Posted on 08/18/2003 1:37:45 PM PDT by freepatriot32
Three Libertarian candidates will be on the ballot in California's upcoming special gubernatorial election -- including the president of a national chain of discount cigarette stores who is running on a platform of "smoker's rights."
According to the list released by the California secretary of state on August 14, Ned Roscoe, Jack Hickey, and Ken Hamidi have qualified to appear on the October 7 ballot under the Libertarian Party banner.
Each one submitted signatures from at least 65 registered Libertarians, or paid a $3,500 filing fee, or some combination of the two.
The Libertarian candidates will appear on a crowded ballot with 132 other contenders, including actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, State Senator Tom McClintock, former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, columnist Arianna Huffington, businessman and former gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon, and lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante.
Also running -- although considered to be less serious -- are sumo wrestler Kurt "Tachikaze" Rightmeyer, Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, former child actor Gary Coleman, Los Angeles billboard model Angelyne, and watermelon-smashing comedian Gallagher.
In all, 50 Democrats, 42 Republicans, and 32 independents qualified -- as well as four Green Party, two Natural Law Party, one American Independent Party, and one Peace and Freedom Party candidates.
Another 112 would-be gubernatorial candidates filed to run, but failed to make the ballot because of insufficient signatures or incomplete paperwork.
The two-part ballot will allow California voters to first decide if they wish to recall Democratic Governor Gray Davis, and then, if Davis is recalled, will allow them to select his replacement.
The Libertarian candidate with the potential to run the highest-visibility campaign appears to be Ned Roscoe, 42, the president of the Cigarettes Cheaper chain of stores.
Cigarettes Cheaper, which has been called the "nation's leading specialty retailer" of discount tobacco products, owns about 600 stores in 21 states. In 2001, the privately held company had estimated sales of about $750 million.
Roscoe is the son of the company's CEO, John Roscoe. He has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Chicago (1982).
Cigarettes Cheaper has attracted attention for the political messages -- usually libertarian in nature -- that it prints on its shopping bags. They were collected into a book entitled Bagatorial that Roscoe co-authored with Robert LeFevre.
In his campaign for governor, Roscoe said he will try to win votes from California's 4 million smokers.
"I want to be a candidate for governor so that smokers will get more power," he told the Fairfield Daily Republic. "And if I can get just half of them to vote for a smokers' candidate, that just might be enough to win."
According to Roscoe's campaign literature, "About 20% of California adults smoke cigarettes. That means 4,000,000 Californians over the age of 18 smoke cigarettes. If half of those people vote, and if half of those voters vote with us, that's enough votes to carry the election."
Even if he doesn't actually win, Roscoe said that if he earns enough votes, he will "send a powerful message to the lawmakers."
"I believe we have three ways to win in this," Roscoe told the Palm Beach Desert Sun. "The first is to get the most votes and become governor. The second is to get someone else to adopt the platform. And the third is to demonstrate enough political power for smokers that the politicians start to treat them with respect."
The campaign will be broader than just smoking rights, said Roscoe. According to his campaign literature, it will also focus on:
* "No New Taxes! The state has plenty of ways to take money from the people. Current [tax] rates are too high."
* "No New Stupid Laws! California enacts more than a thousand new laws every year. There are more laws already than anyone can obey. Politicians spend too much time trying to design the perfect California."
* "Get the Work Done! You've heard people say, ‘That's OK for government work.' Citizens pay a lot for government -- and should be well served."
Roscoe said he will use Cigarettes Cheaper stores as his campaign headquarters, and expects to spend only $5,000 to $10,000 on his campaign. Instead, he will rely on media attention, word-of-mouth, and proselytizing in the Cigarettes Cheaper stores, he said.
Since the average customer spends about 45 seconds making a purchase, that will mean plenty of time for him and campaign volunteers to ask for votes, he said.
Roscoe has already hit the campaign trail, with stops in Palm Desert and Porterville in mid-August.
The campaign will not accept contributions, said Roscoe.
In an unusual move, Cigarettes Cheaper vice president Jeremy Chapman had planned to run for governor as a Democrat, and run on the same "smoker's rights" platform as Roscoe.
However, Chapman had not registered as a Democrat at least three months before the election as required by state law, and was disqualified from running.
Chapman and Roscoe had planned to run under the informal umbrella of the "Smoker's Party," which is not a recognized political party in the state.
Roscoe has past experience in politics: In 1998, he led the campaign against Proposition 10, which was passed by voters and imposed a 50-cent tax on every pack of cigarettes.
In 2000, he backed Proposition 28, an initiative to repeal the new cigarette tax. The California LP endorsed the proposition, and then-State Chair Mark Hinkle said, "We congratulate Ned Roscoe for leading this effort and we look forward to a campaign to repeal a tax that should never have passed in the first place."
However, Proposition 28 was rejected by California residents, winning only 28% of the vote -- about 1.3 million votes.
For information about Roscoe's campaign, visit: www.smokersparty.com.
Also on the gubernatorial ballot will be Libertarian Jack Hickey, 69, a retired research scientist and Navy veteran from Redwood City who serves on the Sequoia Healthcare District board. He was elected to that post in November 2002.
If elected governor, Hickey said he would abolish "unnecessary agencies" and dissolve special district boards, including the healthcare district board he sits on.
He also said he would offer property-tax credits to pay for educational expenses, and said he supports the death penalty and opposes abortion.
Hickey has run for office as a Libertarian before, including a bid for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board.
The third Libertarian candidate is Ken Hamidi, 51, of Sacramento. His campaign website says, "Due to the short filing notice, Hamidi is registered Libertarian but considers himself Independent."
Hamidi, who was born in Iran and moved to the USA in 1978, was an engineer for Intel Corporation before being laid off several years ago. He was later taken to court by the company over whether he could legally send mass e-mailings complaining about the company to thousands of Intel employees.
In addition to the three Libertarians who qualified, six other Libertarians took out papers to run for governor, but did not file the paperwork on time or were rejected by the secretary of state. They will not appear on the ballot.
The migrant fruitpickers unions will never allow him to win ;-)
Do you support smoking bans in private establishments?
Socialism, being the defining characteristic of democrats, is diametrically opposed to what libertarians believe and promote.
Can you and those you vote for say the same?
I voted Libertarian in the last election, 'cause no Republican ran against my congress critter.
I think many FReepers agree with SOME of the LP platform, but good grief, for the most part they are whack jobs.
Yes we are, and I don't remeber the Libertarian's name either. LOL...
Yes, there is one candidate for the American Independent Party (AIP), which is the CA affiliate of the Constitition party. Most of Diane Beall Templin's ideas sound pretty good to me (except her ideas on long prison terms), but I prefer Tom McClintock, who is endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus, since he has more of a chance of winning. He's got some libertarian leanings like being for smaller government and more personal freedom. The AIP candidate, Templin, has a website, too, with her policy positions:
http://www.votefordiane.org/
...
Restore California to a Constitutional Republic with a Balanced Budget...
Diane Beall Templin on...Abortion:
"God hates the shedding of innocent blood." [2 Kings 24:4] "I believe in the sanctity of human life including the life of the unborn and don't believe that taxpayers should have to pay for elective abortions." [See Abortion Statement]
Gay Rights:
"I do not believe that 'gays' should be persecuted but should not be entitled to any special privileges. California has adopted domestic partnership laws for gays and Seniors."
Gun Control:
"The Second Amendment of the Constitution provides that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. What part of 'shall not infringe' do the legislators not understand?"
Immigration:
"We can't afford to provide benefits and service to illegals....[Let's m]ake our borders more secure with National Guard, and patrol the California coastline."
American Independent Party of California Platform
"I will govern according to the principles embodied in the platform of the American Independent Party of California." [See Platform]
Candidate Statement
I support Biblical and Constitutional Principles of Life, Liberty and Property. I have worked for Crime Prevention by teaching my own daughter, now 27, right from wrong, hugs not drugs, and provided emergency shelter care for 67 foster children, and 3 pregnant girls. My experience includes practicing law for 26 years, founding Advocate's Legal Services, working with the Liberty Amendment Committee and National Justice Foundation. I support Restitution and Rehabilitation as alternatives to long-term incarceration. Our Rights are our Might, Our Votes are our Voice. We are Accountable to Make the Right Choice!
Education: B.S. in social welfare, State University of New York, Buffalo, 1969. J.D., State University of New York, Buffalo, 1973.Facts related to other parts of same article (so that I didn't copy too much): she is 56 years old, is a lawyer and a broker for real estate, lives in Escondido in San Diego County, is not married anymore, and has one daughter.
The American Independent Party is the "California affiliate" of the Constitution Party.
Previously, the American Independent Party was a national party (founded by George Wallace in 1968). In the 1970s it split apart, and there are now several American Parties floating out. In the 1980s, the California American Independent Party was the "California affliate" of the Populist Party, then the U.S. Taxpayer's Party, and now the Constitution Party.
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