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By KEVIN LANDRIGAN New Hampshire Union Leader July 18. 2017 10:34PM State Senate District 16 special election When: Tuesday, July 25.

Where: The district includes Manchester Wards 1,2 and 12, and the towns of Bow, Candia, Dunbarton and Hooksett.

Who: Republican David Boutin of Hooksett, Democrat Kevin Cavanaugh of Manchester, and Libertarian Justin Dubrow of Dunbarton.

Since Novembers election, three members of the 400-member New Hampshire House of Representatives two Republicans and one Democrat have switched to become Libertarian.

I suspect we will see more Libertarian switches, said Dubrow, a 38-year-old computer engineer.

Libertarians won automatic status on the ballot by getting at least 4 percent of the vote in the race for U.S. Senate last fall.

Dubrow moved to New Hampshire from Massachusetts nearly 10 years ago but not as a follower of the Free State Project, a national call by the Libertarian Party for like-minded citizens to move here and make the Granite State a major political beachhead for the cause.

In his only other elective office experience, Dubrow ran as a Republican in a 2010 primary for state representative and lost.

He and his wife, Becky, have two daughters, Cassiopia, 6, and Callista, who is 15 months old.

Dubrow faces two better-known and more well-financed opponents in this State Senate District 16 race that voters will decide next Tuesday.

Republican nominee David Boutin held the seat for eight years but decided not to run in 2016. Manchester Ward 1 Alderman Kevin Cavanaugh is the Democratic nominee in District 16, which includes Manchester Wards 1, 2 and 12 along with the towns of Hooksett, Bow, Candia and Dunbarton.

Dubrow is best known among political activists as a gun rights supporter and he applauded the Republican-led Legislature last spring for making New Hampshire one of a small number of states that let people carry a concealed gun without a permit.

We finally passed constitutional carry that needed to be passed for many years, Dubrow said. We would have passed in 2010 if not for Senator Boutin back then.

At that time, Boutin served on a House-Senate conference committee trying to resolve differences between competing versions of the concealed carry bill, but negotiators failed to reach an agreement.

Some gun advocates blame Boutin for the collapse; Boutin insists he wanted to reach a deal and that pro-gun groups have given him good grades for his voting record on the issue.

Dubrow faulted lawmakers for passing a two-year state budget that increased spending from state revenues by nearly 10 percent.

I would definitely say that any increase in spending is bad. It was a lot more than I think it needed to be, Dubrow said.

Dubrow agrees with the Libertarian Partys support for abortion rights.

From a government point of view, I dont think it is the governments role to regulate them. From a personal point of view, I hope there comes a day when we dont need abortions, Dubrow said.

Dubrows views on drugs is consistent with the Libertarian Partys approach.

He believes New Hampshire should start reform by decriminalizing possession of all drugs.

If users are non-violent, they have a medical problem; they dont have a criminal problem, Dubrow began. Lets look at the cost of people losing their lives through criminal convictions. I believe decriminalization is a good step and legalization is a laudable long-term goal.

As for fighting the opioid epidemic, Dubrow said he believes lawmakers from all three parties would work together to expand access to drug treatment and more prevention programs.

On Northern Pass, Dubrow said he doesnt favor letting Eversource acquire private properties by eminent domain if lands are needed for right-of-way along the electricity transmission project.

We need to make sure there is no environmental impact from this project but we do have a serious problem with generation in New Hampshire, Dubrow said. We definitely need to look into whatever options we have to lower our high electric rates.

Dubrow said he converted his home energy use to solar four years ago.

Renewable energy has a place in the market but I dont support government mandates like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Dubrow said.

On health care reform, Dubrow said the federal Affordable Care Act is not sustainable and New Hampshire and other states should be able to pursue deregulation efforts on their own.

Dubrow said he likes the suggestion of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. to make sure all Americans have catastrophic care coverage, which can be much more affordable than the mandated set of benefits contained in Obamacare.

klandrigan@unionleader.com

State Government State

Link:
Dist. 16: Libertarian Senate candidate says his party is growing converts - The Union Leader

CEDAR RAPIDS The politics-as-usual approach to state government by Republicans and Democrats is unsustainable and hurting vulnerable Iowans, according to Jake Porter, a Libertarian who is joining the race for governor.

Were having this huge budget crisis, and I dont see other candidates proposing real changes, Porter said Tuesday.

Instead, Statehouse lawmakers and the governor are using the budget as a weapon, according to Porter, who will formally announce his candidacy on The Simon Conway Show on WHO Radio between 4 and 7 p.m. Thursday.

Theyve decided were having a budget crisis, so were going to cut the services people use most, whether its mental health services, sexual abuse hotlines, domestic abuse shelters (or) hearing aids for kids, Porter said.

Theyre not actually going after any of the waste that could easily be cut. Theyre going after the things that are going to hurt the most people, probably as an excuse to raise the sales tax next year.

Porter, 29, a Council Bluffs business consultant long active in the Libertarian Party, previously ran for secretary of state. He thinks his views and priorities are more closely aligned with voters than either the Democratic or Republican platform.

He wants to make medical cannabis available, restore voting rights for felons who have served their time, end corporate welfare, return Medicaid to its pre-privatization status and phase out the state sales tax.

He opposes corporate welfare on libertarian principles. Its wrong, Porter said, to ask Iowans to pay millions of dollars to financially sound corporations. He singled out the Research Activities Credit that refunds tax money to corporations even if they have no tax liability.

Theyve put the tax bill on the smallest Iowans and smallest companies, he said. I dont think the state should favor one business over another.

Porter called turning over Medicaid management to private companies an example of big government cronyism by former Gov. Terry Branstads administration. He would return management responsibility to the Department of Human Services and then make improvements.

The state has messed around for far too long while people who could benefit from medical cannabis have suffered, Porter said. While he would favor legalization of marijuana for recreational use, I dont think the Legislature is going to pass that.

Despite the changes the Legislature has made, current law makes it difficult, nearly impossible, for Iowans who need cannabidiol to get it, he said.

As a Libertarian, Porter said, he would have the advantage of being able to work with and around the major political parties by using the governors bully pulpit to open a dialogue with voters and pressure lawmakers to act on his priorities.

As governor, you can go around and talk about issues and you can pound the issues until (lawmakers) basically have to do something about it, he said.

Porter said his campaign website, jakeporter.org, will go live Thursday afternoon.

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Libertarian gubernatorial candidate calls for 'real changes ... - Quad City Times

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NorthJersey Published 4:42 p.m. ET July 18, 2017 | Updated 4:42 p.m. ET July 18, 2017

Peter Rohrman(Photo: Mitsu Yasukawa/ Staff Photographer)

Regarding Residents invite gubernatorial hopefuls (Page A4, July 14):

Is there any reason why this story did not mention the Libertarian Party candidate Peter Rohrman for governor, who is on the ballot, in your voting block article today? Is there a reason why the media continually give plenty of free press to the Democrat and Republican candidates and yet rarely mentions any other choices on the ballot? The Record should be informing readers about all the choices on the ballot for governor, not just those from the two parties that have created all of the problems our state currently faces?

Please provide information on the real choices for governor in New Jersey, not just the two disaster parties.

Mike Mazzeo

Waldwick, July 14

Read or Share this story: https://njersy.co/2vfSiXm

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Letter: Give Libertarian candidates more coverage - NorthJersey.com

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Thoreau Best Fits With Libertarian Ideas Wall Street Journal (subscription) Thoreau Best Fits With Libertarian Ideas. Crispin Sartwell notes that the traditional, left/right paradigm has no place for political philosopher Henry David Thoreau. July 18, 2017 12:17 p.m. ET. Save Article. Sign In to Save Subscribe to WSJ. Text ...

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Thoreau Best Fits With Libertarian Ideas - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Brian Early bearly@seacoastonline.com @briantemprano

DOVER Another Ward 1 resident has declared his candidacy to fill the state representative seat that was vacated last month with a resignation.

Brian Shields, an active member of the Libertarian Party, announced his intention to file for the special election as a Libertarian to fill the seat held by Isaac Epstein before he resigned last month.

Im looking forward to this election, Shields said in a statement. Ward 1 hasnt had a real choice for a representative in quite a few years. I am ready to get out there, shake some hands, meet new people and talk about what the people of Dover need from their representation in Concord.

Shields said he became inspired to run for the seat from the passion of the three elected members of House of Representatives who recently switched to the Libertarian Party. Shields was the communication director for the House Libertarian Caucus.

How can you not want to be a part of legislation that will change lives for the better? Shields said in a press release. The ability to vote on bills that will give people more choice in how to live their lives, save them from higher taxes, and protect their civil liberties? Who doesnt want to be a part of that?

Shields, 37, is currently a student at Southern New Hampshire University working to obtain a communications degree. He also works as an in-store representative for News America Marketing and is a member of the membership committee for the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire and is the vice chair Libertarian Party of Seacoast New Hampshire, a local LPNH affiliate covering Rockingham and Strafford counties. The state's Libertarian Party achieved ballot access in 2016 when gubernatorial candidate Max Abramson achieved more than 4 percent of the total vote.

Shields joins Casey Conley, who announced his intention to run for the seat as a Democrat.

Dover City Manager Michael Joyal said in an email on Monday that the City Council will vote a resolution next week to petition the governor and executive council to hold a special election in the fall to fill the vacancy. With the approval of the governor and council, Joyal said the filing dates for interested candidates would be between Aug. 7-11. If there is more a primary is needed, a primary will occur on Oct. 3, and the general election will then occur on Nov. 21. If not, the general election will be held on Oct. 3, he said.

Ward 1 is comprised part of downtown north of the Cocheco River and runs north to Glendale Avenue and east to the Rollinsford border. It includes neighborhoods off Broadway, Central Avenue and Sixth Street.

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Brian Shields announces run for state rep seat - Foster's Daily Democrat