Thanks to the heroic efforts of 2018 Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe, the New York Libertarian Party (“NYLP”) has become an officially recognized party under New York State election law. This means people can finally register to vote as “Libertarians”, ballot access has become much easier for LP candidates and the NYLP will hold primaries the same Democrats and Republicans do.
Over the course of the next four years, the now official Libertarian Party in New York City will have the opportunity to field candidates for approximately 100 city and state elected offices.
Our first election as an official party will be the November 2019 election for New York City Public Advocate. This election will set the tone for the 2020 federal and state and 2021 city election cycles.
That’s why we need to make a uniquely strong push to recruit potential Public Advocate candidates who can raise the bar for the type of candidates the LP fields in New York City.
We’re looking for libertarian candidates who have track records of success in business, media and/or government. This city has dozens of libertarian media personalities and hundreds (maybe thousands) of libertarian business leaders. Will one or more of them step up to establish the newly official Libertarian Party in New York City as a legitimate and respected political party by running for office?
The Libertarian Party is the third-largest and the fastest growing political party in the United States. Over 20% of Americans hold libertarian views. As the GOP under Trump’s leadership abandons many libertarian ideals, and the Democratic Party drifts leftward, we fully expect the LP to continue its growth streak nationally and in New York City.
We believe that the LP can offer an economically-aware, entrepreneur-friendly alternative to the policies of the Democrats, which are hostile and dismissive of business and development, and a socially conscious and culturally progressive alternative to the Republicans, who consistently run on and appeal to cultural conservatism.
The LP affiliates in New York City, which operate as local parties in each borough, boast youthful, devoted and diverse leadership excited about building a party that rejects the cronyism of traditional politics and offers instead transparent party operations with limited hierarchy and a meritocratic process for selecting candidates.
As such, we, the undersigned officers of LP county affiliates, are excited to invite people to register their interest in running for Public Advocate in 2019.
We will provide people who register:
- Information about any and all relevant LP meetings;
- Invitations to meet with LP leadership and donors about their campaigns;
- A liason who will help ensure they meet all Board of Elections requirements; and
- Our focused and best efforts to make the candidate’s campaign a success
Please fill out this form if you or someone you know is interested in running as a Libertarian.
Signed:
- Devin Balkind, Chair, Brooklyn Libertarian Party, [email protected]
- Aaron Commey, Chair, Manhattan Libertarian Party, [email protected]
- Michael Arcati, Chair, Queens Libertarian Party, [email protected]
- Rocco Fama, Chair, Staten Island Libertarian Party, [email protected]
- Ilya Schwartzburg, State Representative, Manhattan Libertarian Party, [email protected]
If you have any questions please email us at [email protected]