Vermont Libertarian Party Opposes Dan Feliciano Seeking the Republican Nomination for Vermont Governor
The Libertarian candidate for Governor, Dan Feliciano, held a press conference today announcing that he intends to actively seek the Republican nomination as a write-in candidate.
Feliciano’s decision is very controversial within the Libertarian Party, which has many points of difference with the Republican Party.
“I am not opposed to candidates seeking outside nominations if there is a match on a certain issue.” stated Travis Spencer, chair of the Milton Town Committee and State Committee Assistant Treasurer. Referring to the looming spectre of “single-payer,” government-managed health care for Vermont, he added: “This election cycle shows where a major issue can be overturned by joining forces to overcome it. There are times when Liberty is greater than Party and this is one of those times.”
Jeremy Ryan, chair of the Vermont Libertarian Party, and other state committee members express concerns that the news will reinforce the idea that Libertarians are closely aligned with Republicans on most issues. Libertarians are actually quite liberal on issues of personal freedom, feeling that the government has no place telling peaceful people what to do.
Mr. Ryan emphasizes that he wants the VTLP to be attractive to anyone who supports liberty, whether they come from the left or right. He stated, “I remind everyone that Libertarian principles do not waver. It is great when other parties find agreement with our positions and support our candidates, but I personally oppose Libertarian candidates seeking outside party nominations, and so do the majority of our state committee. This is not our party strategy, but we do feel that Dan is the best candidate for governor. I apologize to any member that may be disillusioned or offended by this development. It’s also worth noting that many of our other candidates have also been contacted by members of both the Republican and Democratic parties to seek their nominations, but turned them down on principle.”
About Vermont Libertarian Party
The Vermont Libertarian Party is an affiliate of The National Libertarian Party. The motto of the VTLP is “Small Government, Low Taxes, More Freedom.” The VTLP has been more or less active in the Green Mountain State since the early 1980s. Despite the relatively small size of our state Party, the Libertarian Party is the largest third party in the country and is driving a renaissance in libertarian thinking in this country.
Contact Vermont Libertarian Party:
Jeremy Ryan, Chair
Vermont Libertarian Party
PO Box 5475
Burlington VT 05402-5475
Phone: 802-735-2149
Web: www.vtlp.org
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vermontlibertarianparty
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vtlibertarians
Google+: http://goo.gl/bzUKhG
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