Libertarian Candidate Marshall Burt Wins Wyoming State House Race
And in a three-way race for governor in Indiana, Libertarian Donald Rainwater gets more than 13 percent and wins more than 20 counties.

The Libertarian Party (L.P.) had high hopes for a win in the Wyoming state House in two different races—and one of them came through. Marshall Burt has won in District 39 against Democrat Stan Blake, 1,696 to 1,420, according to Apollo Pazell, who was running the L.P.'s campaigns in the state.
This is only the fifth time the L.P. has won a state legislative seat with a candidate running only under the Libertarian label.
In Wyoming's House District 55, Bethany Baldes, who in 2018 lost a state House race against an incumbent GOP majority leader by only 53 votes, lost to Republican Ember Oakley by only 32 votes, 2,058 to 2,026.
In other L.P. races of note around America, Donald Rainwater, in a three-way race for governor of Indiana, has earned 13.1 percent of the vote with well over 90 percent of the results in. That is right in line with polling from last month, even though third-party results tend to fall precipitously from earlier polls when actual votes are cast. Rainwater came in ahead of Democrat Woody Myers in nearly two dozen counties around the state. Republican incumbent Eric Holcomb won reelection.
In Arkansas, with 81 percent of the vote counted, the L.P.'s Ricky Harrington got 33.3 percent in his race to dethrone Republican Sen. Tom Cotton. (No Democrat was on the ballot.) Harrington won outright in two counties. In Pulaski County, which contains the state capitol of Little Rock, Harrington leads Cotton 59 percent to 41 percent.
In Kentucky's Senate race, which Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won with 58 percent of the vote, Libertarian Brad Barron got 4 percent while losing Democrat Amy McGrath earned 38 percent.
In Montana, L.P. gubernatorial candidate Lyman Bishop currently has around 3.5 percent with about 52 percent of the votes counted. That's more than 10,000 votes in a race where the declared winner—Republican Greg Gianforte—is presently ahead of Democrat Mike Cooney by about that many votes.
In Rhode Island, Libertarian William L. Hunt Jr. came within 150 votes of winning a state General Assembly race in District 68 against Democrat June Speakman. (While the results at that link claimed to be complete at time of posting, since then that gap became over 1,400.)
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Libertarians got clobbered nationally compared to 2016.
The LP better expel all the Anarchists, Lefties, and RINOs from its ranks in order to take over after the Democrat Party fractures following 2020 lost to Trump.
Yoy know, I’ve told you this probably a dozen times already, but here goes again.
I identify as an anarchist, and we tend to be in agreement something like 90% of the time. I *got* to anarchism by taking the principles of libertarianism to their logical conclusion. Libertarianism and anarchism aren’t nearly as incompatible as you seem to be convinced they are.
Libertarians are fine with the USA being a Constitutional Democratic Republic.
Anarchists are not fine with it.
I certainly think being a constitutional democratic republic would be better than what we have now.
I just have hopes that we can eventually do away with even that much interference in people’s lives.
I’m a minarchist, but I’ve explored anarchist theory. I’ve read my Rothbard and Nozick, some Tucker, Spooner and even a little Kropotkin. Over 40 years ago, I wrote in a political science class that (paraphrasing from memory) that, while I could see the intellectual appeal of no government, prudence would dictate reducing it to a minimum level, and then deciding to ditch the rump, or not. We are so far from minarchy that, absent a total collapse of the social order, jumping straight to anarchy isn’t plausible.
Internecine fighting between minarchists , AnCaps and Mutualists reminds me of the battles between Red sects in the 19th and 20th centuries over sometimes obscure bits of Marxist dogma and/or tactics. I’m not interested in it.
Not exactly to agree with lc1789, but he’s not really who you need to be convincing. The term ‘anarchist’ has been associated for the last ~half century or more with violently disruptive socialism, anarchists who see anarchy as a means to install a better regime. The past year (or term) has done little to dispel the notion.
Clearly you aren’t a violent leftist calling for the overthrow of Trump to install a better regime but, there is an element of either taking back the term from the violent leftists or finding a new one because the term ‘anarchist’ has been fully co-opted.
(Presuming you’ve already eschewed minarchy) Sansarchy? Nonarchy? Natural order? Free willism? Do and do alike? IDK. I’d probably go the naming route because there would seem to be plenty militant anarchists whose minds can only be effectively changed with ~125 grains of copper-jacketed lead.
Anyone who espouses “anarchism” as a means to installing a different government is clearly not actually an anarchist. I mean, I definitely understand your point, and I’m well aware of the mutilation of the meaning of the term. I’m just disinclined to give it up without a fight, which is why I tend to refer to the folks you mentioned as “nihilists”, instead, or just “communists” or “socialists”, depending on what they actually advocate.
“Sansarchy” or “Nonarchy” might work, although the latter seems likely to get misread as “Monarchy”. I dunno. “Minarchy” might actually be the lower limit of what would actually be functional. I guess it’s mostly just that what I want is to be left alone, and I’m willing to leave others alone in exchange, and it kind of baffles me why that seems to be so hard for so many people.
Why be baffled when cognitive scientists have documented some unfortunate truths about our species? We are essentially emotional animals, and easily motivated (by others). We are naturally tribal, with all that implies for ingroup and outgroup attitudes. And far too many people feel compelled to direct others.
In some sense, we should be amazed at how open organized societies exist, at least in some parts of the world.
In Europe libertarian was used as a byname for the sort of anarchist who manned the barricades in the
Revolutions of 1848 ,* because being a self-described anarchist after those revolts failed put a target on your back, with the Polizei ready to scoop you up.
* Brittanica article
“In order to win democratic elections, the LP needs fewer voters.”
That’s you…
Idiot who dates the Constititution incorrectly as usual doesn’t understand the difference between anarchy and chaos. No News at 11.
By definition, no one in the LP can be called a “RINO”. Do you even know what that acronym means. By joining the LP they are no longer an R. Duh.
Anarchists are a bit problematic in the party, as anarchists don’t believe in the party. Again, by definition. I’ve been to state conventions where the anarchist caucus tried to block every single item brought to the table. Because apparently they thought Roberts Rules of Order was a board game. Not every anarchist, but enough of them.
Leftists? You would be lucky to find even 1% of them in the party. A far lower number than the Leftists in the GOP. It’s not like they haven’t joined, but watching a Leftist check out the libertarian thing is hilarious fun. I was at a huge meetup were a socialist Berkeley student walked in. After about thirty seconds he got this deer-in-headlights look about him. He heard about drug legalization but everyone was talking about eliminating (not cutting) taxes and… gasp… spending. We were polite, which was a rarity, and he left with a better understanding that we weren’t just conservatives who liked to get high, but he still left.
Congrats at hitting the lowest bar yet liberaltarians.
This is actually the level the LP should be concentrating on. State congresses, and governorships.
I’m actually with you on this. Local government has a tendency to be even more corrupt an invasive than higher level governments because there are less people to keep watch and push back. You can do a lot of good at local levels, and more importantly. You win enough state level seats, you can change ballot access laws.
This is right. Focus on smaller races and build a nexus of support around those.
The problem, electorally, is that without running statewide candidates that have no chance of winning, but whose vote totals can qualify the LP for ballot status for the next election cycle, those candidates for local office and state legislature will be deprived of the “Libertarian” label, except where independents are allowed to describe themselves as such. Get back to me after you have successfully completed a ballot access drive before you pooh-pooh the usefulness of a ballot-line qualification earned from hitting a vote threshold. When I was involved in such efforts, BITD, getting 1% in a statewide office locked the LP ballot line in for the next 2 or 4 years. Mileage in your state may vary. Once that hurdle was passed it was much easier recruiting candidates to run for, frex, state assembly. We could have a slew of “paper candidates,” but put all available resources behind the effort of our most credible standard-bearer, who might actually be able to attract votes.
On election days, there are some really powerful companies and communities that are also being active to support their favorites, some time by heart, or sometimes for the paid promotions of that. In this regard, there are also some academics institutes and organizations that take advantage related to that and make some schedules of Australia assignment writing services and other, etc.
The fact that his campaign website doesn’t have a correctly aspect-ratioed picture is troubling.
Even like 10% more effort into branding would really help. It’s not that people are shallow and materialistic… though they are. It just shows you give a shit.
Maybe his head just really is that short. Why you gotta hate the man just because he’s a troll? 😉
The fact that his campaign website doesn’t have a correctly aspect-ratioed picture is troubling.
Fake news. The photo on his website is (or seems to me) correctly ratioed. When Reason sets the image to fit the column it fucks up the ratio. And, to be clear, no, Reason does not give a shit.
We live in a post-truth era, so random changes to image ratios are fine, right?
Yes… unless you’re Russian.
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Wait, there were libertarian candidates running this election cycle? No one told me!
You should check out a site called reason.com. The frequently report on Libertarian candidates running for office.
So if I search ‘Marshall Burt’ in the history I’ll find a few articles covering the (eventual) success of his campaign throughout the season or would such news be too local?
As nice of a milestone as it is to have a big-L Libertarian get elected to a state legislature, that one (L) legislator still is pretty impotent in being able to effect change.
With the framework of local, state, and federal systems, the individual Libertarian is most powerful when a member of a jury. On a jury your one vote can effect change. OTOH, one vote at a ballot box—not so much.
Libertarians should consider tailoring their strategy by emphasizing jury duty and jury education.
A single legislator signals that it’s okay to leave the duopoly. A single legislator gets the party on the ballot again in many states. A single legislator makes the difference in close legislature votes. When the Democrats and Republicans have to come with hat in hand to get the Libertarian on their side for a procedural vote, then he’s got some small amount pull.
Even though he was an R while most time in office, Justin Amash had decidedly L views. But he still more than pulled his weight despite being only 1 out of 435.
Your thesis that everyone just vote how Dear Leader tells them to vote is bullshit, because one principled person can make any different. Won’t upset the apple cart, but this isn’t an all or nothing world.
@Brandybuck “Your thesis that everyone just vote how Dear Leader tells them to vote is bullshit, because one principled person can make any different. Won’t upset the apple cart, but this isn’t an all or nothing world.”
How did you get that from what I wrote?
Why not do both?
Yep.
Statistically, a libertarian was bound to get elected to some office eventually… right?
i ll done but what..CHECK MY WORK
Wait….Brian…aren’t you the guy who wrote an article here entitled: “Not Voting and Proud Don’t throw away your life; throw away your vote”
So what…now you’re glad people voted? Or did those people who voted for the libertarian “throw away” their vote?
without more proof, i am skeptical of the claim rainwater won 20 of indiana’s 92 counties. my guess is he came in 2nd in those counties. i’ll go check.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/03/indiana-governor-election-libertarian-donald-rainwater-surge-results/6150140002/
no mention of winning any counties.
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