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Libertarian candidate Lucas Overby, who earned about 5 percent of the vote in the Pinellas congressional election, has issued a lengthy statement. You can read it here:

First if all, I want to again thank the thousands of people who honored me with their vote yesterday. To all of you I say this: I swear to stand by all of the efforts we started, all of the ideas we shared, and all of the coalitions we formed. I did not run for office to advance a political career, I got involved for you guys and we fought this fight for you guys. All said and done I regret nothing of this race or the work put into it.

To the hundreds of people who came to me to say this was their first time voting or their first time in years being involved, I say this: Don't stop here. Please, continue to feel free to contact me at any time with questions and ideas, but nothing will change if you go back to the sidelines. The nation needs you in the fight and it needs you to help pull the 60% of voters we missed back in. This is not a set back, this is another step.

To my team and all of our volunteers all I can say is this: Thank you. From the very bottom of my heart and soul thank you. You carried us to places no one thought possible and while we came up short, your hard work and dedication has inspired your neighbors and show so many who are disillusioned a bright ray of hope, you guys are my heros. It has been nothing but an honor and my deepest pleasure to get the opportunity to work with such an amazing group of people. We will move forward, we will continue to fight for those who have no voice, who feel left out.

My few parting thought on this election are these: First and foremost, I firmly believe that teams win elections and candidates lose them. It is our job as candidates to draw the vote, I didn't do it and Ms. Sink didn't do it, Mr. Jolly did. I take full responsibility for the short comings of my results and refuse to blame outside factors. As a third party candidate, I knew full well what the challenges would be, I knew coverage would be hard earned, I knew we would be outspent, but I also knew, and still firmly believe, that the key is reaching those left behind and I simply fell short on that.

Congratulations to Congressman Elect Jolly, I wish you all the best and I hope that you can steadfastly represent your new constituents.

For those asking what my next move is, the honest answer is, I don't know. Nothing is off the table at this point, but again I didn't come here to build a political career, I came here because helping people and getting people engaged is my passion. I have a lot to think about and consider, but I promise to remain open and honest with all of you throughout that process.

Again, thank you all so much for all of your support, your honest and open debate, and your passion for our community, our nation, and our world. This is simply the closing of a chapter, the story is far from over.

Lucas Overby Lucas Overby For Congress

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Libertarian Overby issues thanks, unsure on next move

CANTON The Libertarian Party of Georgia has nominated a candidate to take on state Rep. Scot Turner (R-Holly Springs) in the November general election.

Jeff Amason, an attorney from Woodstock, and a former chairman of the Cobb County Libertarian Party, was nominated by the party Saturday, according to a Tuesday news release from the Libertarian Party of Georgia.

Amason, 48, said he has been campaigning since last year and has started the long process of trying to get on the ballot for the general election this November to oppose 38-year-old Turner. Turner is running unopposed for the Republican nomination in the May primary. No Democrats qualified to run.

To get on the ticket, Amason must get the signatures of 5 percent of the residents who were eligible to vote in the 2012 election, as any third-party or independent candidate must do, according to the Janet Munda, Cherokee County elections supervisor.

Its not an easy task, Amason said, but hes resolved to do it.

People we meet are wanting to see some choice in November, he said Tuesday. The issue is you really have to go door to door. It is a struggle. It is a great struggle, but were up to the challenge.

Munda said the deadline for those signatures to be turned into the state is July 8, and local elections workers will verify their validity. Before that, Amason, or any other independent or third-party candidates, must qualify to run between June 23 and 27.

Besides working to get on the ballot, Amason will also have to contend with Turner.

I have proven that a legislator can be principled, transparent and ethical while being effective, Turner said Tuesday. I have kept my promise to never accept a gift or a campaign contribution from a lobbyist. And in the short time I have served under the Gold Dome, I have proven I am willing to fight the big fights and effectively guide legislation like HB 707 out of the House.

House Bill 707, which Turner worked on with other lawmakers, seeks to bar state resources from being used to implement the Affordable Care Act. Turner also mentioned House Bill 886, which is aimed at bringing transparency to the school funding process in Georgia, and HB 826, which eliminates zero-tolerance policies in schools. All three bills are up for consideration in the Senate, after passing the House.

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Libertarian seeks to oppose Turner

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., in this Friday, March 7, 2014 file photo.

Susan Walsh, Associated Press

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The tea party and especially Sen. Rand Paul won big over the weekend during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), but that is not stopping establishment GOP politicians like Sen. Mitch McConnell from targeting them, according to the New York Times Carl Hulse.

Top congressional Republicans are targeting conservative activist groups with a goal of undermining their credibility, according to Hulse. The goal is to deny them any Senate primary victories, cut into their fund-raising and diminish them as a future force in Republican politics.

I think we are going to crush them everywhere, Hulse quoted McConnell as saying.

The straw poll at last week's CPAC illustrated that tea party favorites are winning, according to the National Review's Tim Cavanaugh.

Sen. Rand Paul won with 31 percent of the vote, Sen. Ted Cruz came in second with 11 percent and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson came in third with 9 percent.

Cavanaugh writes that the straw poll illustrates a change in the direction of the party, citing poor performances by former power hitters like Gov. Chris Christie and Rep. Paul Ryan.

The libertarian wave continued throughout the conference, which, according to Cavanaugh, followed a pattern that has characterized GOP events since at least 2008: When the small-government zealots are not around, you can hear a pin drop. When a member of the Paul family shows up, theres so much energy in the place it almost seems like Republicans can win an election.

Excerpt from:

Libertarian wave wins big at CPAC

Published: Saturday, 3/8/2014 - Updated: 3 days ago GENERAL ELECTION

BY JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF

COLUMBUS Charlie Earl, the would-be Libertarian candidate for Ohio governor, was removed from the ballot Friday by Secretary of State Jon Husted.

The Republican secretary of state agreed with the findings of his hearing officer, Brad Smith, that petitions submitted by two professional signature gatherers, both independent contractors, were invalid because they did not note on the petitions who paid them, as required by state election law.

Attorney general candidate Steven R. Linnabary, a Columbus civil engineer, also was removed from the ballot. That means no Libertarian qualified for the ballot for any statewide office.

The deadline has already passed for write-in candidates to file with the secretary of states office for both offices, although the Libertarian Party did meet the deadline for write-in candidates for secretary of state and state auditor.

Mr. Husteds announcement came about an hour before the Libertarian Party of Ohio was set to launch its convention at a Worthington hotel, with Mr. Earl scheduled to be the luncheon speaker today.

Party spokesman Aaron Keith Harris said this decision will only fire up the crowd more.

This is a pattern of harassment from a party that is nothing but cowards and bullies, he said. They dont want Ohio voters to have an actual choice on the ballot this November. This will get overturned in federal court.

This is a decision from a [George W.] Bush guy from the [Federal Election Commission] for Husted and is a Republican mafia hit on voting rights in Ohio, Mr. Harris said.

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Libertarian candidates off state ballot

hide captionRepublican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., on Friday.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., on Friday.

If any two issues illustrate how difficult it could be for the part of the Republican Party represented by the social and national security conservatives to bridge their differences with libertarians, same-sex marriage and National Security Agency intelligence are good candidates

Discussions at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference got testy Friday, when libertarians defended positions out of synch with the more traditional stances that have defined the Republican Party for decades.

At a panel on privacy, for instance, centering on Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA's data gathering, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore dramatically held aloft a New York Post front page with photos of Snowden and Russian president Vladimir Putin under the headline "Comrades."

"Edward Snowden is a traitor and a coward," Gilmore said. "The fact is, Edward Snowden betrayed his trust."

Gilmore, who once served as a military intel officer, said Snowden seriously damaged U.S. intelligence efforts. He also accused political leaders who've used Snowden's disclosures to suggest that there's widespread surveillance of average citizens by the federal government of "demagoguery."

Responding to Gilmore, Bruce Fein, a libertarian lawyer who's been involved in a lawsuit against the federal government, said that he ignores the more rampant lawlessness which is "government violating the rule of law."

"All these examples of government lawlessness, total silence on Gov. Gilmore's side," Fein said. "And when the government becomes a lawbreaker, it invites every man and woman to become a law unto themselves."

If there was common ground, it wasn't much on display during this session. That debate also displayed the tricky territory Republicans are going to have to navigate if they are to find a compromise on this issue.

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CPAC's Conservative-Libertarian Split Could Be Hard To Bridge