As promised in last week's column, here is my column on the Online portion of the Libertarian National Convention that was held this past weekend. If anyone would like to read more details on the results of the Presidential nomination, please read Neal Dikeman's column.
This past weekend, numerous Libertarian delegates and alternates across the country gathered online to officially nominate our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates for the ballot this November. Though the process was stressful (especially for those who have supported their candidates for a little over a year), the credentialed delegates (and alternates) nominated candidates of both races through nomination tokens before having several rounds of nomination polls until one got over 50% of delegate votes.
First off, the Presidential nomination that was held on Saturday. Out of the Libertarian candidates who ran for the nomination, under the 30 tokens or more rule, six candidates qualified for the nomination poll. These candidates were, Jacob Hornberger (Founder and President of the Future of Freedom Foundation), Jo Jorgensen (Psychology senior lecturer at Clemson University and the 1996 Libertarian nominee for Vice President), Vermon Supreme (a longtime perennial candidate and political satirist), John Monds (Former President of the Grady County, Georgia NAACP and 2010 Libertarian nominee for Governor of Georgia), Jim Gray (Former presiding judge for the Superior Court of Orange County, California and the 2012 Libertarian nominee for Vice President), and Adam Kokesh (Libertarian and anti-war activist). Kokesh, Gray, and Monds were eliminated in the first three nomination rounds, and after a fourth round was made, Jo Jorgensen won the nomination with 51.07% of delegate votes with Hornberger and Supreme placing second and third respectively.
The Vice Presidential nomination took place the following day. Under the same rules, only four candidates were nominated to participate in the polls. These candidates were Spike Cohen (Podcaster at Muddied Waters Media), John Monds, Ken Armstrong (a commissioned officer of the U.S. Coast Guard), and Adam Kokesh. After both Kokesh and Armstrong were eliminated from the first two rounds of nomination rounds, Cohen won the nomination with 52.15% of delegate votes, placing Monds in second.
Even though more party business is to be done at the in-convention to be held in Orlando, many Libertarians have already began the nationwide campaign process for both Jorgensen and Cohen. As one of the delegates who represented Texas (along with County Chair and fellow Libertarian columnist, Darren Pollok), I can say that both Jorgensen and Cohen are amazing candidates who support values and principles of liberty that the Libertarian Party has supported since its conception.
The Jorgensen/Cohen ticket is a ticket that is worthy of looking up if you are sick and tired of the two parties selecting unlikable, corrupt candidates (like Biden and Trump) or if you are undecided of who to support this November. This past weekend, both Jorgensen and Cohen have shown their compassion, love, and concerns for this country, and with that being said, I personally endorse both Jo Jorgensen for President and Spike Cohen for Vice President. With the state that our country is in right now, where our liberties and rights have slowly began disappear, they are the right people for the job.
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