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

Mon Sep 19 15:34:05 EDT 2016

Whitney or Lauren,

Are there any Texas campaign finance laws that would prevent the LNC from
giving money either directly to the MIller
Campaign or to the LPTX on his behalf?

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 3:29 PM, Whitney Bilyeu <whitneycb76 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> With regard to polls...  Media outlets don't typically poll for this race,
> since it has never really been a close race to watch.  Mark's campaign has
> looked into paying for polling, but experts are reporting that it would be
> more costly than it is worth, given the size of TX and the possibility that
> our results would fall within the margin of error.
>
> One important thing to remember is that this race is for Texas Railroad
> Commission....which is exactly why no one pays attention to it
> (historically).  No one cares about the Railroad.  **However, this
> Commission has nothing to do with the railroad, and EVERYTHING to do with
> Oil & Gas (and uranium).  Mark's campaign has been instrumental in finally
> bringing this to the attention of voters in Texas.  Any additional support
> would expand his reach, and bring this deceptively named commission out of
> the shadows - making the election of its commissioners an important matter
> in the future - opening the door to even greater success for a Libertarian
> candidate.
>
> With regard to a fund-matching option...the campaign is currently engaged
> in such an effort, and has been very thorough in their fundraising so far.
> Considering that a matching project is currently underway, it would seem
> that making the LNC donation a matching option, as well, would only be
> productive if the LP provided donor info for potential donors outside Texas.
>
> Whitney Bilyeu
>
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 1:32 PM, <starrcpa at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> "How do we intelligently gauge the likelihood that spending only this
>> much money in the manner suggested will move the needle in a state the size
>> of Texas? Are we trying to dilute a dirty lake with a glass of clean water?"
>>
>>
>> Aaron Starr
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Sep 19, 2016, at 11:12 AM, Whitney Bilyeu <whitneycb76 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> 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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>>
>>
>
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