BEVERLY Daniel Fishman wants to debunk a myth about Libertarians.

We dont believe in no government, we believe in smaller government, he said.

With no political experience but a strong belief in strengthening peoples civil liberties, Fishman, a 44-year-old Beverly Libertarian, is diving into the race for 6th Congressional District, going up against Democratic Congressman John Tierney of Salem and Republican challenger Richard Tisei.

Fishman has been gathering signatures since June, and says hes closing in on the 2,000 he needs to get on the November ballot. Cape Ann commuters might have seen him out at the Beverly or Salem train depots early in the morning; he said hes also getting help from Georgetown attorney Steven Epstein, whos spearheading his signature drive.

Fishman said he is running because he believes the federal government has become too powerful.

Whenever government acquires power, they are taking it from the people, he said.

He points to federal health care as a symptom of the majority imposing its will on the minority. He believes the Massachusetts model, on the other hand, was right minded, and that if other states want to follow suit, thats up to them.

Fishman says he was a Republican until 20 years ago. While he remains fiscally conservative, his views on social issues alienated him from that party, and he turned to Libertarianism.

He describes himself as very pro-choice. He believes people should have the right to own guns.

He offers this solution to the issue of same-sex marriage: Any couple who want to file taxes jointly must get a legally recognized civil union; then the couple may have their union recognized in whatever religious ceremony they choose.

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Libertarian joins race for Tierney seat

Former New Mexico Gov. and Libertarian Gary Johnson visited Charlotte this weekend to discuss his bid for president.

Johnson participated in a 5K race in Huntersville, spoke at a rally on ending unconstitutional wars and attended two fundraisers.

Recent polls show that Johnson, who initially sought the GOP presidential nomination, is drawing support away from President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. He said he feels his message appeals to a majority of Americans, who he describes as socially accepting and fiscally responsible.

Johnson spoke with the Observer about this campaign. Some questions and answers have been edited for brevity.

Q. What are you saying to voters?

Im the only candidate that wants to get out of Afghanistan tomorrow and bring the troops home. The only candidate that wants to repeal the Patriot Act. Only candidate that would not have signed the national defense authorization act. Only candidate that wants to end the drug wars..

Q. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others have said the shootings in Aurora are another reason there should be tougher conversations or tougher gun laws in the country. What, if any, action should be taken?

I think the Second Amendment could not be clearer that we have a right to carry and possess a weapon. Im just sad that nobody in that audience was carrying a weapon that could have stepped in and maybe brought that to an end.

Q. How do you get Congress to adopt a balanced budget?

(I have) two promises on the budget. One is to submit a balanced budget. The other is to veto any legislation where expenses exceed revenue. And even though they override the veto, which theyre going to have to, Im going to suggest to you that any candidate that keeps those two promises that spending will be lower with those two promises kept than any other scenario that you could possibly come up with. Lastly, I am promising to advocate throwing out the entire federal tax system and replacing it with one federal consumption tax, the fair tax.

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Libertarian presidential hopeful Gary Johnson visits Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Libertarian Party's presidential candidate will join the party's gubernatorial hopeful in North Carolina to run on the campaign trail both figuratively and literally.

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson plans to join North Carolina nominee Barbara Howe on Saturday morning in a 5-kilometer run north of Charlotte. Howe said it will be her 50th 5K run since promising to run that distance in all 100 counties as part of her campaign.

The state Libertarian Party says Johnson will campaign in Charlotte later Saturday. He'll hold a lunch fundraiser, speak at a rally of conservatives opposed to what they call unconstitutional wars and participate in a dinner at a Charlotte country club.

Howe has run for governor two previous times.

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Libertarian presidential candidate visits NC

Ballot Access reported on May 5 on Gary Johnson's nomination as Libertarian Party candidate for president. Now Public Policy Polling shows that Johnson may cost incumbent President Barack Obama the State of New Mexico in November.

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Libertarian Candidate Could Cost Obama the Win in New Mexico

Sponsors of the marijuana legalization measure on the Oregon ballot announced Friday that Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is endorsing their initiative.

Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, has been a firm proponent of legalizing pot and has said that he regularly smoked marijuana from 2005 to 2008 as he recovered from serious injuries following a paragliding accident.

Johnson won the national Libertarian Party's nomination in May but has not been formally placed on the Oregon ballot at this point. Assuming that he does, his backing for the Oregon measure could attract votes from many of the state's ardent supporters of marijuana legalization.

That could pull votes from President Barack Obama, who has disappointed some of his supporters from 2008 because he has refused to endorse legalization.

Johnson has also endorsed marijuana legalization measures in Colorado and Washington.

"Regulating marijuana and restoring agricultural hemp to America's farmers and entrepreneurs makes sense for Americas economy and for its national security, Johnson was quoted as saying in a press release from the campaign for the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act. If you believe in the sanctity of individual rights and personal responsibility, and want to see your government focus on real threats and crimes, I urge you to support Measure 80.

Johnson's running mate, former California judge Jim Gray, also endorsed the measure.

--Jeff Mapes

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Gary Johnson, Libertarian presidential candidate, endorses Oregon marijuana initiative

The Libertarian Party of Connecticut recently received a $10,000 donation from a North Carolina man, the groups largest single donation ever, according to Chairman Dan Reale, of Plainfield.

Paul Burks made the donation to bolster the partys efforts to gain ballot access statewide, Reale said. Burks donation brings this years fundraising total to $44,000, Reale said.

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Libertarian Party gets largest donation ever

GILMER--Upshur County Libertarian Party Chairman Vance Lowry told his party's monthly meeting here July 10 that county employees who think their pay is too low should seek employment elsewhere.

Lowry attended a recent "town hall" hosted by Upshur County Pct. 2 Commissioner Cole Hefner, where several persons expressed concern about employees' salaries and/or benefits. Many of those attending were county employees and their relatives.

Lowry did not address that meeting, but said that if he had, he would have told the county workers, "If your pay's so low, go find another job."

"Government employees in general have always accepted lower pay for job security and better benefits. My contention is the benefits now are way out of whack to what the private sector's paying in benefits," he argued.

Lowry said that "to hold elected officials hostage" for pay increases is "an insult to the taxpayers who don't get that benefit of negotation."

Local Libertarian Sheri Little, the party's nominee for the State Board of Education in the November general election, said that in lieu of raising taxes, the Upshur County Commissioners Court should "use the emergency fund until somebody comes up with a better idea."

On another matter, Lowry said Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson would campaign in Texas Aug. 14-20, including stops in Dallas Aug. 15 and Ft. Worth the 16th.

Local Libertarian Allen Weatherford meantime said Libertarians planned to stage a July 16 protest at the Cable News Network in Atlanta over its purported failure to give Johnson coverage.

Weatherford also condemned the Texas "voter ID" law which has been the subject of a federal trial, saying it is a "solution looking for a problem." After 13 million Texans voted in the 2008 Presidential race, Weatherford said, only five accusations of voter fraud were brought, with no resulting convictions.

Also attending the July 10 Gilmer meeting was Charles Parkes of Smith County, the Libertarian candidate for District 6 state representative against Republican candidate Matt Schaefer. Parkes was recently elected and Lowry was reelected to the partys state executive committee, and plan to attend its meeting Aug. 4 in San Antonio.

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Libertarian Chairman Sounds Off About Upshur County Salaries

Gary Johnson doesn’t agree with Barack Obama or Mitt Romney on most things, and he certainly doesn’t agree that either of them should be president. The best one for the job, he believes, is himself. He’s running as a Libertarian, and tha...

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Third party Libertarian fights for Presidential seat

The Kentucky-based head of a libertarian super PAC that spent more than $500,000 in a Northern Kentucky congressional primary this year is due in court Wednesday on a felony charge related to a drunken-driving arrest last year.

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Libertarian leader Preston Bates faces drunken-driving charge; called himself 'anarchist'

The Kentucky-based head of a libertarian super PAC that spent more than $500,000 in a Northern Kentucky congressional primary this year is due in court Wednesday on a felony charge related to a drunken-driving arrest last year.

Preston Bates, 23, the executive director of Liberty for All, refused to give a corrections officer any personal information other than his name and then said that he was an anarchist when he was arrested last July near the University of Louisville.

According to the arrest report, Bates pulled up to a residence on Bellamy Place at 3 a.m. July 3, 2011, but when he couldnt get into the residence, Bates backed his car into an iron fence.

The report says Bates then got out of the car and staggered toward corrections officers who were at the scene. He refused to give them any personal information beyond his name and, according to the report, declared himself an anarchist.

Bates blood-alcohol level was 0.121 percent, according to the police report. Those with blood-alcohol readings of 0.08 percent and above are presumed to be drunk, under Kentucky law.

Bates is charged with driving under the influence, second-degree disorderly conduct and first-degree criminal mischief. The criminal mischief charge is a class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Neither Bates nor his lawyer, Dennis Burke, returned phone calls.

Bates and the super PAC he runs burst onto the scene this year, spending more than $561,000 to help Thomas Massie win the Republican nomination for Congress in Kentuckys 4th District. Virtually all of the groups money comes from John Ramsey, a 21-year-old Texas millionaire who decided to become a political player after supporting U.S. Rep. Ron Pauls presidential campaign.

Bates has said hes considering using Ramseys fortune to go after Kentucky state House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville, who fired Bates as an intern in 2008. Bates said that if he tries to unseat Clark, it will have nothing to do with the fact that Clark fired him.

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Libertarian leader faces charge

TIM ISBELL/SUN HERALD Ron Williams, Libertarian candidate for U.S. House District 4, says 'We've been convinced government is a complex thing, that it's above our heads. Honesty and integrity are still alive and they still count.'

TIM ISBELL SUN HERALDBuy Photo

GULFPORT -- Libertarian congressional candidate Ron Williams said he believes incumbent first-term U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo hasn't followed through on campaign promises.

"I think he's been overwhelmed by Beltway politicians and the power of his party," Williams said. "He said he wouldn't raise the debt, wouldn't vote for the Patriot Act or anything that would support abortion. He said he would not, would not, would not, but then he did, he did, he did."

Williams said he had supported Palazzo, even contributed to his campaign. But now he's running against him, in large part because of his frustration as a businessman dealing with government and politics.

"You can't really run a business in the U.S. anymore -- the federal government runs your business," Williams said. "... It's hunting season on businesses in America."

He said that as a contractor, he has also been frustrated with politically connected people receiving contracts they didn't deserve.

Williams, 53, of Moss Point, who ran for governor last year as a Republican, said he's now running as a Libertarian for U.S. House District 4 because he's also fed up with gamesmanship from the two largest political parties.

"Like everyone else, I'm frustrated as can be at the inaction and incompetence in Washington," Williams said in a meeting Tuesday with the Sun Herald that he requested. "One thing I learned as a Republican candidate (for governor) is that their interests are not necessarily my interests and not necessarily the best interests of the country ... We continue to elect these people based on what they're saying, not what they're doing."

Williams said politicians with both main parties appear to be pandering.

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Libertarian Williams says frustration with government drives him to seek office

FACETStelevision Producer/Host, Kevin McDonald interviews Libertarian 2012 presidential and vice presidential candidates, former New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson and Retired Superior Court Judge, Jim Gray. In the interview, McDonald delivers a series of hard hitting questions on topics from the economy and immigration to foreign policy, the proposed legalization of Marijuana and media ...

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Libertarian 2012 Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, Former Governor Gary Johnson and Ret. Judge Jim Gray ...

Libertarian Doug Marks might be pulling out of the race for the 33rd Senate District after informing supporters that his petition might not survive a challenge.

Marks told supporters Monday on his campaign's Facebook page that the "'parties in power'... have used their exclusionary tactics to have sufficient objections against my petitions to exclude me from having ballot access."

Marks, a Carpentersville village trustee, filed his petition June 25 to run against Republican nominee and Kane County Board Chairwoman Karen McConnaughay, who like many General Assembly candidates in the McHenry County area was running unopposed. Two challengers Kenneth Cabay of Lake in the Hills and James Abbott of Geneva filed the objection a week later on July 2.

He wrote that he will decide by month's end whether to mount a write-in campaign.

"I don't blame Karen or any of the GOP for using the system they put into place to exclude candidates that can beat the insider, pay 2 play [sic], big government types, but if Illinois expects to be a prosperous place to live, these antics have to be ended," Marks wrote.

His candidacy is still active on the Illinois State Board of Elections website with a note that an objection is pending. The board is in the process of hearing objections to candidacies to determine their validity.

Marks wrote that he has spent the past week considering running as a write-in candidate. He said he is still undecided, but would need at least $50,000, but that he has received commitments for less than one-third of that.

Under post-census redistricting, the 33rd Senate District covers Huntley, much of Lakewood, Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills and western Algonquin, as well as parts of northern Kane County stretching south to Geneva.

The race is one of two with a objection pending. David McSweeney, Republican candidate for the 52nd House District, filed an objection to the petition of Dee Beaubien, who is seeking to run as an independent. She is the widow of Mark Beaubien, who represented the district from 1996 until his death in June 2011.

Under the new maps, the 52nd House District will cover southeastern McHenry County, including Cary and Fox River Grove, eastern Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and Crystal Lake, and parts of Lake, Cook and Kane counties.

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Libertarian candidate mulling write-in campaign

The Libertarian Party of CT recently received a $10,000 donation from a North Carolina man, the groups largest single donation ever, according to Chairman Dan Reale of Plainfield.

Paul Burks made the donation to bolster the partys efforts to gain ballot access statewide, Reale said. The Connecticut branch of the party has never raised more than $10,000 in any single year.

Burks donation brings this years fundraising total to $44,000, Reale said. The goal of $60,000 may be exceeded by at least $20,000, the chairman said.

To learn more visit, http://www.lpct.org.

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Libertarian Party of CT gets largest single donation ever

Posted: Jul. 13, 2012 | 6:53 p.m.

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is a man with little baggage, political or otherwise.

The Libertarian presidential nominee travels light, two carry-ons, no fees. He has no entourage, opening his own hotel room door at Paris Las Vegas on the Strip when a reporter arrives Friday to conduct an interview.

A trim man in a gray suit and blue tie, the 59-year-old Johnson skis, rides bikes and likes to climb mountains - four of the seven highest summits on the world's seven continents so far, including Everest.

And like many White House hopefuls before him, Johnson has written a new book, laying out his "Seven Principles of Good Government," to promote his ideas on the campaign trail.

They sound more like rules your mother might post on the refrigerator door, if she were a student of Taoism.

Become reality based.

Always be honest and tell the truth.

Always do what is right and fair.

Determine a goal and set a plan for reaching it.

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Libertarian's Johnson criticizes Obama, Romney in Las Vegas visit

July 11, 2012 Updated Jul 11, 2012 at 7:42 PM CDT

PEORIA, Ill -- Chad Grimm is a Libertarian vying for the 92nd district seat and has encountered some trouble preventing him from getting on the November ballot.

He says a select group volunteering for the Democratic party helped him gather around 1,800 signatures to get on the November ballot.

Grimm says the problem is that the people who helped him, also gathered signatures for State Senator Dave Koehler during the primary election, which may be against the law during the same election cycle.

"I don't know their motivations behind doing this but I asked them very specifically in the beginning have they circulated for any other candidate and I was told no," said Grimm.

Another hearing is set for July 24th in front of Peoria city election officials.

At that time a decision is expected to be made whether Grimm will be on the ballot.

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Libertarian candidate having trouble getting on November ballot

Libertarians say they have an issue that's perfect for the 21st CenturyInternet freedom. And many of them are counting on libertarian hero Ron Paul and his son, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, to carry the theme into the future.

The two Pauls are expected to place their personal imprimatur on the Internet issue soon. Campaign for Liberty, a libertarian group supported by Ron Paul, has already issued a manifesto opposing more government regulation of the Internet. "Around the world, the real threat to Internet frreedom comes not from bad people or inefficient marketswe can and will always route around thembut from governments' foolish attempts to manage and control innovation," the Campaign for Liberty manifesto says.

[Read the U.S. News Debate: Should There Be an International Treaty on Cyberwarfare?]

The group also plans to continue pushing for auditing and eventually ending the Federal Reserve, which has for many years been a goal of Ron Paul, the GOP congressman from Texas who has been seeking the Republican presidential nomination this year.

The Internet issue is expected to be particularly popular among young people, who have been a big part of Ron Paul's grass-roots support system.

In a related development, Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, the former two-term governor of New Mexico, is asking supporters to demand that he be included in national presidential polls. This is part of his campaign to push his way into the presidential debates this fall. He needs 15 percent in a series of national polls in order for him to appear side by side with President Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney. A recent Gallup poll gave Johnson only 3 percent nationally; other surveys have excluded him from consideration.

Johnson says his philosophy is simple: he is "pro-choice with regard to everything."

Ken Walsh covers the White House and politics for U.S. News. He writes a daily blog, "Ken Walsh's Washington," and is the author of "The Presidency" column for the U.S. News Weekly. He can be reached at kwalsh@usnews.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

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Ron Paul Takes Up Internet Freedom

TAMPA Gary Johnson is still the longest of long shots to become president.

But now that the former two-term Republican governor is running as a Libertarian, he says success starts with just one number: 15.

If Johnson can snag 15 percent in national polls, the man known as New Mexico's "Governor Veto" can appear in debates alongside President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

So he took the somewhat strange step of urging a group of 30 people Friday in Ybor City to support him simply by calling polling companies.

"Just ask them to include my name," he said from the stage of Gaspar's Grotto.

Johnson's party affiliation has changed, but his positions haven't. As he describes it, he's "pro-choice with regard to everything."

What hurts his chances is that Americans really have become accustomed to just two choices for president. Libertarian Party candidates have surpassed 1 percent of the vote in national elections just once. If Johnson gets 5 percent of the vote in November, though, the party gets public funding in 2016.

Johnson's name was included in a Gallup poll, taken June 7 to 10, along with Obama, Romney and two other lesser-known candidates. He polled at 3 percent.

Johnson says "entrenched interests" are to blame for the dominance of the two-party system. Then there's the media, and particularly CNN, which he blames for arbitrarily shutting him out of GOP debates last year and cutting audio of an endorsement from independent politician Jesse Ventura. His supporters plan to protest at CNN's Atlanta headquarters this month.

For his third-party platform to survive, Johnson will need the grass roots people who are proud to tell their family and friends that they voted for someone out of the norm.

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Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson asks Tampa supporters to help him get on presidential polls

Republican-turned-Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson says his campaign comes down to one figure: 15.

If he gets 15 percent in the national polls, the two-time Republican governor of New Mexico can appear in debates alongside President Barack Obama and all-but-settled Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Without that, he said Friday inTampa, he's toast.

He encouraged the group of about 30 people -- some Libertarians, some Democrats, some just curious -- gathered for lunch at Gaspar'sGrotto in Ybor City to call national polling companies and push them to include his name in their samples.

"Just ask them to include my name," he said. "That does not seem like such an onerous request."

Johnson became the Libertarian nominee in May. He's polling anywhere between 6 percent and 15 percent in some states, he said.

"I am but a spokesman for the liberty movement," he said. "If I had a button it would be, I am pro-choice with regard to everything."

His campaign will target some states for commercials, but Florida won't be one of them, Johnson said. Too expensive.

He was eager to point out his differences with Romney and Obama. He does not and has never supported an individual mandate for health insurance, he wants to repeal the Patriot Act, and he wants to abolish the Internal Revenue Service, corporate tax, income tax and other holdings in favor of a fair tax, to name a few.

"The base themselves, neither one of them are very excited about their candidate,"said Alex Snitker, the Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010. "Gary's taking 'em from both sides."

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Libertarian prez candidate Gary Johnson in Tampa: Help me get on the polls!

FRANKFORT, Ky. A Libertarian is planning to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie in this falls general election in Kentuckys 2nd District.

Craig Astor, former chairman of the Larue County Republican Party, will make his candidacy official on Monday by filing the necessary paperwork in the secretary of states office.

The 49-year-old Astor, an ordained minister from Hodgenville, will also face Democratic nominee and perennial candidate David Williams in the Nov. 6 election. Williams has run unsuccessfully for a litany of offices over the years.

Astor campaign manager Ken Moellman said he believes this will be a good year for Libertarian candidates because of what he sees as dissatisfaction among voters with Republican and Democratic standard-bearers on the national level.

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Libertarian to enter 2nd District race