The Board of the Libertarian Part of Colorado passed a resolution at a special meeting held 6/17/2023
BE IT RESOLVED, the LPCO board supports and will work to enact the Chairman and Vice-Chairman’s letter to Mr. Dave Williams. The board intends to establish criteria for candidates and use other processes in accordance with the bylaws to persuade the delegates to nominate candidates at convention in accordance with this strategy.
Additionally, we want to clear the air.
First off, to clear up the most outrageous criticisms.
- The Board of the LP Colorado WILL NOT be ENDORSING any candidates from any parties other than LPCO or National LP members. Our bylaws expressly forbid us from doing so. Anyone claiming that we will be endorsing non libertarian candidates is lying or misinformed.
- The Board of the LP Colorado WILL NOT be PREVENTING any LPCO members from running for any office. The decision to nominate candidates for any given race is up to the convention delegates at county and state conventions. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or misinformed.
- The letter presented by the Chairwoman of the LP Colorado to the Colorado GOP is NOT A BINDING CONTRACT.
Many libertarians are very well educated on economic matters. As such, we expect that many of you will understand the concept of scarcity. Our resources, in both money, and candidates are scarce. Since the demand for candidates is far greater than the supply of them, it makes perfect strategic sense to focus our candidates on the most winnable races as well as those that can reach the widest audience of potential new LP members. What the campaigns director is allowed to do is to work with our candidates and focus their sights on the highest priority races. This new gentlemen’s agreement is merely opening a window into some of what goes into the internal “cost equation” of what a high priority race is. Strategically redirecting scarce resources from low priority to high priority races DOES NOT KEEP LIBERTARIANS OFF OF BALLOTS! There are at least TEN THOUSAND elected offices in our state. It is our dream to have enough active members and money to support running candidates for every position. But until we get to that point, we must prioritize our efforts!
In the short term, focusing our sights on winnable, and mostly local races, our party stands to build our candidates’ name recognition, experience, and the party’s influence within the state. We also get a seat at the table and get to influence the trajectory of another party. One that we can align with on many issues. Especially at the state level! If the GOP sticks to their side of the agreement and we focus our efforts on complementary races, the people of Colorado can have 2 additional elected fighters for liberty instead of none. This is a win-win.
If our candidates, as well as our delegates at our nominating conventions agree with the strategy, we stand to make more friends across both proverbial aisles. Given that the equation for high priority races is not exclusive to liberty friendly GOP candidates, spoiling races in either direction only serves to alienate potential future members by pushing them more into their tribal camps. We can only grow the party by bringing them in with education and kindness. Alienating them just because we want to “run” hundreds of line holders is the opposite of that.
In the long term, we can parlay our local success into state and national success. Local success can drive up our membership and donor base. Both the Republicans and Democrats pull candidates for state and national races from their members that already hold lower local elected offices. Why would we shun this strategy? Success snowballs.
If you look at our recent history we “run” candidates for national congressional seats, Colorado house and senate seats… etc. What do we as a party have to show for it? A couple thousand votes? Candidates and campaigns should be striving to bring people in. We need to not just get votes! In order to truly win at the statewide and national level, the LPCO and LP National need to turn campaigns in to members and money.
If you support this plan please join us!
