The Libertarian Party of Texas held its state convention last weekend to nominate candidates, revise the platform, and hear speakers.
Joining state Republicans and Democrats in the spotlight this weekend, Texas Libertarians gathered Saturday in Austin to announce their own bold aspirations.
Libertarian delegates selected Kathie Glass , a 56-year-old attorney from Houston, to run against Republican Gov. Rick Perry and Democratic nominee Bill White for the governor’s seat in November.
“In a three-way race, more than 33 percent takes it. We can do this,” Glass told attendees. “A chance like this does not come around very often and may not come around again in our lifetimes.”
Glass beat her opponent, 58-year-old businessman Jeff Daiell , also of Houston, with 73 percent of the vote. Five candidates had applied for the nomination; two of them withdrew and one failed to show at the convention.
Glass promised the “most high-profile, most vigorous” campaign that a Libertarian has ever run in Texas.
About 200 people attended the convention, held at the Holiday Inn Austin Midtown , said Robert Butler, executive director of the Libertarian Party of Texas.
Candidates handed out pocket-size copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as vendors sold bumper stickers proclaiming, “OK, joke’s over. Bring back the Constitution” and “The Federal Reserve: Looting the U.S. Since 1913.”
The Libertarian Party of Texas, which brands itself as fiscally conservative and socially tolerant, has met with limited success by advocating smaller government, greater fiscal responsibility and more personal liberties.
Nine Texas Libertarians hold elected office — all on the local level. But because a Libertarian candidate secured more than 5 percent of the vote in a statewide election in November 2008, the 160 Libertarian candidates running for office this year will automatically be included on the November ballot.
Humorist and country musician Kinky Friedman delivered a keynote address Saturday, arriving at the convention chewing on a cigar and sporting his signature studded cowboy hat. In the past, Friedman has run for public office as both a Democrat and a Republican, and campaigned as the independent candidate for governor in 2006. This year, he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for agriculture commissioner shortly after he dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Nevertheless, Friedman’s loyalties were with neither the Democrats nor the Republicans on Saturday, as he told convention-goers that he had “great Libertarian sympathies.”
“I really think the Democrats and the Republicans have become the same guy, admiring themselves in the mirror,” Friedman said. “Rick Perry and Bill White — it’s like the lesser of two boll weevils. This is the classic choice between paper or plastic. I think the day has come for the Libertarians.”
The Libertarian Party of Texas is one of the most active state affiliates in the national Libertarian Party. As of January of this year, 193 candidates had filed for office in Texas as Libertarians, though some of those faced primaries against each other.
Cathie Glass appears to be a strong candidate with good ideas, however, her entry into the race for governor of Texas will insure the victory to Liberal Democrat, Bill White. She knows she cannot draw votes from the Democrats. Her votes will come from Republicans and Independents who feel that Perry is not conservative enough…thus dividing that constituency and insuring that Texas will be run by liberals. She and all Libertarians should strive to infiltrate and change the Republican Party…or forever be relegated to being the “spoiler ” and guaranteeing that Liberal Dfemocrats will be in charge.
She could get into viability numbers (15%) if she works hard!
Prop 14 Supporter,
Daiell sent us press releases, that is why he got more coverage. Had Glass sent more press releases or been in the news at all, we would’ve covered her. We’ll cover her plenty now.
If I remember correctly, Daiell got more coverage here in the past, probably because he actually commented here. So was Glass’s victory against him a surprise?
http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/coverage-of-texas-libertarian-state-convention
IMHO, a political convention is successful ONLY if media shows up.
Clearly, the TX LP did a fantastic job in that regard!
PEACE
Kathie Glass: you can see right through her!
That’s what will happen if she even gets close.
thank you AroundtheblockAFT,
we need to better than the Democans and the Republicrats, not just as bad ……….
Sure, a little hyperbole gets the delegates on their feet cheering, but to say you think you can get 1/3 of the vote? I hope those funding the campaigns in Texas concentrate resources on the best chances in the local races and not on
Dona Quixhote.
Sorry, don’t get the inside baseball on Medina.
I think she will, but does anyone know if she has a website up?
She’ll get nowhere near the votes Medina did.
Glass is also the neo-Debra Medina in this year’s gubernatorial race. Medina’s apparatus, or at least elements of it, is behind Glass and is running the campaign. This could be a very interesting fall.
If the Green Party candidate for governor is eligible to run with their entire slate, then it’ll be a four-way race and the odds of a four-way debate are decreased.
If Glass raises the profile and money Medina did, or at least half of it, she might be a factor.