help you get elected

The LPL is a small but rapidly growing party at a time when general voter disatisfaction with Democrats and Republicans is reaching a crescendo. All those who believe in a limited government that doesn’t try to solve everyone’s problems and simply sticks to it’s designed purpose of securing the rights of the people, are welcome candidates for office.

We have access to our own activist database as well as networking with other groups who share similar goals of limited government. (and the ability to potentially tap into the fund raising connections that responded so well to the candidacy of Rep. Ron Paul for his presidential run.)

Additionally, we have resources and people who can assist with public speaking engagements, fundraising, debates, response to media inquiries, campaign websites, events planning etc.

We are always looking to add more “guns” to our political arsenal and welcome any like minded politicos that are interested in assisting liberty oriented candidates getting elected office. If you are interested in assisting candidates or serving on the party Elections Committee, please contact the party Secretary.

Check out our current candidates!

So Just What Is A “Serious” Candidate?

For starters, a serious candidate is someone who wants to actually RUN for office, not just file to put their name on the ballot. While ‘paper candidates’ do give people someone they can vote for outside of the two-party duopoly, it doesn’t offer a realistic or legitimate choice. Certainly, the filing fees would go much farther in the goal of promoting liberty if they were donated to real candidates intent on winning office and serving the people. Additionally, by not actively campaigning and taking the “it is not possible to win” attitude, such ‘paper candidates’ re-inforce the notion that “3rd parties can’t win elections.” What these people fail to realize, is that no one ever won with the “I can’t” attitude.

Libertarians no longer have the luxury of treating their party like a debating or philospohical society. Crucial issues and policies are being decided as we speak. America is headed off a cliff, and the only way to save it is a return to our founding principles. The Libertarian Party is the best vehicle for REAL & SUBSTANTIVE change for the better. (unlike that elusive, ill-defined type spouted by those other two parties) America NEEDS us to step up to the plate and offer the sound and sensible alternative to big government they so desperately crave. For that, it takes REAL candidates.

“But I’ve never campaigned before? Do I have to have tons of money and people ready to go before I decide to run?”

NO! We’ve broken down campaigning into four “activity levels” and we’d like each and every candidate to at least commit to the basic level if they plan to qualify for an election. Committment to at least this level is a pre-requisite for receiving any official party endorsement. (while we will not dissavow paper candidates, we will actively recruit real candidates into such races)

Basic Campaign - File for election, issue press release announcing campaign to pertinent media, respond to all media inquiries, respond to all forum/special interest group inquiries, respond to all mail/telephone calls concerning the campaign. Draw up formal bio statement, and issues position statements (platform), identify a campaign theme or slogan. Produce and distribute basic campaign literature and maintain an active Web presence through a campaign website, blogging, social networking etc. Go door to door in at least your own precinct yourself. Participate in candidate debates, if any.
Active Campaign - All of the Basic Campaign, plus: attending all forums and positive RSVP for any requests for appearances, candidate functions, etc.; Conduct fundraising through friends and family and accept online donations; establish a campaign headquarters with a campaign manager, phone line and address. Go door to door in your parish (if larger than your district, else cover the entire district) personally with as close to 100% coverage as possible. Seek radio and television interviews. Attend pulic functions such as local festivals and parades.
Small Media Campaign - All of the Active Campaign, plus: hire a fund raiser, purchase advertising media in at least your local market in at least one medium (print, television, radio) Conduct targeted direct mail marketing as budgeting allows. Coordinate volunteers for door to door campaigning beyond your personal efforts (and for follow up visits closer to the election) Coordinate volunteers for sign-waving/posting, handing out literature, phone banking, etc. Coordinate volunteers for get-out-the-vote efforts.
Full Campaign - All of the Small Media Campaign, plus: every thing else including the kitchen sink. Seriously. Media buys should cover the entire election district and all three mediums. (print, television, and radio) Fundraising efforts should be full steam to cover media buys needed to reach voters that can’t be reached personally. Direct mail marketing should cover the entire district if possible. You should have a full campaign staff, including secretary, manager, fund raiser, volunteers, press contact, policy writer, and retain legal counsel if needed for campaign finance issues.

While a level 4 candidate has the best chance of winning, victory is not out of the question for other hard working and resourceful individuals. We’d like to see all candidates at least start out with a committment to the basic level early on, and then ramp up to a higher level of activity as the election draws near. Of course this is not a hard and fast, set in stone, outline. One could certainy mix and match parts of each level as one has reasources, talents, contacts, funds, etc. This is simply the basic outline of how a camapaign should be progressively active.

While the basic level can be executed part time right up until a few weeks before the election, the other levels require a more serious committment, with the top two being full time jobs at least the month before election day. Your committment to the election bears a direct relationship to how you will perform in office.

If you think you or someone you know may be interested in a serious run for political office, please contact the party Secretary.