Running in Milwaukee’s fourth congressional district, a one-time Socialist Party stronghold and geographically, as well as historically, one of the country’s most favorable regions in terms of electing minor-party candidates to public office, IPR’s Andy Craig believes there’s a path to victory for his long-shot Libertarian candidacy in November.
“I’m running as a Libertarian candidate, because I think this country is desperately in need of more choices and more voices in Congress than just Republicans and Democrats, and I think we can make this the most viable campaign to place a Libertarian in Congress in 2016,” said Craig in a statement issued Sunday evening.
Appealing to anti-Trump Republicans, independents, and Brew City progressives, the latter of whom overwhelmingly supported Bernie Sanders in the state’s April 5th Democratic primary — a contest in which the independent Vermont senator thrashed frontrunner Hillary Clinton by more than thirteen percentage points — Craig believes he can put together a coalition of disaffected voters on both the right and left, as well as the vastly underrepresented middle, to upset uninspiring six-term Democratic congresswoman Gwen Moore in November.
It would be terrific if that would happen. It would be an astonishing breakthrough not only for the Libertarian Party, but for the cause of open politics nationally.
“Only a principled, pragmatic, and positive Libertarian message can win the votes of both fiscal conservatives and social liberals here in Milwaukee,” declared the young Libertarian activist.
Andy, who has been waging a fairly impressive campaign for the past fifteen months — a candidacy all the more remarkable considering that it has been conducted almost completely bereft of any real resources — has certainly demonstrated the kind of pluck and determination necessary to unseat an entrenched member of Congress.
Or at least give her the political scare of a lifetime.
He has also put out some really thoughtful statements and press releases since declaring his candidacy in January 2015. Hell, he even quoted the sagacious Adlai Stevenson at one point, which is something I can’t readily recall any Libertarian candidate ever doing in the past.
Now he just needs a little luck — and the support of those of us involved in third-party politics.
Lacking anything remotely resembling a campaign war chest at this stage — or at least a modest level of funding that might cause the smug and highly-partisan Democratic incumbent some sleepless nights this autumn — Andy needs some early and crucial financial help from his fellow Libertarians and other opponents of the duopoly to make that happen.
His entire statement can be read here.
The hair cut looks good but the goatee, not so much. Either straighten it or shave it off. My 2 cents.
My critique of the picture would be that the background distracts overmuch.
I don’t see anything wrong with Andy’s appearance in the photo. He looks a little edgy, but serious. That’s a good combination for a third party candidate, or any “outsider” candidate.
Best wishes on your campaign Andy!
Andy looks fine, Pierre. Actually, I thought that photo of Andy looked pretty cool. He reminds me of my nephew Kyle.
Andy’s black attire, moreover, is kind of striking, his haircut looks good and, given his relatively young age, the goatee sort of gives his appearance a little more cerebral heft, not that he needs it running against an intellectual lightweight like Gwen Moore, who — like most Hillary backers — is obviously suffering from some form of debilitating cognitive disorder, a kind of intellectual sclerosis. Most Democrats, incidentally, eventually develop that troubling condition, whereas the vast majority of Republicans are usually diagnosed with it at birth.
Go Andy!
I’m saying this the same way I would tell any of my friends running for office. I’m sure you’re a great guy, but before you move forward with your points, here’s what to do to “Win in Milwaukee”:
1) Lose the goatee
2) Get a more organized haircut
3) lost the black tie and the black shirt. Only a black jacket is enough.
If you run otherwise, you’ll be disqualified in the mind of voters the moment you start running and present yourself in literature. No ideology will make a difference.
That’s the sad state of US politics, but we need to get used to it in order to win.
Good luck 🙂
Andy Craig wrote: “I’m running as a Libertarian candidate, because I think this country is desperately in need of more choices and more voices in Congress than just Republicans and Democrats, and I think we can make this the most viable campaign to place a Libertarian in Congress in 2016,”
Best of luck in your campaign, Andy.
I’d just like to emphasize that what this country is ‘desperately in need of” is not ‘more’, but BETTER voices
in Congress. As my restaurateur uncle used to say, “it isn’t how many dishes are on the menu, but how well they are prepared!”
Bon appetit!