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SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 2017, 2:42 P.M.

Mark Wicks, standing, addresses Montana Libertarians gathering for their party's nominating convention in Helena, Mont., on Saturday, March 11, 2017. Wicks will represent the Libertarian Party in the May 25 special election to fill the state's vacant congressional seat. (Bobby Caina Calvan / AP)

HELENA Montanas Libertarian Party picked Mark Wicks to be its candidate in the May 25 special election, finalizing the slate to fill the states vacant congressional seat.

The 46-year-old cattle rancher and writer from Inverness will be up against Democrat Rob Quist, a political newcomer, and Republican Greg Gianforte, who unsuccessfully ran for governor last fall.

The Libertarian Party selected Wicks during a nominating convention Saturday in Helena attended by about three dozen people.

Wicks acknowledged the long odds against him.

I know its an uphill battle, he said. I can see where I have a lot of advantages. My party is not fighting with anybody. The other parties are fighting back and forth. Im going to stand up and show that Montana can send somebody back to Washington who can stand up for Montana.

After being nominated, Wicks brushed off questions about his ability to mount a serious campaign. He said he would travel the state to convince voters that his candidacy represents an opportunity to set aside the hyper-partisanship in Washington.

With just $1,000 in the bank, Wicks has little chance of getting the necessary attention from voters across the expansive state.

He said he would draw votes from Republicans and Democrats alike, but rejected that he would act as a spoiler.

He took a jab at Gianforte, a wealthy Bozeman entrepreneur, who Wicks noted has the ability to self-finance his congressional campaign as he did in his bid for governor. And Wicks asserted Quist as out of touch with the philosophical and political convictions of most Montanans.

A tight race between Gianforte and Quist could put Wicks in a position to influence the outcome of the race.

In the 2016 gubernatorial campaign, the Libertarian ticket drew 3 percent of the vote just below the 4 percent margin separating Gianforte and Gov. Steve Bullock, who was re-elected with slightly more than half of all votes cast.

Each candidate has their own ideas about the direction we should take for our country, but Gregs running for Congress to be on Montanas side, said the Republicans spokesman, Shane Scanlon.

Quist said he welcomed Wicks in the race.

Its good for Montanans to have choices in this election and we are confident that Rob Quist will earn Montanans vote as an independent voice for Montana, said Quists spokeswoman, Tina Olechowski.

Quist, a well-known entertainer, stumped for votes in Helena and Butte on Saturday and was scheduled to hold a rally in Polson later in the evening. He was expected to meet with supporters in Whitefish on Monday.

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Libertarians pick Inverness rancher for congressional race - The Spokesman-Review

The Liberty Conservative

HL Mecken: Pro-German Rather Than Libertarian The Liberty Conservative Conservatives today claim him for his libertarian opposition to the New Deal, his fierce commitment to civil liberties, and his denouncement of collectivism in all forms. Liberals adopt him for his attacks on Christian fundamentalism, his faith in ...

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HL Mecken: Pro-German Rather Than Libertarian - The Liberty Conservative

United Nations humanitarian chief Stephen OBrien declared that the world is facing its greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945.

With more than 20 million people facing starvation and famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen, OBrien is pleading for help in order to avoid catastrophe.

Without a global humanitarian effort,it is likely that people will simply starve to death, and that many more will suffer and die from disease.

In his statement to the UN Security Council on Friday, OBrien called for a collective global effort to provide aid to the people involved. Below is an excerpt of that statement:

We stand at a critical point in history. Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations. Now, more than 20 million people across four countries face starvation and famine. Without collective and coordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death. Many more will suffer and die from disease. Children stunted and out of school. Livelihoods, futures and hope will be lost. Communities resilience rapidly wilting away. Development gains reversed. Many will be displaced and will continue to move in search for survival, creating ever more instability across entire regions.

Each country listed above suffers from very different circumstances.

In Yemen, according to BBC, a majority of 14.1 million people are facing famine while the country is simultaneously embroiled in a vicious civil war.

Nigeria has been fighting against the terrorist militant organization Boko Haram, which has killed 15,000, and displaced more than 2 million Nigerians from their homes. The extent of Nigerias famine wasnt known until recently, as studies of its internal problems are difficult to undertake due to the military conflict with Boko Haram.

In South Sudan, the UN believes that 40% of the population 4.9 million people require food and nutritional assistance, with 100,000 of directly facing starvation.

Weather patterns attributed toEl Nio in Somalia have killed off livestock and crops, leaving 6.2 million people in urgent need of assistance. Six years ago the most recent Somalian famine the death toll was almost 260,000 people.

Photo Credit: UNICEF

This post was written by Nicholas Amato.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

Nicholas Amato is the News Editor at Being Libertarian. Hes an undergraduate student at San Jose State University, majoring in political science and minoring in journalism.

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UN Declares World's Greatest Humanitarian Crisis Since 1945 - Being Libertarian

The first of what may eventually be multiple Libertarian candidates for governor has stepped up.

Jason Carrier, whose candidacy was first noted by the Virginia Public Access Project,is collecting signatures to get on the ballot.

Libertarian Party of Virginia Chair Bo Brown confirmed his candidacy, saying the party is talking to several potential candidates and that Carrier is the first to decide he'll run.

"He's a great guy," Brown said. "He's got a military background."

Carrier's Facebook page indicates he's sent petition packets to volunteersexpected to help him get the 10,000 signatures he'll need to be on the ballot.

Brown said theparty expects to hold a convention later this year to nominate its slate of candidates, but a date has not been set. The party will start helping candidates gather signatures before then, though, he said, to get a jump on the process.

The rest is here:
Libertarian gets into Virginia governor's race - Daily Press (blog)

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ByThe Libertarian RepublicEditorial Board

WhenAustin Petersen, or as ReasonsNick Gillespie referred to him, theFreedom Ninja, ran for the Libertarian Partys nomination for President of the United States, he inspired thousands of everyday Americans to get active in the fight for liberty. Out of his campaign came a group of freedom fighters, a freedom ninja army if you will, cast about the nation from sea to sea, all with the same goal: to grow liberty from the grassroots up.

From this group we bring you, the top 10 Hottest Libertarians in the Freedom Ninja Army.

Laura Meyers is a recent college graduate from Kansas living in Washington, DC and working for Hillsdale College Kirby Center. She has an online blog personality, Liberty Laura. Shes also worked as Senator Rand Pauls Youth Coordinator in Kansas for his 2016 presidential campaign, as well as Austin Petersens National Volunteer Coordinator during his Libertarian Party primary run.

Laura, aside from her work in direct politics, is also the former Editor-in-Chief ofTLRs sister publicationLiberty Viral, and has been published by other outlets such asthe Federalist.

Darlene Underwood is the Vice Chair for the Libertarian Party of Florida Highlands County. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the LP of Florida as the Region 10 Rep; helping local counties form affiliations, and passionately encouraging people to get involved with the LP. Darlene served as the Southern Region Director for Austin Petersens presidential campaign; organizing volunteers, and scheduling fundraisers & events. She then served as the Colorado Director for Gary Johnsons 2016 presidential campaign; organizing volunteers, before being promoted to the Rockies Region Director. She enjoyed speaking at both Johnson rallies in Denver, enthusiastically introducing key speakers. She loves teaching, and her greatest passion is raising the next generation of Freedom Ninjas.

Jess Mears is a liberty loving lady, raised in the heartland and currently resides in St. Petersburg, FL. Shes a long time Libertarian activist and leader, having served as the Secretary of the Libertarian Party of Ohio and a region rep for the Libertarian Party of Florida. Jess was never a statist. She realized she was a libertarian in high school and founded the Bearcat Libertarians at The University of Cincinnati during her freshman year. She fell in love with political campaigns during her college years and has worked on over a dozen Libertarian campaigns. Jess ran for State Senate in Ohio in 2010 and received over 2,500 votes/3.35%. She was the Florida Director for the #AP4LP campaign and was picked up shortly after the LP National Convention by Johnson Weld 2016 as the Director of Events/Digital Events. You may have crossed paths with Jess as she was zig zagging across the country for Gary Johnson and Bill Weld rallies during the election season. Jess now works for the employer of her dreams, the Libertarian National Committee as a Development Coordinator. When shes not defending individual liberties, you can cash her ousside paddle boarding at the beach or playing chess at a local craft brewery.

Cathy is a Colorado Springs, Colorado activist who began her journey by writing letters to the editors of the Gazette and the Colorado Independentat age twelve. She focuses much of her attention on local issues and speaks at city council meetings often. Cathy was elected as a Ron Paul delegate in 2012; and attended the 2016 Libertarian National Convention as an Austin Petersen ninja, where her passion for liberty found a home. When shes not fighting for liberty, Cathy can be found in the stands of her sons baseball games, baking new recipes, and sweating at dance classes.

Resa is a relatively new face to the Libertarian movement, having entered at just the beginning of 2016. Fed up with the two party system and seeking an alternative, she immediately jumped in to promote Liberty. Starting out as a delegate and campaign volunteer for AP4LP at the 2016 national convention, she went on to assist in organizing speakers and venues for the national Freedom! Tour, then joined on with Texas LP state leadership as her senatorial districts representative. She is currently the Texas LP membership coordinator, assisting with various tasks from attending to LP member concerns, to database streamlining and fundraising outreach. She is also a member of the Dallas LP executive committee and has recently been voted in as Outreach Chair. Resa is a contributor to The Libertarian Republic, and is currently working on her doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership. Thanks to generous coaching from Mr. Larry Sharpe, she has recently begun startup on her own small business. The flexibility afforded to her now that she owns her own business has opened up theopportunity to become a stronger presence in the LP.

Trent Somes, III started his libertarian career by founding Westmoreland County Libertarians. He quickly moved into the national realm by cofounding the Libertarian Youth Caucus which was quickly grown to be one of the largest caucuses in the Libertarian Party. He served as the Pennsylvania coordinator for Austin Petersen and later the Westmoreland County Coordinator for Gary Johnson. At the 2016 Libertarian National Convention, Somes became the youngest person to ever win a seat on the Libertarian National Committee. He was the brainchild behind the #ReRegister movement and is working with other national committee members to modernize the party and invest in youth outreach. Somes is a media fellow with the Stonegait Institute. In what little time Somes has, he enjoys pipe and cigar smoking and hanging with his wonderful girlfriend Amber Rose. Somes currently manages the Phillip Moses for Congress campaign in Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District.

You can find Somes on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter @trentsomes.

Michael is the former Northern Vice-Chairman of the Libertarian Party of California, former Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Washington, founder of the Libertarian Leadership Academy (academy.libertarianleadership.org) and owns a cannabis brokerage in Washington State. Michael has been training Libertarian candidates and activists since 2013. He actively speaks and trains at Libertarian Party conventions around the country. He is determined to help elect Libertarians to all levels of government.

Timothys involvement with the Ninjas began when he followed Austin Petersen in September 2015. While initially supporting Rand Paul, once that boat sailed Timothy jumped onboard with Austins campaign, advocating for liberty and a consistent pro-life ethic to his fairly conservative circles, donating to the campaign, joining the Libertarian Party, and going to Orlando as a delegate (where lifelong friendships with fellow Ninjas were solidified and he joined the board of the Libertarian Youth Caucus). Orlandos result decided, Timothy went back home and reflected on lessons learned. Both national primary campaigns he had supported failed, why? He determined that the national level is too overcrowded with money and voices, and that change has to start locally and work its way up. Timothy is now running for City Council in his hometown of Salem, the Capital of Oregon to spread the libertarian message locally. Timothy is determined to give the old parties a run for their money in future elections, by networking with other local libertarians and running for a board position with the Libertarian Party of Oregon to contribute to achieving that end.

Timothy, 23, is married with two children. He is a construction manager and real estate investor.

Kody Fairfield, 26, hails from Orange County, California. He attended the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse pursuing his degree in Political Science and Public Administration. Kody found his passion in politics early, connecting first to our third President, Thomas Jefferson, but expandingintoactivism with his introduction to the Paul (Ron and Rand) family. In 2016, Kody was a delegate for the Libertarian National Convention, and helped to support Austin Petersen in his bid for the nomination. As a staunch believer in free markets, individual rights, and limited government, Kody began writing for Liberty Viral and The Libertarian Republic in 2016. In January of 2017, Kody was named the Editor-in-Chief of TLRandcurrently holds the Ambassador At-Large Chair for the Libertarian Party of Orange County, Ca.He believes that with the right messaging, the ideas of liberty will continue to grow.

When Kody isnt politicking, he is busy managing a CrossFit gym, or spending time with family, friends and his dog.

Zach Garretson is an Iraq War Veteran who spent just shy of 10 years serving in the United States Air Force. He has always considered himself a libertarian, but upon returning to America after his service Zach started getting involved in politics. He started as a volunteer for Austin Petersens primary campaign, and is now an activist with the Stonegait Institute, as well as contributor to The Libertarian Republic and Liberty Viral. He has also been a volunteer for several campaigns, including Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians, while considering running for local office himself in 2018.

armyaustin petersenc. michael pickenscathy smithdarlene underwoodFreedom Ninjajess mearskody fairfieldlaura meyerslibertariansliberty lauraliberty Ninjaresa willistimothy perkinstrent somes iiizach garretson

See more here:
10 Hottest Libertarians in the Freedom Ninja Army - The Libertarian Republic