2008 Libertarian National Convention
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2019) |
2008 presidential election | |
Convention | |
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Date(s) | May 22–26, 2008 |
City | Denver,Colorado |
Venue | Sheraton Hotel |
Chair | Bill Redpath |
Notable speakers | Dr. Mary Ruwart |
Candidates | |
Presidential nominee | Bob BarrofGeorgia |
Vice presidential nominee | Wayne Allyn RootofNevada |
Other candidates | Mary RuwartofTexas Mike GravelofAlaska Steve Kubby ofCalifornia,activist George Phillies ofMassachusetts |
2008 U.S. presidential election | |
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Democratic Party | |
Republican Party | |
Minor parties | |
Related races | |
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The2008 Libertarian National Conventionwas held from May 22 to May 26, 2008, at theSheraton Hotel(formerly theAdam's Mark Hotel)[1]inDenver, Colorado.The delegates at the convention, on behalf of theU.S. Libertarian Party,nominatedBob BarrforpresidentandWayne Allyn Rootforvice presidentin the2008 presidential election.The convention was televised nationally onC-SPAN.[2]
Libertarians hold anational conventionevery two years to vote on party bylaws, platform and resolutions and elect national party officers and a judicial committee. Every four years it nominatespresidential and vice presidential candidates.[3]
The theme of this convention wasA Better Choice for America.[4]
Two non-binding primariespreceded the convention.
Platform
[edit]In 2006 the self-styled Libertarian Party "reformers" at the National Convention inPortland, Oregontook out 46 platform planks detailing party positions, leaving just fifteen. In 2008 more "radical" libertarians attempted to restore that platform. They did not succeed, but they narrowly prevented the reformers from softening the language of thenon-aggression principlein the party's “Statement of Principles”.[5]The revised platform did replace the plank onsecession,[6]deleted in 2006, with a definition ofself-determinationdrawn from theDeclaration of Independence:"Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty."[7]
Presidential candidates
[edit]Libertarian Party presidential candidates, 2008 | ||||
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Candidate | Home state | Profession | Campaign | |
Bob Barr | Georgia | Member of theU.S. House of RepresentativesfromGeorgia's7th district (1995–2003) |
(Campaign•Positions•Website) | |
Mike Gravel | Alaska | U.S. Senatorfrom Alaska (1969–1981) |
(Campaign•Positions•Website) | |
Daniel Imperato | Florida | Businessman | ||
Mike Jingozian | Oregon | Software developer | ||
Steve Kubby | California | Libertarian activist | (Campaign) | |
Robert Milnes | New Jersey | Activist | ||
George Phillies | Massachusetts | Professor of Physics atWorcester Polytechnic Institute | ||
Wayne Allyn Root | Nevada | Businessman, media personality, author, TV producer | (Campaign) | |
Mary Ruwart | Texas | Retired biomedical researcher; Libertarian speaker, writer, and activist | (Campaign) | |
Christine Smith | Colorado | Humanitarian activist, and writer |
Voting for presidential nomination
[edit]First ballot
[edit]After the first round, six of the eight candidates running moved on to the second round of voting. Mike Jingozian and Christine Smith were both eliminated due to their small percentage of votes. Jingozian endorsed former Senator Mike Gravel, and Smith presented a speech attacking Bob Barr after the results were announced.
Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | ||||||||||||
Bob Barr | 153 | 24.3% | ||||||||||||
Mary Ruwart | 152 | 24.1% | ||||||||||||
Wayne Allyn Root | 123 | 19.5% | ||||||||||||
Mike Gravel | 71 | 11.3% | ||||||||||||
George Phillies | 49 | 7.8% | ||||||||||||
Steve Kubby | 41 | 6.5% | ||||||||||||
Mike Jingozian | 23 | 3.7% | ||||||||||||
Christine Smith | 6 | 1.0% | ||||||||||||
Ron Paul(write-in) | 6 | 1.0% | ||||||||||||
Penn Jillette(write-in) | 3 | 0.5% | ||||||||||||
NOTA | 2 | 0.3% | ||||||||||||
Daniel Imperato(write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | ||||||||||||
Stephen Colbert(write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | ||||||||||||
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Second ballot
[edit]After the second round, five of the six candidates running moved on to the third ballot. Steve Kubby, after receiving only 5% of the total vote, dropped out of the race and endorsed Dr. Mary Ruwart.
Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | |||||||||||
Bob Barr | 188 | 29.8% | |||||||||||
Mary Ruwart | 162 | 25.7% | |||||||||||
Wayne Allyn Root | 138 | 21.9% | |||||||||||
Mike Gravel | 73 | 11.6% | |||||||||||
George Phillies | 36 | 5.7% | |||||||||||
Steve Kubby | 32 | 5.1% | |||||||||||
NOTA | 1 | 0.2% | |||||||||||
Stephen Colbert(write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | |||||||||||
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Third ballot
[edit]After the third round of voting, four of the five remaining candidates moved on to the fourth ballot. Dr. George Phillies was eliminated after receiving approximately 5% of the vote.
Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | |||||||||
Bob Barr | 186 | 29.6% | |||||||||
Mary Ruwart | 186 | 29.6% | |||||||||
Wayne Allyn Root | 146 | 23.3% | |||||||||
Mike Gravel | 78 | 12.4% | |||||||||
George Phillies | 31 | 4.9% | |||||||||
Ron Paul(write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | |||||||||
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Fourth ballot
[edit]After the fourth vote, three of the four candidates went on to the fifth round of voting. Fmr. Sen. Mike Gravel was eliminated after not getting a sufficient number of votes, and subsequently announced that his political career was over.
Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | ||||||||
Bob Barr | 202 | 32.0% | ||||||||
Mary Ruwart | 202 | 32.0% | ||||||||
Wayne Allyn Root | 149 | 23.6% | ||||||||
Mike Gravel | 76 | 12.0% | ||||||||
NOTA | 3 | 0.5% | ||||||||
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Fifth ballot
[edit]After the fifth ballot, the final two of three candidates continued on to the sixth ballot. Wayne Allyn Root was therefore eliminated, and after the vote, he made a speech endorsing Barr and stating that he would like to be Barr's candidate for vice-president. Barr and Root then stated that they would run together.
Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | ||||||||
Mary Ruwart | 229 | 36.8% | ||||||||
Bob Barr | 223 | 35.8% | ||||||||
Wayne Allyn Root | 165 | 26.5% | ||||||||
NOTA | 6 | 1.0% | ||||||||
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Sixth ballot
[edit]With only Barr and Ruwart remaining on the ballot, Barr received 324 votes to Ruwart's 276 and 26NOTA.Barr thus won the nomination with 51.8% of the final vote.[8]
Ruwart made a concession speech following the announcement of the results with her campaign staff on the stage.
Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | |||||||
Bob Barr | 324 | 51.8% | |||||||
Mary Ruwart | 276 | 44.1% | |||||||
NOTA | 26 | 4.2% | |||||||
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Voting for vice presidential nomination
[edit]A separate vote was held for the vice presidential nomination. Presidential nominee Barr endorsed Root, while presidential runner-up Ruwart endorsed Kubby.
First ballot
[edit]After the first ballot, three of the six active candidates running moved on to the second ballot.
Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | |||||||||
Wayne Allyn Root | 269 | 47.7% | |||||||||
Steve Kubby | 209 | 37.1% | |||||||||
Daniel Williams | 40 | 7.1% | |||||||||
Jim Burns | 27 | 4.8% | |||||||||
Gail Lightfoot | 14 | 2.5% | |||||||||
NOTA | 2 | 0.4% | |||||||||
Mike Ferguson(write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | |||||||||
Mary Ruwart(write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | |||||||||
Leonard Schwartz | 1 | 0.2% | |||||||||
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Second ballot
[edit]After the second ballot, Wayne Allyn Root was nominated as the vice presidential candidate, prevailing by a difference of 30 votes over Steve Kubby, and 279 votes over Daniel Williams.
Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | ||||||||
Wayne Allyn Root | 289 | 51.0% | ||||||||
Steve Kubby | 259 | 45.7% | ||||||||
Daniel Williams | 10 | 1.8% | ||||||||
NOTA | 6 | 1.1% | ||||||||
Unknown Richard (write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | ||||||||
Mike Ferguson(write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | ||||||||
Mary Ruwart(write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | ||||||||
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See also
[edit]- 2008 United States third-party presidential candidates
- Libertarian Party of Colorado
- Other 2008 American political conventions
References
[edit]- ^Richard L. Johnson."Starwood to Re-brand and Renovate Former Adams Mark Hotels as Sheraton Dallas Hotel and Sheraton Denver Hotel / February 2008".Hotel-online.Retrieved2012-06-27.
- ^"Database Error".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-06-04.Retrieved2008-05-26.
- ^"Libertarian Party Bylaws".Lp.org. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-06-05.Retrieved2012-06-27.
- ^LibertyWillWin(cited 12 February 2016).
- ^David Weigel,Who Isn't Trying to Take Over the Libertarian Party? Scenes from the LP's most newsworthy convention in years,Reason Magazine,May 23, 2008; Matt Simon,Libertarians Nominate Ex-Republican Barr,Huffington Post,May 26, 2008.
- ^"2004 Libertarian Party Platform".Lpedia.org.2012-05-06.Retrieved2012-06-27.
- ^National Platform of the Libertarian PartyArchivedMay 28, 2008, at theWayback Machine,Adopted in Convention, May 2008, Denver, Colorado.
- ^"Press Releases: Presidential and VP Vote Totals – Updated Live!".LP.org. 2008-05-25. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-05-28.Retrieved2008-05-25.
External links
[edit]- Official convention websiteat theWayback Machine(archived July 30, 2008)
- LP News(January 2007)
- Official convention guideat theWayback Machine(archived 2008-05-20)
- "Freedom Freaks"published byThe New Republic