November 6, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: [email protected] or Susan Hogarth 919-906-2106

Libertarian Party of NC makes a statement at the polls

“North Carolina is now a multiparty state”

RALEIGH (November 6) – The Libertarian Party of North Carolina (LPNC) is celebrating strong showings by its candidates for federal, state, and local offices in today’s general election, and the party and its members plan to keep their feet on the gas and continue that momentum.

“North Carolina is no longer strictly the playground of the Republican and Democratic parties,” said LPNC Chair Susan Hogarth. “Tonight’s election results showed that the grip of the two institutional major parties is slipping, the people are looking for better choices, and the direction of the trend is clear.”

In tonight’s election results, based on returns as of 11:00 p.m.:

• In two nationally watched battleground Congressional races, Libertarian candidates Jeff Matemu (NC 2) and Jeff Scott (NC 9) have had a tangible impact on the outcome. Scott’s vote total exceeded the difference between his major-party opponents, and with Wake County results still coming in, Matemu’s totals are similarly significant. In these high-stakes races, thousands of voters chose to support Libertarian principles instead of either of the old parties.
• The Libertarian Party’s vocal opposition contributed to the defeat of a proposed North Carolina constitutional amendment that would have removed the lone independent voice from the state Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement.
• The LPNC’s support contributed to the success of another constitutional amendment that will increase the constitutional cap on the state’s power to tax incomes.
• The LPNC’s first-ever statewide judicial entrant, NC Court of Appeals candidate Michael Monaco, also achieved a strong showing of more than 4 percent, which exceeds the difference between his opponents.
• Libertarian vote percentages in races across North Carolina are many multiples of the party’s approximate 0.5 percent share of registration -- which shows that voters are eager for new choices and that candidates who engage within their communities are in striking distance of making even greater inroads in future races.
• In the race for N.C. House in District 65, representing Rockingham County, LPNC candidate Houston Barrow set a high-water mark of almost 8 percent of the vote, which shows voters are receptive to Libertarian candidates when they have a chance to engage with them on the issues.

In the fast-changing landscape of the state’s politics:

• In the last year, the Libertarian Party of North Carolina’s registered membership has grown more than two-and-a-half times as quickly as the state’s overall electorate: Total state voter registration is up 4.15 percent from November 2017 to today, while LPNC registration is up 10.54 percent over the same period.
• During the last year, both Democrats and Republicans have seen their respective percentage shares of the total state electorate fall. Over the same period, Libertarians’ share has grown. Today every 190th registered voter in North Carolina is a Libertarian.
• This year’s total of more than three dozen Libertarian candidates in North Carolina was a record slate for the party, including five candidates for U.S. Congress and the party’s first-ever statewide judicial candidate.

“The voters of this state are telling us they’re dissatisfied with elections that force them into false, binary choices—or sometimes no choice at all,” Hogarth added. “They are leaving the old parties behind and looking for alternatives that represent the ways they live and believe. The Libertarian Party stands for ideals that many people can identify with, and we anticipate that our rapid growth will only accelerate.”

What lies ahead as the two-party glacier continues to thaw? Hogarth noted a number of signs that the heat is on. Already, North Carolina has expanded official recognition to five parties, not only two. Editorial boards and debate organizers are taking more notice of Libertarian candidates and finding it less acceptable to pretend they aren’t there. The LPNC is already working to assemble its slate of local candidates for the 2019 elections.

The LPNC is giving North Carolina voters a choice in federal, state, and local election campaigns across the state. To learn more, visit www.lpnc.org. For more information on this announcement, to contact the LPNC for comment, or for help in contacting a specific candidate, please email [email protected].

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