On Making Lake Lose
An object lesson for Libertarians on how to engage in politics when your best option isn't available, due to Republican chicanery.
Dear Friends,
For the first time in my memory, the Arizona Libertarian Party did not qualify a candidate for the United State Senate. This is due in large part to a demoralization of the Libertarian Party by the Mises Caucus nationally and 2022 Libertarian nominee Marc Victor trying to throw his support to Republican Blake Masters.1
There are a lot of Arizonans who consider themselves “libertarian” or “libertarian-leaning” or a “liberty Republican” or various other permutations of being a Barry Goldwater type of free-market, live and let live, good person. Many of them would normally vote Libertarian, on average between 5-10% of a general election vote. Not usually enough to win, but the Libertarian block does decide the balance between the other two candidates in Arizona.
This year has no Libertarian.
The Democrat will be Ruben Gallego, current member of the House of Representatives, Harvard Law graduate, and a Marine.2 The Republican will be Kari Lake, former TV presenter, who lost the 2022 gubernatorial election and a defamation suit from Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.3 There is no other choice on the ballot.
Ruben Gallego has some policy positions that are out of step with the Libertarian Party platform. Kari Lake rejects the rule of law and lives in a reality in which Katie Hobbs is not Governor of Arizona, despite the courts ruling against her.
Kari Lake is a menace. Ruben Gallego is a Democrat. Lake losing sends a needed message to the Arizona GOP to stop being weird. Libertarians making it happen sends a clear message to Senator-elect Gallego that the Libertarian vote matters.
The choice is clear for Libertarian voters in Arizona. Reply to let me know if you would like to help us make it happen.
Yours truly,
Nick
P.S. We’re going to take this effort nationally against more MAGA candidates if we have good success in Arizona.
Blake Masters, one of the weirdest candidates in the country, was backed by Peter Thiel and lost terribly in 2022, and lost again this week in the GOP primary for Congress.
Full disclosure: Gallego is also the ex-husband of my 2018 Phoenix Mayoral opponent, Kate Gallego.
Full disclosure: Stephen Richer has knocked doors with me and I consider him a friend and think that the Arizona Republicans shot themselves in the foot by not choosing him in this week’s primary.