Arizona's U.S. Senate Race Offers a Unique Opportunity
Perhaps more than any other contest this year, the battle for the seat currently held by John McCain offers an opportunity to contrast the ideas of liberty with the big-government philosophy that now dominates the GOP. by David F. Nolan
(libertarian)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Arizona held its primary election on August 24, and the results are interesting, to say the least. On the Republican side, incumbent U.S. Senator John McCain overcame two challengers to win with 56% of the vote. At first glance, this may appear decent, but it was actually a pathetic showing.
McCain spent about $21 million to get 333,000 votes. That works out to about $63/vote. His main challenger, J.D. Hayworth, spent about one-sixth as much to get 32% of the vote. The third contender, Jim Deakin, spent about $50,000 to get 12%.
McCain is his party's most recent Presidential candidate, and has near-universal name recognition. He outspent his opponents by six to one. And yet he received less than 60% of the vote in a Republican primary!
On the Democratic side there were four contenders. The victor, Rodney Glassman, received only 34% of the votes cast, after outspending his three rivals combined. Most of his funding came from his family's extensive fortune. He's virtually unknown outside of Tucson, the state's second-largest city, where he served for a time on the city council. Many Democrats dislike Glassman, and thus nearly 2/3 of those who voted in the primary scorned him.
If ever there was a situation where a strong Libertarian candidate can make serious inroads in an election with national visibility, this is it. And I am that candidate. As one of the founders of the Libertarian Party, I have a relatively high profile in the libertarian movement, and if I start polling more than 5%, the national media will pay attention!
A showing of 5%, 10% or even 15% is not outside the realm of possibility. Many Tea Party activists who supported Hayworth and Deakin have already told me they plan to support me in the general election; they really, really loathe John McCain! And with a weak Democratic opponent, many independents are up for grabs. This can be the Libertarian Party's "breakthrough" race this year if things go well!
I invite the readers here at nolanchart.com to visit my campaign website to learn more about this historic race.
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The views expressed
in this article are those of David F. Nolan only and
do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates.
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Posted By: Frank Brooks
Date: August 30, 2010 08:59:57 AM
We should have a steady increase in young independent voters with time to come. If we look into how the Two Party System has monopolized candidacy for any political office we will see where the real changes need to be made.
Young voters wanted change so they chose Obama to be president and to their dismay he is just as terrible as Bush. Why they thought he was a beacon of hope is my guess. I never believed any Democrat was out for change as much as they were revenge.
Of course you cannot doubt that there are good politicians that serve either party but the problem is there are too many bad ones. It is so easy to spot how the government is acting on its on accord and not the peoples. Its either money or power that has got them behind the reigns.
So if anyone wants to see a real significant turn over in the government they need to look beyond the lies they are told and start thinking independently. It should be about the better man for the job not the better party lined up to do what they want and not what you voted them in office to do.
