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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering running for the Libertarian Partys presidential nomination. He previously sought the Democratic Party nomination before changing his candidacy to a third party independent run, where he has run into problems with ballot access.

Thats something that were looking at, he tells CNNs Michael Smerconish. We have a really good relationship with the Libertarian Party. I am going to be speaking at the California Libertarian Party convention. Were talking about me speaking in New York at the Libertarian convention.

Mr. Kennedy is only on the ballot as a third party candidate in Utah, where the likely Republican nominee, President Trump, will almost assuredly win in November. He is making progress toward getting his name on the ballot in more than a dozen other states.

Guaranteeing a position on the ballot as an independent candidate in the general election is always difficult. The Libertarian Party would afford Mr. Kennedy with a nationally recognized political party that has already been granted ballot access in all 50 states.

The chairwoman of the Libertarian Party, Angela McArdle, told Mr. Smerconish last year that she is open to Mr. Kennedy leading her party in the general election.

Weve had a lot of good conversations and were on good terms, she said of Mr. Kennedy. Libertarians really admire the strong position he took against [vaccine] mandates and lockdowns, and so were going to stay on friendly terms and see what happens.

Mr. Kennedy said he is talking regularly with the party and its local chapters.

The dynastys scion failed to catch fire after announcing he would challenge President Biden for the Democratic nomination, and quickly shot up in the polls after announcing his independent bid. Despite strong national polls that put him in the double-digits, he is nowhere near a polling lead that could produce an electoral college victory.

The vast majority of Americans do not want a rematch between Messrs. Trump and Biden, and nearly 40 percent are open to considering a third party alternative to the two presidents. Across the ideological spectrum, those candidates are jumping in the race, including Green Party candidate Jill Stein and left-wing independent candidate Cornel West. Senator Manchin has also said he is considering a 2024 run on the No Labels party line, though he has yet to make a decision.

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Struggling To Get on Ballots, RFK Jr. Teases Running on a Libertarian Party Ticket - The New York Sun

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he is open to joining with the Libertarian Party as he races to get on the ballot in all 50 states before the November election.

CNNs Michael Smerconish pressed Kennedy during an interview that aired on Saturday whether it was possible that he would seek to be the Libertarian candidate as it would assure him of getting on the ballot across the board.

Thats something that were looking at. We have a really good relationship with Libertarian Party, Kennedy said, adding that he expects to speak at the California Libertarian Party convention in the coming weeks and may also deliver remarks in New York.

Kennedy also voiced optimism in regards to his signature-gathering campaign and said his recently-announced effort to file paperwork to establish a new political party in several states, including North Carolina and Texas, gives him an advantage in lowering the threshold for ballot access.

The nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy initially entered the 2024 contest seeking the Democratic Partys nomination, but he switched to an independent run after raising complaints about how the Democrats have conducted their election process, including a lack of debates.

Some polls show Kennedy getting double-digit support in a match-up against President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, which comes as surveys find voters are not enthusiastic about a 2020 rematch.

Smerconish played audio of Angela McArdle, the head of the Libertarian Party, talking positively on his radio show about Kennedy.

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Weve had a lot of good conversations and were on good terms. And I respect his decision to want to go independent. Though libertarians really admire the strong position he took against mandates and lockdowns, and so were going to stay on friendly terms and see what happens, she said.

The host urged Kennedy to make some news as he posited that McArdle appeared to be welcoming him to ask for the Libertarian Partys ballot position.

Yea. Well, we are talking to the Libertarian Party and I feel very comfortable with most of the values of Libertarian Party. And you know, we like I say, we have good relationships. Im talking regularly to Libertarian groups. So, well continue to do those talks, Kennedy said. I cant give you a headline news story today, Michael. Im sorry.

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RFK Jr. Open To Libertarian Party Run - The Daily Wire

Libertarian Sid Daoud might have a slim chance of winning the U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in Montana in the 2024 election.

But the exceptionally tight race could determine overall control of the closely divided Senate and that could mean that the IT worker and state Libertarian Party Chair stands to play a pivotal role in shaping America's political future. Just as a third-party candidate could yet help shape the presidential ballot this year, the same goes for some some key congressional races as well.

"I think one of the things that has surprised me the most in recent years is that I'm actually stuck in the rational middle," Daoud told Newsweek.

"I always thought of myself as some kind of radical person that wanted to get back to our Constitution, wanted to do things that maybe wasn't the norm, but I'm finding that I'm stuck in the middle with a bunch of folks that have been kind of left behind by the two big parties," he said.

With Senator Joe Manchin's retirement, West Virginia may go red this year, meaning, Democrats could control 50 seats in the Senate. But to reach that, Democrats must defend seats in the swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as well as the red states of Ohio and Montana.

Although Montana voted for former President Donald Trump by a more than 16-point margin in 2020, its Democratic Senator, Jon Tester, won in 2018 by a margin of over three and a half percentage points. He will be running for his fourth term and currently appears poised to face Bridger Aerospace CEO and ex-Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, who is vying to represent the Republican Party.

One of the most recent available polls, from J.L. Partners in August, found Tester trailing Sheehy 46 percent to 42 percent, but that was before Daoud entered the race in November.

James Johnson, co-founder of the polling firm said that 38 percent of respondents identified as independentuniquely high for any stateand that Daoud might draw more votes from the Republican candidate, especially if voters feel emboldened to vote for a third-party candidate because Montana is so firmly Republican on the presidential ballot.

"There's potential for that third party effect to have a slightly higher impact in Montana," Johnson told Newsweek.

By analyzing the data to identify libertarian-minded voters through isolating those who reported school choice, government spending, and second amendment rights as their top priorities, Johnson found that such individuals constituted 17 percent of those polled and that among that group, Sheehy led Tester 57 percent to 30 percent.

Much may depend on the issues that resonate in the election. Democrats are seeking to put abortion rights near the top of their 2024 messaging after apparent success on that issue in 2022 midterms, and that could also mean that those who support limited government could turn away from Republicans.

"In Montana, we don't like people telling us what to do, especially the federal government," Tester told Newsweek. "What the Republicans are doing with choice, telling people that they're going to make health care decisions for them, I don't think it sells in Montana."

Sheehy did not respond to Newsweek's request for comment, but according to his campaign website, the former Navy SEAL, who was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medal, is "proudly Pro-Life." His political positions largely align with his party's national platform, but his pro-military and anti-abortion positions conflict with the libertarian views of Daoud.

Eric Raile, a political science professor at Montana State University, told Newsweek that if abortion is framed as a rights issue, it might resonate more in Montana than elsewhere.

"Prior to Roe v. Wade, the parties had different positions on abortion, and the Republican position was really more of a libertarian one that government shouldn't be involved in regulating that sort of thing. That's a long time ago at this point, and maybe that memory is gone, but it was part of the libertarian way of thinking."

Daoud, who's met Tester and views him as a "genuine person" and "amicable" listener whom he respects, considers abortion one of the few subjects where the two have common ground.

"Personally, I believe that life begins at conception," Daoud said, "but the one thing that doesn't put me in line with everybody else that gives that narrative is that I don't believe that government has any place in this decision."

The Republican-controlled Montana legislature attempted to effectively bar third party candidates from the Senate race last spring by introducing a bill that would have altered the primary to ensure that only the two top vote getters advanced to the general election. Daoud and Montana Democrats spoke out against the effort and lawmakers ultimately shelved the bill.

Conventional wisdom states that libertarians pull more votes from Republicans, but Daoud said he's not out to spoil either major political party's chances and believes that a desire from Americans to embrace third party candidates offers him a real chance at flipping the seat.

Daoud is a strong critic of the two-party system and believes the major parties have spent too much time engaging in polarizing feuds. As a veteran who opposes American involvement in foreign wars, he also sees that as a differentiator from the other candidates alongside his determination to curb government spending.

Raile said that while Montana prefers limited government, the nationalization of politics and rise of political polarization make for a less independent electorate that is more likely to place party affiliation above policy considerations.

Rural America has become intertwined with the populist platform of the Republican Party under Trump, and Montana ranks among the country's most rural states. These trends have been on the rise for some time, but the independent streak of Montana has allowed Tester to defy the odds.

However, since Tester's 2018 reelection, Montana's population has grown from nearly 1,062,000 people to roughly 1,123,000 people, according to USA Facts, an almost 6 percent change. While Raile said the data on this trend isn't firm, anecdotally, many of these people are so-called conservative refugees from blue states, people who generally adhere to Republican Party values over traditional Montanan independence.

"A lot of Montanans like to think of themselves as being independent," Raile told Newsweek. "When you ask people, a big chunk of the population in Montana will say that they're political independents, but their behavior often tells a different story. So, I think there is this streak of 'leaving us alone,' but I think it's become politicized, and so I think it's really more of a conservative anti-federal government streak at this point."

Montana nonetheless receives more federal funds than it pays in taxes. Due to this dynamic, Tester said voters want legislation like the Farm Bill, which outlines U.S. agricultural policy and provides funding to farmers, to pass.

Daoud said that he'd "love" to have Republican Congressman Matt Rosendale, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus and potential challenger to Sheehy, join the Libertarian Party, saying "he votes very much like a libertarian."

Rosendale has opposed Ukraine funding and increases to the federal budget. Given that he represents half the stateMontana holds two seats in the Houseit appears likely that some Rosendale supporters would back Daoud's candidacy.

While Rosendale would not say whether he believes his supporters would favor Daoud over Sheehy, he told Newsweek "it's very flattering" that Daoud would like to see him join the Libertarian Party and said he enjoyed hearing that the "independent thinkers from around the state support me."

In addition to combating the state's possible shift to the right, Tester faces the additional burden of running during a presidential election year. While Tester has done so before, winning in 2012 with Obama at the top of the ticket, the popularity of Trump and unpopularity of BidenReal Clear Politics has Trump winning 49-28 percent in the statewill no doubt affect the race.

Furthermore, the rising national debt, grim public polling around the economy, and record migration numbers at the border all stand as issues that the Republican Party will leverage.

Raile said after his 17 years in the Senate, challengers to Tester would try to paint him as a Washington selloutTester is the Democratic Party's second highest recipient of lobbying contributions, according to Open Secrets.

However, the Montana Democrat denies being influenced by lobbying money. Tester cultivates a down-to-earth character, overseeing the farm that has been in his family for generations alongside his Senate duties, dropping the occasional expletive and poking fun of the fact he has only two fingers on his left hand after a childhood accident grinding meat.

Tester said he acknowledges that Daoud's values will resonate for many in freedom-loving Montana too.

"They're all libertarians. I mean, Democrats, Republicans, they're all libertarians in the end," he said.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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The Libertarian Who Could Hold the Key to the Senate - Newsweek

ST. JOHN Chuck Pullen, chair of the Libertarian Party of Lake County, has been named vice president of the St. John Economic Development Committee.

Pullen has served multiple stints as chair Lake County Libertarian Party. He resigned as chairman in October 2019 after he received public criticism for using the term "gang bangers" to describe two Black Hammond Common Council candidates.

Chuck Pullen, chair of the Libertarian Party of Lake County, has been named vice president of the St. John Economic Development Committee.

Pullen, of St. John, wrote in a public exchange on Facebook that "you got the gang bangers taking over the council," following the departure of eight-term Councilman Bob Markovich, who is white. Current Councilwoman Katrina Alexander, who is Black, defeated Markovich during the 2019 Democratic primary election. Current Councilman Barry Tyler Jr., who is Black, also joined the council in 2019.

Pullen said he meant to write "gang banger," instead of "gang bangers," since he only intended for his remarkto refer to Tyler and not Alexander. Pullen claimed he'd seen Facebook postings suggesting Tyler "had previous gang ties and things like that." Tyler has no criminal record and said he's never been affiliated with any gangs.

Stations of the Cross at the Shrine of Christ's Passion in St. John.

At the time, the Lake County Democratic and Republican party chairs publicly condemned Pullen's comments.

"Thank you to all of my fellow LPIN members for your advice, your training seminars, and encouraging fellow Libertarians to be active in our local communities," Pullen said in a Monday news release. "My goals are simple: to apply Libertarian principles to all of my decisions, and to maintain limited government and maximum freedom."

The St. John Economic Development Committee advises the Town Council on new economic development ideas and potential projects. The Committee's next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.

"Chuck's years of service and activism in Lake County have earned him the respect of the local leaders and this appointment," Libertarian Party of Indiana chair Evan McMahon said in the news release. "Our values of limited government and promoting individual freedom often resonate with people in their communities."

Local photographer Tom Hocker talks about the photographs he has on display at the St. John VFW Post. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker photographs members of an Irish dance group at the VFW Post in St. John. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker photographs members of an Irish dance group at the VFW Post in St. John. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker photographs members of an Irish dance group at the VFW Post in St. John. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker photographs members of an Irish dance group at the VFW Post in St. John. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker chats with Rosemary Keilman about a house he photographed on 93rd Avenue in St. John. Hocker received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker photographs members of an Irish dance group at the VFW Post in St. John. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker chats with Rosemary Keilman about a house he photographed on 93rd Avenue in St. John. Hocker received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker photographs members of an Irish dance group at the VFW Post in St. John. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker photographs members of an Irish dance group at the VFW Post in St. John. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

Local photographer Tom Hocker photographs members of an Irish dance group at the VFW Post in St. John. He received a grant through the Indiana Arts Commission to document St. John's sense of community through photos.

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Chair of Lake County Libertarian Party appointed to St. John Economic Development Committee - The Times of Northwest Indiana

SO PAULO, Brazil A group of 60 slum priests in Pope Franciss native country released a Jan. 19 statement denouncing what they described as deteriorating living conditions for millions of impoverished Argentines, driven by rising food prices and decreasing earnings.

Though hes only been in office for a little over a month, new Argentine President Javier Milei nervetheless came in for criticism by the slum priests, who asserted that his minimalist conception of the role of the government in society is contributing to the crisis.

We declare in the letter that the current situation hasnt begun with this administration. Drugs, poverty, hunger, and unemployment are not something new in the poor neighborhoods, Father Pablo Viola, who works in a poor parish of Crdoba, told Crux.

Whats new is that we believe that such issues can become even more complicated if the current administration really reduces the presence of the state in the slums, Viola said.

Viola said the new administrations libertarian ideology prevents it from seeing the complexity of the interests of different social segments and the hardships faced by the middle-class and the poor.

He also claimed that Mileis program is at odds with Catholic teaching, not to mention Pope Franciss own vision.

Taking the state out of the role of working for social justice is something that opposes the Churchs social doctrine, Viola said.

In 2023, inflation in Argentina reached 211 percent, a record in the South American nation since the 1990s, when it went through a number of hyperinflationary years. Poverty already encompasses more than 40 percent of the population.

The excessive increase in prices, the anguish due to the growing unemployment and job insecurity, the problem of drugs that continue to trap many kids, and the small probability of having a more present state, which could take care of the weakest, [all] cause despair, the document from the priests states.

The signatories affirm that they had been warning about some of these issues during the [2023 presidential] campaign, sometimes alone.

The letter mentions that the salaries are not being increased in order to keep pace with rising prices of food, cooking gas, medicines, and rents.

These problems have been going on for years and can only be improved with state policies that seek justice, peace and harmony, in a climate of unity and sensitivity towards those who are left out at the table of life. This is not built overnight, the statement said.

In the letter, the priests also opposed the idea of reducing the age at which someone can be tried for a crime as an adult from 16 to 14, a proposal announced by the Milei administration.

Considering the drama of insecurity, we repudiate that, in the face of the criminal acts of our teenagers, the main response is to lower the age of imputability, they said.

The document was signed by priests and missionaries from several Argentinian cities, all of them connected to the pastoral attention to slums and poor neighborhoods a ministry more intensely promoted since the 1960s, especially in Buenos Aires, where such group became known as the curas villeros (slum priests in Spanish.)

The curas villeros have an ancient connection with Pope Francis and were one of the major church forces to campaign against Milei during last years presidential race. Not only did they object to several offensive statements by Milei directed at the pope, but they also criticized his radical ideas concerning the role of the state in society.

Buenos Airess curas villeros even promoted a Mass in reparation for Mileia offenses against the pontiff, and some directly criticized Mileis ideology during interviews with the press.

The curas villeros offer several public services in the slums, part of them funded by the government, part maintained with Church money.

In Violas neighborhood, called Villa Angelelli 2, the parish keeps refectories for the poor and a long-time work of rehabilitation for drug addicts. He said that the government department that deals with drugs has already told him that this years budget will be the same as in 2023.

With the gigantic inflation, that means well already begin the year with only half of what we need, he lamented.

Father Leonardo Silio, a cura villero in Moreno, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, told Crux that priests who work with the poor have been feeling every day that the social situation is deteriorating, with more and more people looking for our refectories and other kinds of assistance.

The devaluation of the Argentinian peso [applied by Milei over the past month] has rapidly deepened the crisis among the poor, he said.

Milei hasnt cut the social assistance that many in the slums receive from the government, but its value hasnt been adjusted.

Many people can only buy cooking gas, but not food, Silio said.

The rent prices have increased so much that many people are moving to distant districts or joining their extended families.

A house where four people used to live now has eight or 10 residents, Silio said.

He said the priests hope in the Jan. 19 statement was to express our worries about those situations, and maybe prevent them from getting even worse.

If the government intervenes to change those circumstances only in four or five months time, it will be too late, Silio said.

In a Jan. 14 interview with an Italian television program, Pope Francis confirmed his desire to visit Argentina in the second half of 2024, where, he said, the people are suffering a great deal.

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'Slum priests' slam new libertarian government in Pope's native Argentina - Crux Now