On July 21, independent gubernatorial candidate Gatewood Galbraith submitted his ballot access petition in Kentucky. See this story. The only other minor party or independent candidate petition circulating in this year’s Kentucky state elections is the Libertarian Party petition for Ken Moellman for State Treasurer, which is still being worked on. Kentucky petitions are due in early August 2011.
All four states that have gubernatorial elections this year will have independent or minor party candidates in those elections. The states are Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
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The Kentucky LP should endorse this fellow now. He’s a great man and I hope that the state which elected Rand Paul will likewise elect this man!
LPKY is not likely to endorse Gatewood. Many of the LPKY members like Gatewood and is very friendly and willing to work with independent and other minor party candidates. However, the Libertarian *Party* exists to support and run *Libertarian* candidates for office. Internally I’m not even sure the LP or LPKY has the necessary structure to endorse a non-Party candidate.
Case in point, the LP will not and has not endorsed Ron Paul for the presidency except for when he ran as a Libertarian (’84 I think). He is a very good libertarian, but is not running as a Libertarian this time around. At the state level LPKY did not endorse Rand Paul. Again some very libertarian ideals, but not a Libertarian party member running as a Libertarian candidate. Both of these men share some ideals with the LP, but they are still Republicans.
Many Democrats, particularly in urban areas of Kentucky, line up with the LP on certain social issues, like gay rights. Again, the LPKY is not likely to endorse these candidates. In doing so we would sacrifice our identity and ideals.
In short, the Libertarian Party is a political party and not a PAC. The LP exists as its own Party, not as a libertarian wing of the donkey or the elephant.