From the Associated Press by way of Ballot Access News:
GARY D. ROBERTSON (AP)
RALEIGH (AP) — By literally running while running for office, Barbara Howe may have the race for best hook of North Carolina’s political season sewn up.
The Libertarian candidate for governor has jogged in 5-kilometer increments through more than 90 of North Carolina’s 100 counties as part of her campaign since kicking it off in May. The 59-year-old Oxford resident often contacts local media or stops by a diner or visitors’ center to connect with voters. There, she shares her party’s philosophy of a limited government that stays out of people’s business.
“You can learn a lot by just listening,” Howe said. “Almost all people want the same thing. They want to live their lives, they want to be able to provide for their families, they want to be able to educate their children, they want to enjoy their free time, and they don’t want a lot of meddlesome rules and regulations telling them what to do.”
She’s run around the political block a few times, too. In her fourth bid for statewide office, Howe understands her lack of funds compared to Democratic nominee Walter Dalton and Republican Pat McCrory. She’s irritated by being left out of live television debates, so the public doesn’t have as much familiarity with her and her party.
It means Howe and other Libertarians are focused upon her getting at least 2 percent of the vote. The threshold is critical: Without it or a strong showing by Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, state election officials will have to decertify the party. That means having to collect 100,000 signatures of registered voters by 2016 to return to the ballot — an expensive endeavor.