Election Reflection....
I've spent a couple of weeks catching up on work and paperwork that had been neglected during my campaign for District 54 Representative. I've also spent a lot of time reflecting on just what the outcome of my campaign meant.
After a disappointing loss, I started looking for positives to draw from the experience. As I posted earlier, we did recieve 23% of the vote in Wayne County, and 14.4% district wide. We also won 6 precincts in the district.
More positives? Conley Tillson was elected to the Clay Township Advisory Board in Wayne County, and Steve Coffman was elected to the Liberty Township Advisory Board in Henry County. Combine those wins with the fact that Susan Bell is the Hagerstown Town Court Judge, and we have three elected Libertarians within spittin' distance of my front door. Not many Libertarians can say that, no matter how good of spitters they are.
More positives? Kenn Gividen put these numbers together from races around the state:
"A substantially higher percentage of voters chose Libertarian candidates in 2006 compared to 2002.
In two way state House races:
12.23% in 2002 compared to 14.49% in 2006; an 18.48% increase
In three way state House races:
2.85% in 2002 compared to 6.15% in 2006, a 116% increase
(without Rex, 4.58% in 2006, a 60.7% increase)
In three way state Senate races:
2.01% in 2002 compared to 4.68% in 2006, a 132% increase
In US House Races
2.68% in 2002 compared to 3.98% in 2006, a 49% increase
The Secretary of State race lost ground, however.
4.12% in 2002 compared to 3.33% in 2006, a 19% decrease
Fewer Libertarian candidates on the ballot likely contributed to the decrease in the Secretary of State decrease.
There were no two way state Senate races in 2006."
So we didn't just make gains in Wayne County and District 54. The LP made gains across the state, and maintained ballot access for the next 4 years.
We have Libertarians appointed to various commissions and boards in Wayne and Henry Counties, and the campaign caught the attention of some people in Randolph County that are interested in starting the LP in their county.
There will no doubt be people who believe that we aren't progressing fast enough. I feel like that myself sometimes. But it would be hard for anybody to truthfully say that we aren't making progress, progress towards a limited government.
That's a definite positive.
After a disappointing loss, I started looking for positives to draw from the experience. As I posted earlier, we did recieve 23% of the vote in Wayne County, and 14.4% district wide. We also won 6 precincts in the district.
More positives? Conley Tillson was elected to the Clay Township Advisory Board in Wayne County, and Steve Coffman was elected to the Liberty Township Advisory Board in Henry County. Combine those wins with the fact that Susan Bell is the Hagerstown Town Court Judge, and we have three elected Libertarians within spittin' distance of my front door. Not many Libertarians can say that, no matter how good of spitters they are.
More positives? Kenn Gividen put these numbers together from races around the state:
"A substantially higher percentage of voters chose Libertarian candidates in 2006 compared to 2002.
In two way state House races:
12.23% in 2002 compared to 14.49% in 2006; an 18.48% increase
In three way state House races:
2.85% in 2002 compared to 6.15% in 2006, a 116% increase
(without Rex, 4.58% in 2006, a 60.7% increase)
In three way state Senate races:
2.01% in 2002 compared to 4.68% in 2006, a 132% increase
In US House Races
2.68% in 2002 compared to 3.98% in 2006, a 49% increase
The Secretary of State race lost ground, however.
4.12% in 2002 compared to 3.33% in 2006, a 19% decrease
Fewer Libertarian candidates on the ballot likely contributed to the decrease in the Secretary of State decrease.
There were no two way state Senate races in 2006."
So we didn't just make gains in Wayne County and District 54. The LP made gains across the state, and maintained ballot access for the next 4 years.
We have Libertarians appointed to various commissions and boards in Wayne and Henry Counties, and the campaign caught the attention of some people in Randolph County that are interested in starting the LP in their county.
There will no doubt be people who believe that we aren't progressing fast enough. I feel like that myself sometimes. But it would be hard for anybody to truthfully say that we aren't making progress, progress towards a limited government.
That's a definite positive.
posted by Rex Bell at 6:07 PM
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