TAMPA About 80 delegates from some 50 counties, plus candidates, supporters and others, showed up for the Libertarian Partys state convention in Tampa on Saturday to hear the message that Libertarians are the states largest and fastest-growing non-establishment political party. <\/p>\n
Dana Cummings of Valrico, state Libertarian chairman, estimated the party has grown some 25 percent since 2012, when it had about 20,000 registered voters. The region including Hillsborough, Hernando, Pinellas and Pasco counties has the states biggest concentration of Libertarians, she said. <\/p>\n
In a news conference, half a dozen Libertarian candidates one each for governor and attorney general and two each for congressional and state House seats espoused a message of drastically smaller government and more individual liberty. <\/p>\n
They sharply distinguished themselves from the two major parties, saying theres no meaningful difference between Republicans and Democrats. <\/p>\n
Voters are increasingly aware of Libertarianism and no longer consider them merely a Republican who wants to smoke pot, said Adrian Wyllie of Palm Harbor, the partys candidate for governor. <\/p>\n
Lucas Overby, possibly the Tampa Bay areas best-known Libertarian since he ran in the Pinellas County special congressional election in March, said its particularly wrong to compare Libertarians with Republicans. <\/p>\n
Overby is running again. He said he votes more often for Democrats than Republicans, and believes he took more support away from Democrat Alex Sink in the March election than from Republican David Jolly. This time, with no Democratic candidate in the race, he said hes hoping for and getting some Democratic support. <\/p>\n
I have never found an area where a Republican candidate actually represented any of my views, said Overby, who described himself as strongly pro-choice and pro-gay rights and in favor of social justice. <\/p>\n
The economic concept of smaller government is a cute talking point, but when you never, ever implement it, I cant support that, he said of Republicans. <\/p>\n
The issue stances of the candidates suggest they have beliefs in common with various parts of the political spectrum. <\/p>\n
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Florida Libertarians rally in Tampa, stress common beliefs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TAMPA About 80 delegates from some 50 counties, plus candidates, supporters and others, showed up for the Libertarian Partys state convention in Tampa on Saturday to hear the message that Libertarians are the states largest and fastest-growing non-establishment political party. Dana Cummings of Valrico, state Libertarian chairman, estimated the party has grown some 25 percent since 2012, when it had about 20,000 registered voters. Continue reading