Craig Bowden
http://younglibertarians4america.org:
I suppose that I should introduce myself, since many of you may not know who I am. My name is Craig Bowden, and I have been a member of the Libertarian Party for the last few years. I am a father of five, and married to a wonderful woman, Elizabeth. I am a business owner, board member of two non-profit organizations, and an advocate for liberty in all that I do.
In 2014, I ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Utah for the Libertarian Party. You could say that I take liberty very seriously. Instead of just talking about it, I put my money where my mouth is, and while I didn’t win the election, I was able to set a few records in Utah. I was also the highest polling federal candidate out of those who chose to run third party. The records I was able to set made a statement, because Utah’s 1st Congressional District is listed as the most Republican in the United States, so any gains here by a third party are huge.
So why is Young Libertarians for America here today? This project began in a group on Facebook I am a member of called Libertarians Opposing LINOs (acronym for Libertarian in Name Only). We were having a discussion about the groups Students for Liberty and Young Americans for Liberty throwing around the term libertarian in regards to Republican candidates and representatives, but not supporting Libertarian candidates in their efforts. The rhetoric used by the organizations are largely in line with libertarian principles, but the candidates they support are not.
Someone made a comment about needing a group that truly showcased libertarian principles and philosophies while also supporting libertarian candidates that weren’t the watered down versions offered by the Republican or Democrat parties. This sparked the idea in my head, and so we are now here today.
I worked hard getting the necessary paperwork in order for this to be a legitimate venture, literally getting it done within 24 hours, and we are very hopeful to start growing out and eventually having state and local chapters throughout the United States to help show young generations of voters that there is a real clear choice, and they won’t find it in the current two party system.
I am also hopeful that we will be able to grow into a strong voice to assist candidates and voters in the make up of elections in the future. We are planning to do a convention sometime in the not-to-distant future, offering speakers to rally around the growing need for freedom and individual liberty.
I look forward to working with everyone on this project, and hope to see liberty rise in our nation.