Category Archives: Independents and third parties

Poll: Libertarian Harrington trails Cotton, 49-38

Independents and third parties, Politics, U.S. Congress
Ricky Harrington speaks at a campaign event in Little Rock Aug. 28.

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Libertarian candidate Ricky Harrington trails U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, 49-38%, according to a poll commissioned by the Harrington campaign.

Thirteen percent were undecided. The poll of 600 likely voters by American Research Group conducted late last week had a margin of error of plus-minus 4%, the Harrington campaign said.

Harrington is Cotton’s sole challenger because the only Democratic to file, Josh Mahony, dropped out of the race hours after the filing period closed. An independent candidate, Dan Whitfield, tried without success to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

He’s picking up the protest vote that would have gone to Mahony or another Democrat.

Harrington reported raising $5,120.49 as of June 30 in his most recent filing report with the Federal Election Commission. Howington said there has been a significant increase in donations in the last few weeks.

Cotton, meanwhile, had raised almost $10 million, including transfers from other committees, and had $6 million on hand as of June 30.

Harrington’s press secretary, Andy Howington, said, “We are hopeful for an ‘October Surprise’ as more people are introduced to Mr. Harrington’s campaign in these last few weeks. The uncertainty in this race, coupled with the results of this poll, provide us a vision for a path to victory. We will work hard to court these undecided voters, and maybe even take some from Senator Cotton in the process. No one expected us to be here.”

Howington pointed to the FiveThirtyEight website, which predicted Cotton would win with 82.1% of the vote. It gives Cotton a greater than 99% chance of winning based on a model that simulates the election 40,000 times.

A debate between the candidates by Arkansas PBS is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, but only Harrington is scheduled to appear. Arkansas PBS will livestream Harrington’s appearance here and here.  It will air it at 7 p.m.

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A third option for president visits Arkansas

Are there other choices? Actually 11

A third option for president visits Arkansas

Independents and third parties
Jo Jorgensen is the Libertarian presidential candidate.

By Steve Brawner
© 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Arkansas received a visit Aug. 28 from a presidential candidate named Jo.

That’s not a typo. It wasn’t the Democratic former vice president, but instead it was Dr. Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian candidate, who spoke in Little Rock at the First Security Amphitheater alongside the Arkansas River.

Her visit attracted what the campaign said was just under 200 people, which is pretty good for a third party candidate. The event looked professional with signs, paid staff members and an appeal for campaign donations. Her next stop was to be Alaska.

If you’re looking for something different than the major parties’ two old guys – well, she’d be different. The 63-year-old Clemson University professor doesn’t merely advocate cutting government spending, but getting rid of most of the government completely over time. Continue reading A third option for president visits Arkansas →

Virus is messing with this election, too

Elections, Independents and third parties

March 31, 2020

By Steve Brawner
© 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

We’re experiencing first and foremost a public health crisis and also very much an economic one. Secondarily, but not irrelevantly, the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is also messing up this election year, as Daniel Whitfield and others know too well.

Whitfield, 33, is trying to mount an independent U.S. Senate campaign, which is never easy under any circumstance but is nearly impossible under the present one.

Independent Senate candidates have between Feb. 1 and noon May 1 to submit at least 10,000 valid registered voter signatures. Because so many of those will be disqualified, he must collect many more. His initial goal was 17,500.

Whitfield last year laid the campaign’s groundwork and amassed volunteers. Two months into his three-month signature collection effort, he says he has about 4,500 signatures in hand.

But, married to a wife with asthma, he’s self-quarantined at home and unable to attend the events that would help him collect more. Continue reading Virus is messing with this election, too →

Another Senate candidate – maybe

Elections, Independents and third parties, Politics, U.S. Congress
Ricky Harrington is the Libertarian nominee for Senate.

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Sen. Tom Cotton has another opponent as of Saturday – maybe.

The Libertarian Party of Arkansas held its convention that day and nominated Ricky Harrington, 34, of Pine Bluff to run against Cotton and the only announced Democrat, Josh Mahony.

Libertarians support very limited government. They are to the right of Republicans on tax and spending issues. They are to the left of many Democrats on some other issues, such as opposing the drug war and the use of force in general.

Prison reform is one of Harrington’s biggest concerns. An employee of the prison system, he supports reducing the size of Arkansas’ inmate population, particularly with respect to nonviolent offenders. During a brief interview, he said he supports abolishing the Department of Homeland Security, repealing the Patriot Act, ending “endless” wars, and protecting gun rights.

He says he was inspired to enter the race by several events, including this year’s passage of Act 164. (More on that subject in a few paragraphs.) The Harding University graduate was working as a missionary in China in 2016 and was dismayed by what he saw happening in the U.S. presidential campaign. He’s African American, and when he returned to Arkansas, he said he was stopped by police for driving 35 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone. That was a frustrating moment for someone who had just spent two years in a communist country. Continue reading Another Senate candidate – maybe →