[Lnc-business] Fwd: RE: LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

Mon Sep 19 14:12:00 EDT 2016

I submit that 100% of any LNC donation would be spent on voter outreach,
whether it is radio buys, robo calls, or mailers…not on overhead etc.

Mr. Starr, Mark has met with a number of editorial boards, and has no need
for a PR firm to help make that happen.

Whitney Bilyeu

On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 12:38 PM, <starrcpa at gmail.com> wrote:

> Instead of Robocalls and other proposed uses of money, I am wondering if
> perhaps we can get more bang for the buck by paying a PR firm to arrange
> meetings (along with supporting collateral material) with editorial boards
> of other Texas newspapers.
>
> Aaron Starr
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Sep 19, 2016, at 9:48 AM, Whitney Bilyeu <whitneycb76 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Mark Miller has been endorsed by TWO of the largest newspapers in Texas,
> so far...Houston Chronicle and Dallas Morning News.  Links to those were
> included in Daniel's original e-mail, I believe.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 11:46 AM, Wes Benedict <wes.benedict at lp.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Robert says my recollection is 100% correct -- so now I'm 66.7% certain I
>> remember correctly : ). Aaron Starr's confirmation would make it 100%.
>>
>> Wes Benedict, Executive Director
>> Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
>> 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.benedict at lp.orgfacebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
>> Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
>>
>>
>>
>> -------- Forwarded Message --------
>> Subject: RE: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
>> Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2016 12:38:28 -0400
>> From: Robert Kraus <robert.kraus at lp.org> <robert.kraus at lp.org>
>> To: 'Wes Benedict' <wes.benedict at lp.org> <wes.benedict at lp.org>, 'Bob
>> Johnston' <bob.johnston at lp.org> <bob.johnston at lp.org>
>>
>> Your recollection is 100% correct.
>>
>>
>>
>> Live Free!
>>
>>
>>
>> *Robert*
>>
>>
>> Robert S. Kraus - Dir of Operations
>> Operations at LP.org
>> Libertarian National Committee
>> Ph: 202.333.0008 x 231
>>
>>
>>
>> Join today: https://www.lp.org/membership
>>
>> LP FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/libertarians
>> size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
>>
>> *From:* Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces at hq.lp.org
>> <lnc-business-bounces at hq.lp.org>] *On Behalf Of *Wes Benedict
>> *Sent:* Monday, September 19, 2016 12:16 PM
>> *To:* lnc-business at hq.lp.org
>> *Cc:* Bob Johnston
>> *Subject:* Re: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
>>
>>
>>
>> Perhaps Aaron Starr remembers, but I'm thinking the issue was that the
>> LNC would have had to file some campaign finance reports with the state of
>> Indiana, and you all decided that Aaron Starr and the LNCC would be
>> willing to handle the burden of that extra campaign finance reporting. I
>> don't think it was an issue of prohibitions on giving directly to Ed
>> Coleman--rather reporting hassles, but again, that's off the top of my head
>> and is about something from over 5 years ago.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wes Benedict, Executive Director
>>
>> Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
>>
>> 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
>>
>> (202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.benedict at lp.org
>>
>> facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
>>
>> Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
>>
>> On 9/19/2016 12:03 PM, Sam Goldstein wrote:
>>
>> If memory serves, when the LNC contributed money to Ed Coleman's campaign
>> for Indianapolis City-County Council, the money had to flow through the
>> LNCC since Ed want not a federal candidate.  I don't think the LNC can give
>> any money directly to the Miller campaign but it would be a good question
>> to pose to Paula Edwards.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sam
>>
>>
>> Sam Goldstein
>>
>> Libertarian National Committee
>>
>> Member at Large
>>
>> 8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
>>
>> Indianapolis IN 46260
>>
>> 317-850-0726 Phone
>>
>> 317-582-1773 Fax
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 11:59 AM, Wes Benedict <wes.benedict at lp.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Bob, if you're researching this, also be sure to check on any timing
>> issues, in other words are there restrictions or deadlines on when a
>> committee has to tell the Texas Ethics Commission they plan to spend money
>> on a candidate for the November 8, 2016 elections. It could vary whether
>> it's the state party or directly to the candidate, so that might affect
>> whether giving through LPTexas versus directly to the candidate.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wes Benedict, Executive Director
>>
>> Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
>>
>> 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
>>
>> (202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.benedict at lp.org
>>
>> facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
>>
>> Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
>>
>> On 9/19/2016 11:40 AM, Daniel Hayes wrote:
>>
>> Bob,
>>
>>
>>
>> Research fast please.  It would be good to get this up today.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Daniel Hayes
>>
>> LNC At Large Member
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
>> On Sep 19, 2016, at 10:35 AM, Bob Johnston <bob.johnston at lp.org> wrote:
>>
>> Daniel,
>>
>>
>>
>> I need to research how much the LNC can donate to a non-federal
>> candidate, and get back to you.
>>
>>
>>
>> My original thought was to donate the funds directly to the LPTX, which
>> is a federal filing party, and have them funnel the funds to the Miller
>> campaign.
>>
>>
>>
>> Bob
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> *From:* Daniel Hayes [mailto:danielehayes at icloud.com
>> <danielehayes at icloud.com>]
>> *Sent:* Monday, September 19, 2016 11:30 AM
>> *To:* lnc-business at hq.lp.org
>> *Cc:* bob.johnston at lp.org
>> *Subject:* Re: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
>>
>>
>>
>> Sam,
>>
>>
>>
>> I agree about the time.  I wanted to hit send on what I had written
>> already this morning before the hygienist started the cleaning.
>>
>>
>>
>>  I started writing this current email in the dentist chair, when he came
>> up and saw my Louisiana Libertarian shirt he said he liked it.  He's
>> currently independent but is going to be ReRegistering along with his
>> wife.  She apparently is former military and has been donating to the
>> Johnson campaign.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> But back on topic, before we put a motion out there, how much should we
>> commit?
>>
>>
>>
>>  Should we do two separate motions?  One to Mark's campaign and one to TX
>> LP with the understanding they donate to his campaign?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I have CCed Bob Johnston on here since apparently he and I are
>> psychically linked and both wrote Lauren at almost the same time and he
>> seems to have a better understanding of what we can do in TX than I do.
>>
>>
>>
>> Bob what are the limits that the NLP/LNC could donate to the Mark Miller
>> campaign?
>>
>>
>>
>> Daniel Hayes
>>
>> LNC At Large Member
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sep 19, 2016, at 9:43 AM, Sam Goldstein <goldsteinatlarge at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Daniel,
>>
>>
>>
>> I would co-sponsor a motion for a LNC contribution to Mark Miller's
>> campaign and/or a targeted contribution to the LPTX in
>>
>> his behalf based on the information provided above.
>>
>>
>>
>> However, you better write the motion and get it submitted for an email
>> ballot very quickly as time is running out on this
>>
>> election year.
>>
>>
>>
>> Live Free,
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sam Goldstein
>>
>> Libertarian National Committee
>>
>> Member at Large
>>
>> 8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
>>
>> Indianapolis IN 46260
>>
>> 317-850-0726 Phone
>>
>> 317-582-1773 Fax
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 10:11 AM, Daniel Hayes <danielehayes at icloud.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> Mr. Chairman and fellow LNC members,
>>
>>
>> We have been asked to make donations recently to certain campaigns.
>> Despite having more money to do so than in the past, we clearly don't have
>> the means, time or frankly, even the desire to donate to every person's
>> campaign that is running as a Libertarian.  We need to develop some
>> criteria to apply to the process to make it as fair and efficient as we
>> possibly can.    I think that there should be implications of the campaign
>> beyond just electing that one person to office.
>>
>>
>>
>> I intend to bring or support a motion for the NLP/LNC to donate funds to
>> Mark Miller's campaign for Railroad Commissioner in Texas.  What's at
>> stake is ballot access in Texas.  If they do not have a statewide
>> candidate achieve 5% in this election, they lose their current ballot
>> access and with the size of Texas, it will likely cost us multiple 6
>> figures getting it back.  At present Dr. Miller's campaign is the only one
>> that could be considered more than a paper candidacy.  As we had been
>> having discussions about which campaigns should the LNC be donating to, it
>> crossed my mind that Mark Miller's was exactly the sort we should be
>> lending assistance to.  It also occurred to me that we might be hearing a
>> little less about it than we might because his campaign manager is also our
>> Special Projects Director, Lauren Daugherty and I know she works very hard
>> to try and keep those roles separated.
>>
>> Making it brief, Mark Miller has raised significant money already, his
>> campaign stands to benefit the whole TX Affiliate and save it and the NLP a
>> LOT of money, he is highly qualified for the job,  he has gotten major
>> endorsements.
>>
>> With that in mind I reached out to Lauren yesterday.  Apparently, some
>> other people were having some of the same thoughts at the same time.
>> Here is Lauren's response to my inquiry.
>>
>> "
>>
>> Mark Miller is an exceptional candidate. He’s highly qualified for the
>> position he’s seeking and more qualified (by far) than his 3 opponents. If
>> he was elected, he would be well prepared to serve. He’s been a Libertarian
>> since the 1970s and is well versed on Libertarianism and able to
>> communicate Libertarian ideas well. And, he’s also a solid leader. He’s
>> well liked, kind, and personable. Rarely do we find candidates of any party
>> that are so well rounded.
>>
>>
>>
>> Mark’s race is the top of the ticket in Texas this cycle. The Texas
>> Railroad Commission is one of the most powerful agencies in Texas. It
>> regulates oil and gas and has nothing to do with railroads. In Texas,
>> oil & gas often trump property rights. It’s messy and outrageous and will
>> make any normal human being hopping mad if they look into it. Mark is
>> outspoken about protecting property rights.
>>
>>
>>
>> Mark has a PhD from Stanford in petroleum engineering and has spent over
>> 40 years in the industry. In contrast, none of his opponents have worked
>> one day in oil & gas.
>>
>>
>>
>> For the Libertarian Party of Texas to retain ballot access for 2018, we
>> need one statewide candidate to achieve 5% of the vote. This cycle, the
>> only statewide candidates on ballots in Texas are Railroad Commission
>> (Mark’s race) and judicial races. Almost all of our judicial candidates
>> this year are “paper candidates”. Mark is running the most active campaign,
>> by far.
>>
>>
>>
>> We started this campaign 1 and a half years ago, when I left employment
>> with LPTexas. We’ve raised over $70k so far and received 2 of the biggest
>> media endorsements in Libertarian history. I expect that we’ll break $100k
>> within the next 2 weeks. Mark is a full-time candidate. We anticipate that
>> he’ll very likely get more media endorsements over the coming weeks. He’s
>> talking with reporters almost daily and traveling extensively.
>>
>>
>>
>> We’ve just started robo calls to strategic areas and will have mailers
>> promoting our endorsements starting in the next few days. We are planning a
>> major radio buy that will flood the talk radio airwaves across Texas
>> with Mark’s name and info on his endorsements and the LP for 2 weeks before
>> early voting begins. This will cost $50k and we think this is critical to
>> achieving the 5% needed to ensure ballot access. We’ve raised approximately
>> $30k towards this so far and we expect to receive the final funding on that
>> within the next week.
>>
>>
>>
>> If we are unable to achieve the 5% needed to secure ballot access, it
>> will take approximately 80,000 verified signatures to regain ballot access.
>> I’m told we’d need to shoot for approximately 125,000 signatures or more to
>> make sure we have enough “good” signatures. In Texas, if someone votes
>> in a primary, they are not eligible to sign a ballot access petition and
>> this makes it more difficult. The signatures would have to be gathered
>> within a 75 day window. Experts tell me that this would likely cost between
>> $250,000 and $500,000.
>>
>>
>>
>> In my opinion, it is far better to spend money now, promoting an
>> exceptional candidate, rather than having to scramble to raise even more
>> money to regain ballot access in 2018 or 2020. I know the fundraising
>> situation in Texas better than anyone. If we lose ballot access, it will
>> likely be 2020 before we can afford to regain it.
>>
>>
>>
>> Mark is a candidate that makes us all extra proud to be Libertarians.
>> He’s highly qualified, and skilled communicator, and represents us very
>> well. He can walk into a room of people who are skeptical or even of the
>> Libertarian Party and when he walks out, they respect us and many support
>> us.
>>
>>
>> Here are our goals for Mark’s campaign: 1) achieve 5% (or far more!) of
>> the vote in order to retain ballot access for 2018; 2) grow the Libertarian
>> Party. Mark’s a team player. We are promoting Libertarians up and down the
>> ballot whenever we can."
>>
>> "
>>
>> If the LNC donates to Mark’s campaign, we’d use the money on radio buys,
>> and/or carefully targeted robo calls, and/or large postcard to strategic
>> areas, educating voters about the endorsements, Mark’s credentials, and the
>> LP.
>>
>>
>>
>> I think the max that the LNC could give Mark’s campaign directly, by law,
>> is $5k. My understanding, based on what Bob Johnston has told me, is that
>> if the LNC wanted to give more, they could donate it to LPTexas (which is
>> currently an FEC filing entity) with the understanding that LPTexas would
>> then donate the funds to the campaign. LPTexas receives directed donations
>> regularly and I don’t foresee any problem with working with them in this
>> way. One SLEC member said in the SLEC meeting yesterday that “Mark is our
>> shining star”. SLEC, the officers, and key players, all agree and I think
>> they’d be delighted to help in this way.
>>
>>
>>
>> Folks can read more about Mark here: miller4tx.com"
>>
>> "
>>
>>
>>
>> "Thank you for considering supporting his campaign. If anyone would like
>> to talk with me directly, they can call/text me at 931 249 9924 or email
>> me at lauren at miller4tx.com"
>>
>>
>>
>> Here are some links she sent to me also:
>>
>> http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/recommendations/arti
>> cle/For-the-RRC-9206271.php?t=76087424ea438d9cbb
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20160915-we-rec
>> ommend-mark-miller-for-texas-railroad-commissioner.ece
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Daniel Hayes
>> LNC At Large Member
>>
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> [Message clipped]
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