The Libertarian Party of Oregon is a political party representing the national Libertarian Party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is organized as a minor party for state election law, and recognized by the Oregon as a statewide nominating party.
It was organized in 1971 as one of the first state affiliates of the newly established national Libertarian Party which nominated Oregon party member Theodora Nathan as its vice presidential candidate at the 1972 convention. Affiliated local committees have been organized in 13 of Oregon's counties. The party ranks fourth in size behind the state's two major parties, Republican and Democratic and the Independent Party of Oregon at 0.8% of Oregon's affiliated registered voters as of 2004.
Membership
History
- 1972
- Theodora Nathalia Nathan, the party's nominee for Vice President of the United States, earns the first electoral vote ever cast for a woman.
- 1998
- Richard Burke ran for Governor in a seven way race and finished third with 2% of the vote. Bruce Knight ran for US House of Representatives district 3 in a three way race, finishing second with 10%.
- 2000
- Mitch Shults ran for State Treasurer, received the endorsement of the Salem Statesman Journal and got 4% of the vote in a five way race.
- 2002
- 20 Libertarian candidates ran for office, 14 of those for the Oregon Legislative Assembly. The Libertarian candidate for Governor of Oregon that year, Tom Cox, garnered 5% of the vote.
- 2004
- The number of Oregon Libertarian candidates rose to 32, nearly half of them recent converts to the party, according to Richard Burke, state executive director.
- 2006
- Libertarian Richard Morley ran for Governor, in the party's only run for statewide office. The party fielded candidate Drake Davis in Oregon's 1st congressional district, and had candidates in 13 state legislative campaigns. None of the party's candidates was elected.
- 2008
- Michael Jingozian runs for president. Although he doesn't win the nomination, Michael wins election as vice chair of the Libertarian National Committee.
Organization
The party is governed by a State Committee consisting of statewide party officers and delegates from each organized Affiliated County Party (ACP). A convention is held annually at which the statewide officers, who serve one-year terms, are elected. The convention may serve as a nominating convention during election years.
State chair history
- Present - Wes Wagner
- 2010-2012 - Jeff Weston
- 2008-2010 - Joseph Cornwell
- 2008 - H. Joe Tabor
- 2007-2008 - Wes Wagner
- 2007 - Don Smith
- 2007 - Alfredo Torrejon
- 2004-2007 - Adam Mayer
- 2003-2004 - Tom Cox
- 2001-2003 - Mitch Shults
- 1999-2001 - Adam Mayer
- 1998-1999 - Bruce Knight
- 1996-1998 - Kristopher Barrett
- 1996 - Tom Cox
- 1996 - Daniel Wilson
- 1995-1996 - Michael Wilson
- 1994-1995 - Richard Burke
Controversy
In 1996 former Chairperson Richard Burke led an attempt to impact the outcome of the race for Oregon's first congressional district seat by not running a Libertarian candidate after the Libertarian candidate had been credited with throwing the previous race to the Democrat. Proponents of this strategy believed that as the proposed Libertarian nominee had not raised sufficient money or built a sufficient campaign organization to run a significant campaign, the Libertarian platform would be more effectively advanced by the Republican candidate who had spent time building a relationship with the Oregon Libertarian Party. Other Libertarians thought the strategy to be tantamount to a "sell out", and an intense controversy ensued. The Libertarian candidate, Richard Johnson, narrowly won the nomination. The incumbent Democrat, Elizabeth Furse, was re-elected that fall.
Wes Wagner, Libertarian Party of Clackamas County vice-chair, sued the party and its officers in December 2006. Wagner's suit alleged that the party did not obey its own bylaws with regards to its fiduciary obligations while running up a five-figure debt to Richard Burke. The case was dismissed in Washington County Court, though it was rumored it was pending appeal, for quite some time.
See Also
- Pacific Green Party
References
External links
- Official web site: www.lporegon.org or www.lporegon.net