Lily Tang Williams, a former Libertarian Party state chair and past Libertarian candidate from Colorado, won the Republican primary in New Hampshire’s second congressional district on Tuesday, leading a field of thirteen candidates.
Election results published by the New York Times show Williams leading the pack with a plurality of votes. As of Wednesday, she garnered nearly 22,000 votes, representing just over 35% of the total cast. Her closest competitors, Vikram Mansharamani and Bill Hamlen, earned 27% and 16% of the vote, respectively. No other candidate earned more than five percent. A full list of results is available below:
| Candidate Name | Vote Total | Vote Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Lily Tang Williams | 21,972 | 35.8% |
| Vikram Mansharamani | 16,551 | 27.0% |
| Bill Hamlen | 9,809 | 16.0% |
| Paul Wagner | 2,324 | 3.8% |
| Casey Crane | 2,045 | 3.3% |
| Randall Clark | 1,865 | 3.0% |
| William Harvey | 1,781 | 2.9% |
| Jay Mercer | 1,572 | 2.6% |
| Jason Riddle | 869 | 1.4% |
| Robert D’Arcy | 703 | 1.1% |
| Michael Callis | 632 | 1.0% |
| Tom Alciere | 628 | 1.0% |
| Gerard Beloin | 552 | 0.9% |
| Write-in/Other votes | * | * |
In response to Williams’ primary victory, the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire praised her on social media, noting her past showing as a candidate with the Libertarian Party in Colorado and stating that Libertarians who want to win should take note of her success. The party also called her showing a “tremendous opportunity to send a second libertarian to Congress.”
The party later added, “If you’re so dedicated to the Libertarian Party that you’re upset this amazing woman is winning now that she’s a Republican, we don’t want you.”
According to her site, Williams was born in Sichuan province, China, and grew up during Mao Zedong’s ten-year Cultural Revolution. As a student, she discovered the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence, which fueled her interest in individual rights. Williams later became an assistant law professor at Fudan University in Shanghai before moving to the United States for graduate studies, where she has remained.
While living in Colorado, Williams ran for office twice and served as chair of the state’s Libertarian Party from 2015 to 2016. That same year, she ran for the U.S. Senate as the Libertarian nominee and became the first Libertarian in Colorado to participate in a televised debate alongside the Republican and Democratic candidates. Williams eventually moved to New Hampshire in 2019 as part of the Free State Project, which seeks to consolidate libertarians in the state to increase their electoral and cultural presence. Tuesday’s primary was her second bid for office in New Hampshire as a Republican.
@ ?Darryl: Thanks for the update. I have not followed his career, just remembered his name and looked him up on ourcampaigns.com
Backspacing. Backpacking might actually be preferable to the current stasis. Outdoor air is healthier.
Thanks. I didn’t care enough to do a search, just trying to help discussion. And taking the opportunity to point out yet again that what is or isn’t libertarian is very much a contested issue. I’m sure he probably has rationales for why he thinks those positions are less statist than they’re counter. *their. I don’t feel like backpacking.
Lily Tang Williams might be more in tune with northern NH, but they probably have nonpolitical reasons for living in the more populated part of the state. Although, I’m pretty sure she could have run in the other district anyway, but. Not living there would probably have made the campaign much less serious.
Southern NH has too much Mass spillover these days. Vermont was topsy turvied by the socialist version of the (un)free state in the 1960s and 70s and has thus remained – New York is to vt as mass is to nh – but northern NH and northern Maine still retain much of their longstanding freedom orientation.
On the other hand, freedom orientation also goes hand in hand with bucking outsider takeover for ideological reasons, despite the counterexample of Vermont.
Maybe it’s just that socialists are much better at actually doing takeovers, whereas libertarians fantasize but then trip over their own shoelaces too much to be effective at it.
@unimportant:
a simple google search could have answered your question about why he was expelled form the LP or why he resigned as a state rep.
Alciere was expelled from the LP because of his “history of advocating violence” and “refused to take a pledge against violence as a means of obtaining political objectives.” (Alciere was also arrested in 2009 for a misdemeanor assault on a 12-year-old female neighbor.) https://reason.com/2018/07/13/candidate-kicked-out-of-new-hampshire-li/
He’s advocated an outright ban on tobacco; very strongly hints that LGBT people should have fewer rights (https://tomalciere.us/civil_rights.html); and has repeatedly called into talk radio programs with other outlandish ideas.
“Some statist views” is woefully nonspecific. Everyone has some views which at least some people consider statist/unlibertarian. What views or actions prompted expulsion? I don’t really care, but if you’re going to discuss it, please provide enough information for it to be something more than a tautology such as “holds some statist views.” To take just one example, if you take any position on the legality of abortion, at least some people will calm your view statist or unlibertarian. If you take no position, it’s probably the same. There are endless other such Gordian knots which make libertarians a black hole of ideology and political activity.
@Gene
Alciere was expelled from the LP in the 90s. He holds some statist views and has big incel energy, but considers himself a libertarian.
Another point of trivia: Tom Alciere, who came in second to last, first ran for the New Hampshire legislature as a Libertarian in 1992:https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=687427
In 2000, he was elected to the legislature as a Republican for a single term. Not sure how libertarian he is.
Mr Alciere supported Ron Paul in the Republican primary in 2008.
“Now she has a realistic chance of winning in the general election.”
@Andy CD-2 leans Dem. She’ll be lucky to get within 5% of winning.
Lily Tang Williams winning the Republican primary for US House is a good thing. Now she has a realistic chance of winning in the general election. Principles and character are more important than party label.
“Mansharamani […] repeatedly demanded […] Williams […] say if she thought the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump […] Mansharamani said Democrat Joe Biden had won the election.”
Looks like that backfire for him. As it should have.
“I was not very happy about the deficit. Of course covid did not help.”
The hottest of takes only…
“he did so many things.”
Not really. Not useful things at least. He talked the talk and it got him elected, twice even and soon thrice, but when push came to shove he never walked the walk.
“He stood up against China,”
Not nearly enough. His response to the Hong Kong protests, for example, was nothing but hot air. Really, the only thing he stood up against the PRC over was US trade.
“he promoted world peace,”
Nope. He did sweet f/a about nazi “Ukraine” repeatedly violating the Minsk agreements during his first term, while the US and its allies continued to back them. And he is continuing to make pro-banderite and anti-Russian noises, even during yesterday’s debate.
“he did justice reform,”
Like what? He appointed three RINOs to the supreme court with less than half a spine between them. And he blamed the fascist 2020 Floyd insurrection on anarchists and libertarians.
“they still go after him, try to bankrupt him, jail him, and now assassinate him.”
Indeed, and unfair though that is, he has done nothing to earn himself any sympathy over it either.
In CD-1, former Libertarian Max Abramson received 2,189 votes for 3.29%, finishing 6th of 7 candidates.
She had to kiss the ring, of course.
“Second Congressional District Republican candidate Vikram Mansharamani of Lincoln repeatedly demanded primary rival Lily Tang Williams of Weare to say if she thought the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump during a feisty debate Wednesday night at New England College.
Both Hanover investor Bill Hanlem and Mansharamani said Democrat Joe Biden had won the election. … Lily Tang Williams … said she still has questions about whether President Donald Trump lost his bid for re-election in 2020.”
https://www.unionleader.com/williams-said-she-still-has-questions-about-2020-election/image_35247e4a-6b31-11ef-8be2-0b3b70dbf646.html
Asked to name a specific policy she disagreed with Trump on, and why, Tang said “I agree most of his policies. I was not very happy about the deficit. Of course covid did not help. But, he did so many things. He stood up against China, he promoted world peace, he did justice reform, and they still go after him, try to bankrupt him, jail him, and now assassinate him.”
https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-republicans-cd2-debate-trump/62074573