By Donna Gundle-Krieg, 1st Congressional District Representative
Link to December 2018 Michigan Libertarian
Arcadia, MI – A few Libertarians in northern Michigan fared well in the most recent election, considering that the party just recently started establishing affiliates in the area. In particular, Manistee County had two Libertarian candidates who ran respectable two-way races, and a candidate in Cheboygan County also ran a strong race.
Robert Clark, who ran for Arcadia Township Supervisor, came in second in a two-way race with a Republican, earning 47.2% (218 votes). This is the highest percentage ever for a Libertarian Party candidate in the history of Michigan! Clark is a local successful builder and entrepreneur whose family has lived in the area for generations, He attended the fall Libertarian Candidate Forum and told the audience he was “just a regular guy.” He was approached by local community leaders who asked him to run, and felt that the Libertarian philosophy was the closest to his own.
Another Manistee County resident, David Holmer, received 26.3% of the vote in a race for Manistee County Commissioner.
I was happy with the turnout, as it was my first campaign. I learned a lot and had the support of many people,
said David, a Veteran and author. David attributes his success to his door-to-door campaign, as he got to know many residents personally and talk to them one-on-one about their concerns.
Holmer is also very involved in his community and was recently named Political Director of the Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party. His goal is to run as many candidates as possible in the next election.
Finally, Dana Carver of Cheboygan County garnered 30.9% in her race for Onaway County Commissioner. Dana is the Vice-Chair of the Straits Area Libertarian Party. Her passion and community involvement “on the front lines” helped lead her to an impressive finish.
People listen when Dana speaks out on issues such as cutting government spending, stopping police brutality, legalizing marijuana, and protecting gun ownership rights.
Libertarians Needed to Run in Future Races
The Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party recently met in Cadillac to develop bylaws, and applied and were approved to become an official affiliate of the Libertarian Party of Michigan.
Now that Libertarians in Northwest Michigan are established, we are already looking for candidates to run in future elections. The plan is to run as many candidates as possible at county and local levels.
The Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party covers the counties of Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, and Missaukee Counties. The bylaws were also written to permit people from adjacent counties who do not have a group to join. For more information, go to http://nwmichiganlibertarians.org .
