[Lnc-business] Fwd: Request received from Michelle Darnell

Mon Oct 2 13:15:09 EDT 2017

Hi Michelle,

	Glad to learn of your campaign for Washington state senate, which I agree sounds potentially significant – although as you acknowledge, remains a long shot to close the vote gap. Thank you for running, and to you and your campaign members for the work that you are putting in to advance the libertarian cause! As an LNC member seeking to be a responsible custodian of our party's funds, I have a few questions and thoughts in response to your letter forwarded by Caryn Ann Harlos below. 

	Your description of the primary election is a bit confusing. I know Washington (like California where I live) has the cartel-protecting "top two" system in place. Am I right in guessing you are saying that you got the most votes of any candidate in a multi-party primary, including a Republican who got 15% and whose votes you expect to receive, while several Democrats or other left-leaning candidates including the Democrat you're now facing on the general election ballot, split 59% of the vote among them? How much did your current opponent receive, and have there been any polls on the race since?

	 The link to the "MadStatist" site and having "taxation is theft" t-shirts for sale somewhat ameliorate my concerns about things like your expressed commitment to "fully fund" education (I hope you are referring to voluntary funding!) and your statement, "I’m not a radical looking to get rid of all regulation or privatize everything", but the few issues discussed on your site don't shed a great deal of light on your politics, and I'm curious to hear a bit more about your views. If you've taken the Nolan Chart quiz, how do you score? Disagree with anything in the party platform? What was the house bill you helped kill in 2015? How and when did you come to libertarianism, and what is your history of involvement in the Libertarian Party and/or with the larger freedom movement?

	Candidates who make it into office, especially a significant office like state legislature, typically face significant pressures and incentives to "go along to get along", "bite your tongue", "pick your fights", "save your political capital", and so on, ad nauseum. We were burned last year when a Libertarian candidate we backed in Nevada ended up selling out the cause by casting a decisive vote in favor of an expensive sports stadium subsidy. Have you considered the pressures you are likely to face if you win, and how you will resist those pressures to abandon or water-down your pro-freedom beliefs or positions on various issues? How strong is your commitment, if elected, to stick your neck out for freedom and the Non-Aggression Principle even when they are unpopular? Have you made, or are you willing to reassure your libertarian base by making specific, radical promises or pledges from which it will be difficult to later back away? If elected, how will you seek to leverage the power of your position to help the Libertarian Party and the freedom movement? 

	Obviously the LP lacks the deep pockets of the statist cartel parties, thus we must ensure that we – both the party and the larger cause of freedom – get as much bang as possible from our limited bucks. To what can you point as evidence that you will spend any funding you might receive from the LNC frugally and with an eye toward helping liberty's future prospects and not merely the outcome of your race?

	Thanks again for running on the LP ticket and speaking out to help make people in Washington and (indirectly) everywhere freer, and I look forward to hearing back from you when you get a chance.

Love & Liberty,

                                    ((( starchild )))
At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
                         RealReform at earthlink.net
                                 (415) 625-FREE
                                  @StarchildSF

P.S. – I noticed a minor typo while checking out your website (which looks good overall). On the page https://www.michelle4washington.org/safe-affordable-community , this sentence is missing a word or few (perhaps "take possession of"):
I have felt the anger as I watched banks homes from our neighbors and throw them out on the street.

P.P.S. – I posted an endorsement on your endorsements page – nice to see you've been able to secure the backing of some prominent current and former officials, hope you didn't promise them anything.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Caryn Ann Harlos <carynannharlos at gmail.com>
> Date: October 2, 2017 4:45:56 AM GMT-08:00
> To: Libertarian National Committee list <lnc-business at hq.lp.org>
> Subject: [Lnc-business] Request received from Michelle Darnell
> Reply-To: lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> 
> Love to hear thoughts and suggestions- passed along to HQ-
> 
> Hello Caryn Ann,
> 
> Thank you for reaching out.  I am in need of some urgent air support. I am so incredibly busy now, it is difficult even to have time to make the connections to call for help or even raise money. 
> 
> I have quite a few volunteers: about 80 people helping in various capacities, but I have had challenges filling leadership positions for lack of money and the fact people are so busy they don't like to commit to the bigger roles. So I am pretty much directing all elements of the campaign and it is a challenge WHILE being the candidate for a campaign this large. It is very hard. 
> 
> That said, I feel the campaign is going fairly well. I won the primary, which was rather historic, with 26%.  My primary opponent earned 15%.  This means if I pick up his votes (and I think I will)  that puts me at 41%.  This is still a large gap but it is possible!  What happens in the next couple of weeks is critical.  We have a mail in ballot so ballots are mailed October 20th for the November 7th election. 
> 
> Why should my race get immediate national exposure and assistance?  Because if  WE pull this off, the Libertarian party effectively controls the Washington State Senate. Our Senate is currently tied-I would be the tie breaking vote.  If the Senate is won over by the Democrats, the house Governor and the Senate would all be Democrat and WA would likely see a wave of new taxes and regulations including an income tax.  
> 
> Further, I would be the first Libertarian elected to the WA State Legislature.  AND I HAVE WORKED EXTREMELY HARD FOR NEARLY A DECADE TO GET HERE. So much so that I am very nearly worn out.  
> 
> 
> I am the firewall here in Washington, I am worn out and I need help now. If WE pull this off, we will have done what people tell me is impossible!. 
> 
> I need three things:
> 
> 1)Increased exposure online and here in my district.  I need Libertarians online to help me make this campaign go viral. I have a website at michelle4washington.org.  They can grab pages and content and help push it by reposting. We also have photos and videos.  If they want to create their own cool stuff like grab a LP video, article or pic and then maybe reference me, that would be great. 
> 
> 2) Doorbellers and phone bankers- we need help reaching voters. I district IS libertarian when we look at the data. I just cant seem to reach them fast enough. I do have pretty good name recognition but people are not understanding what a libertarian really is. So we have to reach them with the message. 
> 
> 3) Money for a series of commercials to carpet bomb the district- I need $5k to $10k to run some tv commercials. We already have one created and need to purchase airtime. It actually does not cost as much as people think. $5k-$10k would be HUGE!  I ran ads last cycle and people still tell me they remember, as /i door bell this cycle. We just need more.  
> 
> See my recent mention in our local media: (there are others on my website)
> 
> http://www.kirklandreporter.com/news/state-legislature-candidates-square-off-at-debate-in-redmond/
> 
> I have been invited to a mini-debate with my opponent on King -5 News  and I expect others to follow.
> 
> The point is I am working extremely hard, is my entire team. But we need national support.  When I see both major parties dumb .5 million on one race over in the 45th (a stones throw from me) and hear about the Democrats busing in doorbellers from around the state, and then see out own candidates struggle for basic support, it can be disheartening. The ROI on a Libertarian campaign could be enormous. We work hard and are used to working with meager resources. 
> 
> I am asking that for the next 4 weeks, the LP concentrate resources here on Washington and we see what happens. If we do not win, we have spread the message. If we do win, we have made history and it will help every single Libertarian candidate from here on out, including our beloved Larry Sharpe. 
> 
> I would also ask for support for my good friend and fellow Patriot Paul Addis www.addis4kent.com running for Kent City council. He has a real shot an if I were not running myself, I would put my bets on his race. He is hardworking, sincere and one of the most generous, wise men I have ever met. 
> 
> So please bring on some air support!!   Lets state the LP flag in the ground here!
> 
>  
> BE the change,
> Michelle Darnell
> 
> Michelle4Washington
> 360-720-6899
> 830 Kirkland Way #203 
> Kirkland WA 98033
> michelle4washington at gmail.com
> -- 
> In Liberty,
> Caryn Ann Harlos
> Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Harlos at LP.org
> Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
> Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee
> 
> A haiku to the Statement of Principles:
> We defend your rights
> And oppose the use of force
> Taxation is theft
> 
> 
> 
> 
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