Utah State Sen. Mark Madsen Switching Parties from Republican to Libertarian, Endorsing Gary Johnson for President

At a press conference at 1:30 this afternoon in Salt Lake City, sitting state Sen. Mark Madsen, a Republican in Utah, will be announcing that he's switching his Party affiliation to Libertarian and endorsing Gary Johnson for president.

Mark Madsen Facebook

In an emailed press release announcing the planned press conference, Madsen is described as "a sitting two term state senator [Madsen actually in his third term, first elected in 2004] and former city council member from Eagle Mountain. His legislative record bears out his dedication to individual liberty. He has observed that the interests of bureaucratic agencies and the people rarely align. He believes in choice in health care and education. He is a champion of free trade and free market solutions."

At the press conference, the release says, Madsen will "discuss his experience at the GOP convention, his goals and priorities now, and his support for Libertarian nominees for president and Vice President, Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld."

More on this story as it develops.

Matt Welch reported earlier today on the defection of two sitting Republican state representatives from Montana, not to the Libertarian Party per se, but to endorsement of that Party's candidates, Gary Johnson and William Weld. They are "Daniel Zolnikov (R-Billings), a 29-year-old two-term state representative known for his civil libertarian work on surveillance and free speech" and "fellow State Rep. Nicholas Schwaderer (R-Mineral County)."

Welch with a complete list of known sitting legislators, Libertarian and Republican, publicly for Johnson/Weld. Madsen will now be the third sitting state legislator who switched Party affiliation in office to Libertarian, after Nevada's John Moore and Nebraska's Laura Ebke.

UPDATE: See this post for reporting on Madsen's press conference this afternoon.

Comments

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

+1 Jim Jeffords

[Fist of Etiquette]

Wake me when a Democrat does.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I've decided you have too much milk chocolate in your diet.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The joke's on you because I don't eat much milk chocolate, I just happen to know it's not vile sludge unlike certain other types of chocolate.

[Suicidy]

Is this going to turn into another argument like the whole deep dish pizza business?

[Hugh Akston]

You don't think it's mewsworthy that a sitting legislator defected from the party of big government to the party of limited government?

[Citizen X]

I think it's the cat's pajamas, Hugh.

[Fist of Etiquette]

No, what I'm saying is I didn't get much sleep last night, I've read this story now and I want to be awoken if someone from the Democratic Party switches to the party of Free Speech and other civil liberties.

[Hugh Akston]

Let's compromise. I will wake you every hour with updates on the T-Swizzle-Kimye beef, even if there are none.

[EscherEnigma]

Generally speaking? Sure.

This guy? He's retiring and leaving the country at the end of his current term, and based on his voting record he's just fine with "big government".

[Zunalter]

Surely, considering all the outreach GJ is doing in Dem circles, we are on the cusp of an endorsement avalanche from the Dems.

Surely.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I'd love to see that conversation.

[Tyler.C]

This! Left libertarian/sjw sympathizing libertarians rightly critcize Republicans and the far right (and do criticise dems and the left albeit with a lot of virtue signaling), but they are being just as foolish in putting their hopes in getting that side to ' change' their mind as you will get the neocons.

[Jimbo]

Don't call me, Shirley.

[Zunalter]

Surely, considering all the pandering and outreach GJ has done in Dem circles, we are on the cusp of an avalanche of Dem endorsements.

Surely.

[Zunalter]

Bah!!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Double post, dummy.

[MatildaMarsden]

My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do... http://www.Trends88.com

[Zero Sum Game]

Matt Welch reported earlier today on the defection of two sitting Republican state representatives

I read this as "defecation of two shitting Republican state representatives" and did a double-take. We joke often enough how much the Republican party is shitting its pants and the bed this election cycle, so I'm not so sure the misreading was that inapt.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Unless I see Democrat legislators and whatnots doing this, all this is proving is that the LP is siphoning more support from Trump than from Hillary. And when I say siphoning, I mean STEALING votes that RIGHTFULLY belong to the GOP candidate.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

They will not be forgiven this time.

RALPH NADER! NEVER FORGET!

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Actually, interesting.

[Fist of Etiquette]

What are you going to believe? Fudged numbers from pollsters trying desperately to frighten PUMA's on the left to fall into line, or my rock solid theory based on a couple of JV league politicos jumping the GOP ship?

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Your intellect...

...is superior.

[EscherEnigma]

That's an interesting position to take.

Republicans chose a candidate that's deeply unworthy to many Republicans. That is why folks are defecting. All Johnson did was not be horrible.

The reason you don't see Democrats doing the same is that, bernio-bros aside, Clinton isn't as much a problem for Democrats. She is, in fact, acceptable.

[Dilligaf]

The fact that it seems "she is, in fact, acceptable" to far too many in this particular tribe is an ominous and darkly troubling sign of the state of the union. And the fact that grumpy Uncle Gulag himself is universally acknowledged by just about everyone as being the most honest and authentic offering on their entire menu is even more so. Yes, in point of fact, I just may even have go so far as to say this is all very problematic ! Get ready for interesting times ahead. Because I am starting to think the odds for those lame old boring and prosperous type are not quite so good at this point.

[IdahoMan]

Stealing? I didn't know I was obligated to vote for the GOP. Here I was thinking I had the right to vote for the candidate I prefered. Normally that's the republican but not with trump.

[Hyperion]

Wait a minute, I was told yesterday that it's impossible to get an LP in the senate, even at state level. Oh, wait, he wasn't 'elected' as LP. So that must be the trick, first the person pretends to be with a big tent, then switches once inside the gate. The old trojan approach. Sounds good.

The dude looks a little crazy, so they should have suspect he might rogue on them.

[lap83]

The dude looks a little crazy

So I wasn't the only one who thought that.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

ALL Mormons look like that.

[lap83]

They're very nice though, at least the ones I've known. Nice/crazy is pretty easy to deal with.

[Hyperion]

Wait... dude is Mormon? Are they allowed to be libertarian? Surely, Joseph Smith put a clause in somewhere to prevent this from happening.

[Dr. Jonathan Crane]

LPs are hard to get in the senate but EPs and CDs aren't.

Sorry, that was a bad joke 🙂

[Jimbo]

...

[Cdr Lytton]

Never apologize, it makes you look weak.

[Robert]

78s get there faster.

[Suicidy]

Clearly, the LP must set up a series of Trojan candidates to run as republicans and democrats in various state assemblys, and then flip to the LP should they win. Kind of like the way Hydra infiltrated SHIELD and the rest of the US government.

Good plan.

[Dilligaf]

Only way to get the foot in the door in most places. Imagine if someone just went deep undercover and ran as a D) or R) in some kind of intellectually primitive backwater. You know, a tribal society where all the voters, for whatever reasons would just pull the lever for you. Based on nothing more than substantial than the thinnest of blandishments and the vague sort of promises which no one expects to be fulfilled.. IOW pretty much any place in the land. Then have your "libertarian moment". Recall elections are extremely rare, no matter how a politician acts or votes while in office. Laws once they are passed, including even the most unpopular,absurd and damaging kind you could possibly imagine, are almost never repealed or even just written with some kind of a common sense sunset mechanism built into them. And on top of all that, incumbents are re-elected something like 80% of the time? Anyone with fortitude and a strong enough constitution to hang out with the types that are drawn to a life in politics could probably pull this off.

[SugarFree]

He looks like he's watching a film of his brother fingerbanging their mom.

[Fist of Etiquette]

What's it like to be you, I wonder. How would my day play out if I saw what you see?

[SugarFree]

There's a lot of things you think but cannot say. The pressure is enormous.

[Fist of Etiquette]

So what we see here is you with a working filter of some sort?

[SugarFree]

No, this fairly unfiltered and non-pasteurized. I'm not as mean to some people as I want to be, but there are so many little cry-babies here that it's not worth the butthurt to kick them as hard as I want to.

But in the real world, probably only 20% makes it out.

[Holger da Dane]

The pressure is enormous.

*Paging Switzy*

[Suicidy]

I can appreciate that. I had a big breakfast, and the pressure is rapidly becoming enormous.

[Atanarjuat]

You would claw your own eyes out as you went mad. Yet Sugarfree has mastered and channeled it to torment our souls.

[Zero Sum Game]

Between SugarFree and Agile Cyborg, you've got mental stimulation whatever the kink. Just because they won't do cerebral missionary position with you doesn't mean they don't love you.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

How would my day play out if I saw what you see?

[Fist of Etiquette]

There is literally nothing Bill Shatner won't do.

[0x90]

What's it like to be you, I wonder. How would my day play out if I saw what you see?

I'm guessing this doesn't even come close.

[Dennis, Constitutional Peasant]

The photo looks like he's waking up from a week-long bender, asking "I ENDORSED *WHO*?"

[Holger da Dane]

So. Wait. Is this like a real "moment" here? Courtesy of Trump of all people?

[DianeCaffey]

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========? http://www.Alpha-Careers.com

[Uncle Jay]

RE: Utah State Sen. Mark Madsen Switching Parties from Republican to Libertarian, Endorsing Gary Johnson for President

Such apostasy must be greeted with contempt, scorn and ridicule.
Leaving the republican plantation only invites further desertion among the little people of both parties and should never be tolerated.
Otherwise our beloved socialist slave state and our benevolent slavers from both parties will only become irrelevant and useless.
No one wants to see these wonderful slavers out of working, poor, destitute and living under a bridge.
So let's all get with the program and choose the political party you feel that will do you the most harm whether that be republican or democrat.

[Suicidy]

Is this a good time to discuss my plan to euthanize all the progressives?

[Uncle Jay]

It's always a good time to discuss your plan to euthanize all the progressives.

[EscherEnigma]

Checked is wiki page... dude's term ends this year, and he's announced he's leaving the country for South America after it. One of the few notable things the page has is that he supports medical marijuana... but only after he got an accidental overdose on traditional painkillers?, and he decided he wanted a safer alternative.

Looking at his voting record, here's some notables:
voted for a fetal anesthia bill
voted for execution by firing squads
voted for government employees to opt-out of doing their job if "gay marriage" came up
voted for adding gay folk to Utah's non-discrimination law (such as it is. The state's non-discrimination law is pretty weak)
voted against prohibiting people from texting while driving
voted for concealed carry without a permit
voted for abstinence-only sex-ed
voted for making recording farming operations a crime

And so-on. Other then voting for the non-discrimination law (which, if you were following things at the time, was basically a rear-guard action by the LDS and includes some pretty big carve-outs), he's pretty much a Republican who discovered pot.
________
?A patch burst, giving him the long-term dose in a short-term.

[CE]

Nice. Time for some Ds and Rs in Congress to do the same.

[juliepowellj556]

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