OKLP Chair, Tina Kelly, discusses party strategy with Robert Murphy and Dax Ewbank. I will make some speculative conclusions and point out some thoughts for the Oklahoma Libertarian Party (OKLP) to consider.
Perhaps Murphy should have formally withdrawn? Perhaps he may still have that legal option, in Oklahoma campaign law?
- The vast majority of the voters in the LP primary were not Libertarians. Nearly 3000 voters cast ballots, this week. Only 800 registered Libertarians exist. Probably 80% of the ballots were cast by Independents.. That means the non-affiliated voters chose your nominee for you.
- Most active Libertarians who took the US Senate race seriously, supported Dax Ewbank. They did so because Dax earnestly campaigned for the right to represent the party. Murphy did not want to be the nominee. He said so, himself.
Perhaps Murphy should have formally withdrawn? Perhaps he may still have that legal option, in Oklahoma campaign law?
| The Website, Ballot Access, said this; "Oklahoma held primaries (for office other than President) on June 28. The Libertarian Party had a primary race for U.S. Senate. The tentative results: Robert T. Murphy 1,537; Dax Ewbank 1,073. The result was a surprise, since Murphy had been offered a job on the Gary Johnson presidential campaign, and so had asked voters to vote for Ewbank. But, Murphy has run for office many times during the last 40 years as a Libertarian, and when voters don’t know much about candidates, they are most likely to vote for a familiar name." |
This begs the question of the wisdom of letting nonmembers have this franchise while the party membership is this small. Perhaps the OKLP should pragmatically look at whether this can happen again.
Was it an organized prank that some Rock station DJ organized, similar to Stephen Cobert's candidacy in the 2012 South Carolina GOP presidential primary? The fact is, while Murphy is solidly Libertarian and well studied in the values & ideals; He didn't want this put upon him. This could be a bizarre fluke from having 2000 clueless voters given too much power.
But the problem needs to not repeat itself. This is the one chance to get the 2.5% in November (so as to retain official party status), and it may become a lot harder, now that this occurred.
Robert Murphy will now need far more campaign help than Dax would have. I know some conservatives who would have tried to arrange a campaign debate which would have included Ewbank. But Murphy will be a far harder 'sell' to make. And whereas Dax would have bolstered the Johnson campaign, I do not believe Murphy will be taken as seriously by media outlets or voters.
This begs the question of the wisdom of letting nonmembers have this franchise while the party membership is this small. Perhaps the OKLP should pragmatically look at whether this can happen again.
Was it an organized prank that some Rock station DJ organized, similar to Stephen Cobert's candidacy in the 2012 South Carolina GOP presidential primary? The fact is, while Murphy is solidly Libertarian and well studied in the values & ideals; He didn't want this put upon him. This could be a bizarre fluke from having 2000 clueless voters given too much power.
But the problem needs to not repeat itself. This is the one chance to get the 2.5% in November (so as to retain official party status), and it may become a lot harder, now that this occurred.
Robert Murphy will now need far more campaign help than Dax would have. I know some conservatives who would have tried to arrange a campaign debate which would have included Ewbank. But Murphy will be a far harder 'sell' to make. And whereas Dax would have bolstered the Johnson campaign, I do not believe Murphy will be taken as seriously by media outlets or voters.
