North Carolina in the late summer… From the beach, to the mountains, and the entire area in between, it is hot and humid. The colors of NC this time of year are vibrant greens, ocean blue against faded Atlantic sand. It’s the colors of our farmers and their fields nearing harvest, and deep blue daytime skies with stars bright through the evening (when Canada isn’t ruining our air).

It’s the sounds of children out of school and thunder crashing in our legendary summer storms. It’s the smells of the best barbeque in the world and the fresh air of freedom that we are lucky enough to breath.

I love this state, all times of the year, which is why I am truly proud of the 14 candidates who have stepped up to run for political office in the 2023 elections. We have a wide-ranging group; both in the offices we are pursuing and the people who are pursuing them, and every single on e of them reminds my why I am a Libertarian, and activist, and Chair of the LPNC. I am here to help them win, so we can advance Liberty in NC.

Of course, winning races is difficult, even at local levels, and we need help. We are a long way away from competing with the war chests the uniparty has at its disposal, as we won’t put our souls up for sale, and so we need to compete in other ways. We need to be better strategically, target our races for wins or advancement, and grow from there, and we need you, the defenders of Liberty in North Carolina, to help move our cause forward.

In today’s newsletter, we have highlighted some of the candidates. We will highlight more in each of the next two issues before the election, but you can check all of them out on our website. We need donors, phone banking, door knocking, emailing, and just a ton of general support. If you can only give an hour a week or $5 a month, that’s incredible and we appreciate it. If a thousand people reading this gave an hour a week or $5 a month, we change the world, so please, give what you can.

Not that anyone in the LPNC needs a reminder why we fight this battle for Liberty, but the state is again looking for sneaky ways to take away your rights, attacking the second amendment brazenly again. Justin Hinckley, 2A Coordinator, gives the details in this issue.

We also have insight from Strategic Communications Advisor Joshua Glawson and Communication Director Rob Yates, reflecting on Liberty in North Carolina. We talk to Jennifer Bias, Chair of Brunswick County, and we hear from Mike Ross about the incredibly successful gubernatorial debate early last month. I want to thank both candidates, their campaigns, Rob Yates for setting it up, and Steven DiFiore – Chair of LPMeck – for doing an excellent job moderating.

We try to bring you all sorts of Liberty in every way we can, through the newsletter, through events like the debate and others in which we participate, and through our podcast, Liberty iNC. We launched our third season recently, and we are now on our 11th episode this season, with guests ranging from local heroes and activists, to members of other parties where we remind everyone that civil debate is still possible, to potential LP presidential nominees, and so many more. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend that you tune in and give some feedback, as we are looking to create a product that is perfectly suited to Libertarians in North Carolina.

Finally, on a personal note, I want to thank Kim Acer for her service on the Affiliates team for the last few years. Everyone who gives time and energy in service of Liberty has my support and respect. Kim, thank you.

For everyone else, if you aren’t involved, what’s the holdup? No better time than North Carolina summer, to go to the beach or to fight for Liberty. We can’t wait to get you involved.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair