On Monday morning, Janel Holmes, the Political Director of the Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts, one of two Libertarian party organizations competing in the Bay State, filed her candidacy for the hotly-contested Worcester and Hampshire Senate District. Her entry marks her as the first emerging party candidate to join the race formally and the first such candidate to contest the district since redistricting.
Holmes joins a competitive field that features several Republicans, including current State Representative Peter Durant, and at least one Democrat. The race aims to fill the recently vacated Worcester and Hampshire District, which became open when former Democratic State Senator Anne Gobi stepped down to accept a cabinet position in the Healy administration.
Holmes’ candidacy is also the first legislative campaign undertaken by members of the Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts since its formation. Several statewide Libertarian Party candidates appeared on the ballot during the 2022 election cycle, including as a gubernatorial ticket; however, they were all associated with the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts.
Moreover, her campaign could potentially provide a valuable opportunity for the Worcester-based organization to test its strength at the ballot box in its backyard. The district spans two cities and over a dozen towns and is locally regarded as one of several regions in Massachusetts where conservatives and Republicans can competitively engage in the typical one-party political atmosphere.
Early last year, the Massachusetts Libertarians underwent a formal split following an internal dispute that led members from both factions to seek recognition from the Libertarian National Committee. The dispute began in late 2021 with a code of conduct that some members believed aimed to stifle dissenting speech. As time passed, tensions escalated, leading to the expulsion of 47 members and the emergence of multiple state conventions competing for legitimacy. Eventually, this division led to the establishment of two competing State Committees, each claiming to be the successor of the original organization.
Both Libertarian organizations continue to assert their legitimacy in Massachusetts, with the Unified Libertarians being recognized by the Libertarian National Committee, and the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts holding recognition from the Massachusetts Government. Furthermore, the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts has since disaffiliated with the LNC and reaffiliated with the Association of Liberty State Parties.
The Libertarian Party has been recognized in Massachusetts as a formal party organization since 2022 when members of the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts secured enough support in the election to clear the 3% party recognition threshold. Before that, it was a more loosely-defined political designation.
For Holmes, that means that to appear on the general election ballot, she must qualify for and win a primary election. To do that, she must first collect at least 300 certified signatures from registered Libertarians or unenrolled voters. Furthermore, the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts cannot prevent her from or interfere with her running as a Libertarian. Candidates in the special election have until August 29 to submit signatures and petition paperwork.
They do not need to gather the 10,000 signatures that would elsewise be needed. However, to elect the Party State Committee, not to be confused with the executive committee of the state association, they still need 50 signatures per candidate, it being the Presidential Primary that also elects the state committee. The Party State Committee can choose the electors and candidate, but signatures were needed to elect them. If the Association while it is still acting as the state committee…before the state committee elections are finalized…chooses electors and a candidate, the Secretary of the Commonwealth will accept the choices. (This has been done, but that time there was no elected state committee to contest the choice.) The relevant state laws don’t handle well the current situation.
What are her views? The left wing or right wing of libertarianism?
George, doesn’t the faction recognized by the Massachusetts Secretary of State have the ability to place a presidential ticket on the ballot without that ticket gathering petition signatures?
Neither. It doesn’t work that way here. There is a separate Libertarian Party of Massachusetts State Committee, currently under the control of the people who run LAMA, the ALSP-affiliated group.
Which faction is currently recognized by the state for having major party status?
Readers should recognize that getting on the ballot as a Massachusetts Libertarian, while the party has major-party status, is extremely challenging. There are few Libertarian-enrolled voters. In general, independent voters are not interested in political acts such as signing nominating papers. If you stand at a supermarket or the like to collect signatures, the validity rate of your signatures will typically be 30%.