On November 4, Vermont elected two independents to the State House of Representatives: Will Stevens was re-elected, and Adam Greshin was elected by defeating an incumbent Democrat.
Vermont has five Progressives in the House: David Zuckerman, Sandy Haas, Susan Davis, Sarah Edwards, and newcomer Mollie Burke. The Progressive had elected six in 2006. They lost two incumbents, Dexter Randall and Chris Pearson.
To have 5 current reps (or 6, previously) puts them above the Libertarians, who had 3 in NH at once or 3 in AK at once (I believe.)
The New Hampshire Libertarians had 4 after the 1992 election. The Alaska Libertarians never had more than two at one time (which was after the 1980 election). They also had one after the 1978 election and a different one after the 1984 election.
It seems now that a three-party system will soon develop in Vermont.
If I lived in Vermont, I would register with the Vermont Liberty Union Party. The VLUP is sort of a sister party to the Peace and Freedom Party of California. When the old, national, Peoples Party (founded in 1971) was alive, both parties were affiliated.
Richard,
How many total people have been elected to State Legislature positions as Libertarians?
Vermont doesn’t have registration by party, Phil, so you would be thwarted!
Libertarians elected to state legislatures are one in Alaska in 1978, two in Alaska in 1980, one in Alaska in 1984, four in New Hampshire in 1992, two in New Hampshire in 1994, one in Vermont in 1998, and one in New Hampshire in 2000. Steve Vaillancourt in 2000 was only on the ballot as a Libertarian, and he won. But the party didn’t make a big deal out of it since he was personally not a party member. He had libertarian leanings, but he had lost the Democratic primary for State Senate that year and he was a Democratic member of the House. After he had lost the primary for State Senate that year, he accepted the Libertarian nomination for the House so as to keep his seat. But he did speak to the Libertarian Party state convention of 2001. Now, ironically, he is in the House as a Republican.
Interesting. New Hampshire is obviously the easiest state becuase it has such a large state house,and the positions are basically unpaid.
Now, someone has to take those stats and plug them into 2008 and see if we can’t produce more results like that.
Or is it near impossible because of all the Massholes moving in?
I’d like to see how the hell these LPers got elected and then didn’t get re-elected. The turnover is huge in a 400-member legislature, I guess. Still, it’s fascinating to me how NH elected four in ’92. That party must have been something back then.
NH Libertarians got party status for the first time following the November 1990 election. The party polled over 3% for Governor in 1990, so that made it a qualified party, the first qualified party in NH (other than Dem & Rep) since the 1910’s decade. It was such a surprise, 4 legislators in 1991 left a major party and joined the Libertarian Party. Three of them were re-elected as Libertarians in 1992. One was defeated. Also someone who had not been in the legislature was elected as a Libertarian in 1992. So the party had 4 legislators before the 1992 election, and 4 afterwards.
I seem to recall the Vermont and California Libertarians have some problems with their candidate’s positions on gay marriage.
The challenge is that a state legislator may get burnt out, move onto my lucrative career moves or simply switch a party label as the political winds change.
In 1996, the quirky Natural Law Party was organized in North Dakota to have its candidates on the ballot for several statewide officers and had a pretty decent showing, only to totally fall apart a few years later.
Likewise the Constitution and Libertarian Party are recognized in ND since about 2007, but neither ran candidates for office, except presidency. What does all this mean?
Well, it can be tough finding people who want to run for partisan office, let alone want to deal with all ballot access and debate inclusion challengers that will likely arise.
Many minor parties, like any group, suffer from burn out, petty in fighting and disorganized.
It is not always easy to be so public about one’s political beliefs or affilations, especially if you think it going to get you fired or run out of town.
Richard Says:
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Vermont doesn’t have registration by party, Phil, so you would be thwarted!
Phil responds:
Thanks, Richard. I sure happy that I am a native Californian!