[Lnc-votes] [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 10:12:27 AM9/19/16
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Mr. Chairman and fellow LNC members,


We have been asked to make donations recently to certain campaigns.  Despite having more money to do so than in the past, we clearly don't have the means, time or frankly, even the desire to donate to every person's campaign that is running as a Libertarian.  We need to develop some criteria to apply to the process to make it as fair and efficient as we possibly can.    I think that there should be implications of the campaign beyond just electing that one person to office.   

 

I intend to bring or support a motion for the NLP/LNC to donate funds to Mark Miller's campaign for Railroad Commissioner in Texas.  What's at stake is ballot access in Texas.  If they do not have a statewide candidate achieve 5% in this election, they lose their current ballot access and with the size of Texas, it will likely cost us multiple 6 figures getting it back.  At present Dr. Miller's campaign is the only one that could be considered more than a paper candidacy.  As we had been having discussions about which campaigns should the LNC be donating to, it crossed my mind that Mark Miller's was exactly the sort we should be lending assistance to.  It also occurred to me that we might be hearing a little less about it than we might because his campaign manager is also our Special Projects Director, Lauren Daugherty and I know she works very hard to try and keep those roles separated.

Making it brief, Mark Miller has raised significant money already, his campaign stands to benefit the whole TX Affiliate and save it and the NLP a LOT of money, he is highly qualified for the job,  he has gotten major endorsements.

With that in mind I reached out to Lauren yesterday.  Apparently, some other people were having some of the same thoughts at the same time.
Here is Lauren's response to my inquiry.

"

Mark Miller is an exceptional candidate. He’s highly qualified for the position he’s seeking and more qualified (by far) than his 3 opponents. If he was elected, he would be well prepared to serve. He’s been a Libertarian since the 1970s and is well versed on Libertarianism and able to communicate Libertarian ideas well. And, he’s also a solid leader. He’s well liked, kind, and personable. Rarely do we find candidates of any party that are so well rounded.

 

Mark’s race is the top of the ticket in Texas this cycle. The Texas Railroad Commission is one of the most powerful agencies in Texas. It regulates oil and gas and has nothing to do with railroads. In Texas, oil & gas often trump property rights. It’s messy and outrageous and will make any normal human being hopping mad if they look into it. Mark is outspoken about protecting property rights.

 

Mark has a PhD from Stanford in petroleum engineering and has spent over 40 years in the industry. In contrast, none of his opponents have worked one day in oil & gas.

 

For the Libertarian Party of Texas to retain ballot access for 2018, we need one statewide candidate to achieve 5% of the vote. This cycle, the only statewide candidates on ballots in Texas are Railroad Commission (Mark’s race) and judicial races. Almost all of our judicial candidates this year are “paper candidates”. Mark is running the most active campaign, by far.

 

We started this campaign 1 and a half years ago, when I left employment with LPTexas. We’ve raised over $70k so far and received 2 of the biggest media endorsements in Libertarian history. I expect that we’ll break $100k within the next 2 weeks. Mark is a full-time candidate. We anticipate that he’ll very likely get more media endorsements over the coming weeks. He’s talking with reporters almost daily and traveling extensively.

 

We’ve just started robo calls to strategic areas and will have mailers promoting our endorsements starting in the next few days. We are planning a major radio buy that will flood the talk radio airwaves across Texas with Mark’s name and info on his endorsements and the LP for 2 weeks before early voting begins. This will cost $50k and we think this is critical to achieving the 5% needed to ensure ballot access. We’ve raised approximately $30k towards this so far and we expect to receive the final funding on that within the next week.

 

If we are unable to achieve the 5% needed to secure ballot access, it will take approximately 80,000 verified signatures to regain ballot access. I’m told we’d need to shoot for approximately 125,000 signatures or more to make sure we have enough “good” signatures. In Texas, if someone votes in a primary, they are not eligible to sign a ballot access petition and this makes it more difficult. The signatures would have to be gathered within a 75 day window. Experts tell me that this would likely cost between $250,000 and $500,000.

 

In my opinion, it is far better to spend money now, promoting an exceptional candidate, rather than having to scramble to raise even more money to regain ballot access in 2018 or 2020. I know the fundraising situation in Texas better than anyone. If we lose ballot access, it will likely be 2020 before we can afford to regain it.

 

Mark is a candidate that makes us all extra proud to be Libertarians. He’s highly qualified, and skilled communicator, and represents us very well. He can walk into a room of people who are skeptical or even of the Libertarian Party and when he walks out, they respect us and many support us.


Here are our goals for Mark’s campaign: 1) achieve 5% (or far more!) of the vote in order to retain ballot access for 2018; 2) grow the Libertarian Party. Mark’s a team player. We are promoting Libertarians up and down the ballot whenever we can."

"

If the LNC donates to Mark’s campaign, we’d use the money on radio buys, and/or carefully targeted robo calls, and/or large postcard to strategic areas, educating voters about the endorsements, Mark’s credentials, and the LP.

 

I think the max that the LNC could give Mark’s campaign directly, by law, is $5k. My understanding, based on what Bob Johnston has told me, is that if the LNC wanted to give more, they could donate it to LPTexas (which is currently an FEC filing entity) with the understanding that LPTexas would then donate the funds to the campaign. LPTexas receives directed donations regularly and I don’t foresee any problem with working with them in this way. One SLEC member said in the SLEC meeting yesterday that “Mark is our shining star”. SLEC, the officers, and key players, all agree and I think they’d be delighted to help in this way.

 

Folks can read more about Mark here: miller4tx.com"

"

 

"Thank you for considering supporting his campaign. If anyone would like to talk with me directly, they can call/text me at 931 249 9924 or email me at lau...@miller4tx.com"



Here are some links she sent to me also:


http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/recommendations/article/For-the-RRC-9206271.php?t=76087424ea438d9cbb

 

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20160915-we-recommend-mark-miller-for-texas-railroad-commissioner.ece

 


Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member




























































































































































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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 10:44:08 AM9/19/16
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Daniel,

I would co-sponsor a motion for a LNC contribution to Mark Miller's campaign and/or a targeted contribution to the LPTX in 
his behalf based on the information provided above.

However, you better write the motion and get it submitted for an email ballot very quickly as time is running out on this 
election year.

Live Free,


Sam Goldstein
Libertarian National Committee
Member at Large
8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
Indianapolis IN 46260

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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 10:52:44 AM9/19/16
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Daniel, this is a welcomed, and unexpected, gesture.  As I disclosed to this body in June, I have been serving as Mark Miller's Gulf Coast Regional Coordinator since 2015.  I don't just want Mark to secure 5% of the vote for ballot access - I want Mark to win.  We all stand to benefit from the momentum Mark's campaign has right now.  Expanding Mark's reach will have a major positive impact on future politics/policies across Texas, where so much is at stake.

Whitney Bilyeu
Region 7 Representative

  


[Message clipped]  

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:04:48 AM9/19/16
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Daniel,

This is excellent and well thought-out.  I am eager to support a proposal moving in this direction.

-- 
In Liberty,
Caryn Ann Harlos
Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Har...@LP.org
Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
--
In Liberty,
Caryn Ann Harlos
Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Har...@LP.org
Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus




lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:18:22 AM9/19/16
to lnc-business, lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
DanieL You beat me to the punch by one hour. I will co-sponsor such a motion. Yes, I would like to win this election, as well, but do be advised that Texas has a straight ticket voting device that, according to Richard Winger, about half of Texas voters employ (of course, some of them pull the Libertarian lever on this). Thanks, Bill Redpath
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 9/19/16, Daniel Hayes <daniel...@icloud.com> wrote:

Subject: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
To: "lnc-business" <lnc-bu...@lp.org>
Date: Monday, September 19, 2016, 10:11 AM

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................







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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:18:37 AM9/19/16
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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:31:11 AM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, bob.jo...@lp.org
Sam,

I agree about the time.  I wanted to hit send on what I had written already this morning before the hygienist started the cleaning.   

 I started writing this current email in the dentist chair, when he came up and saw my Louisiana Libertarian shirt he said he liked it.  He's currently independent but is going to be ReRegistering along with his wife.  She apparently is former military and has been donating to the Johnson campaign.


But back on topic, before we put a motion out there, how much should we commit? 

 Should we do two separate motions?  One to Mark's campaign and one to TX LP with the understanding they donate to his campaign?  


I have CCed Bob Johnston on here since apparently he and I are psychically linked and both wrote Lauren at almost the same time and he seems to have a better understanding of what we can do in TX than I do.

Bob what are the limits that the NLP/LNC could donate to the Mark Miller campaign?

Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member


Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 19, 2016, at 9:43 AM, Sam Goldstein <goldstei...@gmail.com> wrote:

Daniel,

I would co-sponsor a motion for a LNC contribution to Mark Miller's campaign and/or a targeted contribution to the LPTX in 
his behalf based on the information provided above.

However, you better write the motion and get it submitted for an email ballot very quickly as time is running out on this 
election year.

Live Free,


Sam Goldstein
Libertarian National Committee
Member at Large
8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
Indianapolis IN 46260

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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:39:13 AM9/19/16
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In the past, this was something we didn't really do, as far as I know.  Certainly we didn't do it last term.  Therefore, as we started getting these requests this term, I felt a little rudderless.  In my mind, I've come up with some criteria that define for me when we should do this.  I don't think I'm closing the barn door here - I think I'm just making conscious the calculations I was already doing.  Here are the criteria I came up with for myself:
1.  Raised significant money.  Obviously "significant" varies from race to race, but a reasonable estimate here is to compare what is requested to what has been raised.  I don't think the LNC contribution should be 50% of a campaign.  When you get to 25%, I start becoming more agreeable.
2.  A reasonable goal with national significance.  Your goal is winning?  Great - why do you think you can achieve that?  Your goal is winning with a secondary goal of retaining ballot access - I'm going to price it on ballot access.  Your goal is "just let people know what a libertarian is?"  I'm not likely to vote for that.  In this case, there is a very reasonable goal, even if it is a secondary goal, and it has national significance.  If we can spend some money now to drastically reduce the probability of spending a lot of money in the future, that seems like a logical thing to do.  

With that in mind, do we have any poll data?  We have a very specific goal here, which is good.  To determine what I'd want to give, I'd like to know where we stand.  Having lived in Texas, I happen to know it is very large, which to me makes these numbers more important.

I have one further suggestion, and I'll probably write a motion on this topic for next weekend's meeting.  We are also flying relatively blind with respect to how much to spend on things.  I think we can go a long way towards fixing that if we set aside a bundle of money for this purpose.  It's easier to decide how much to spend if you know how much is allocated for this purpose.  Let's choose an appropriate line and bring it to the amount we want to spend on down-ticket candidates, or else let's create a line for this.  To a child, 20 years and $20 can never be spent.  

Joshua A. Katz
Westbrook CT Planning Commission (L in R seat)

On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 10:03 AM, Caryn Ann Harlos <carynan...@gmail.com> wrote:
Daniel,

This is excellent and well thought-out.  I am eager to support a proposal moving in this direction.

-- 
In Liberty,
Caryn Ann Harlos
Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Har...@LP.org
Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 8:51 AM, Whitney Bilyeu <whitn...@gmail.com> wrote:
Daniel, this is a welcomed, and unexpected, gesture.  As I disclosed to this body in June, I have been serving as Mark Miller's Gulf Coast Regional Coordinator since 2015.  I don't just want Mark to secure 5% of the vote for ballot access - I want Mark to win.  We all stand to benefit from the momentum Mark's campaign has right now.  Expanding Mark's reach will have a major positive impact on future politics/policies across Texas, where so much is at stake.

Whitney Bilyeu
Region 7 Representative

  

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--
In Liberty,
Caryn Ann Harlos
Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Har...@LP.org
Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus




lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:40:07 AM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, lnc-business

May we first have an opinion from legal counsel stating that we can direct funds this way to a candidate in Texas and what are the additional campaign finance reporting requirements (if any)?

 

How do we intelligently gauge the likelihood that spending only this much money in the manner suggested will move the needle in a state the size of Texas? Are we trying to dilute a dirty lake with a glass of clean water?

 

 

From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-busine...@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Hayes
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 7:11 AM
To: lnc-business
Subject: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

 

 

Mr. Chairman and fellow LNC members,

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................







lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:40:08 AM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, lnc-business

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:41:55 AM9/19/16
to Bob Johnston, lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Bob,

Research fast please.  It would be good to get this up today.


Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 19, 2016, at 10:35 AM, Bob Johnston <bob.jo...@lp.org> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I need to research how much the LNC can donate to a non-federal candidate, and get back to you.

 

My original thought was to donate the funds directly to the LPTX, which is a federal filing party, and have them funnel the funds to the Miller campaign.

 

Bob

 

 


From: Daniel Hayes [mailto:daniel...@icloud.com]
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 11:30 AM
To: lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Cc: bob.jo...@lp.org
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

 

Sam,

 

I agree about the time.  I wanted to hit send on what I had written already this morning before the hygienist started the cleaning.   

 

 I started writing this current email in the dentist chair, when he came up and saw my Louisiana Libertarian shirt he said he liked it.  He's currently independent but is going to be ReRegistering along with his wife.  She apparently is former military and has been donating to the Johnson campaign.

 

 

But back on topic, before we put a motion out there, how much should we commit? 

 

 Should we do two separate motions?  One to Mark's campaign and one to TX LP with the understanding they donate to his campaign?  

 


I have CCed Bob Johnston on here since apparently he and I are psychically linked and both wrote Lauren at almost the same time and he seems to have a better understanding of what we can do in TX than I do.

 

Bob what are the limits that the NLP/LNC could donate to the Mark Miller campaign?

 

Daniel Hayes

LNC At Large Member

 

 

Sent from my iPhone


On Sep 19, 2016, at 9:43 AM, Sam Goldstein <goldstei...@gmail.com> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I would co-sponsor a motion for a LNC contribution to Mark Miller's campaign and/or a targeted contribution to the LPTX in 

his behalf based on the information provided above.

 

However, you better write the motion and get it submitted for an email ballot very quickly as time is running out on this 

election year.

 

Live Free,

 


Sam Goldstein

Libertarian National Committee

Member at Large

8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101

Indianapolis IN 46260

317-850-0726 Phone

 

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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:44:51 AM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
I think a first bite at figuring out that likelihood would involve any poll results that are available (if any), together with a rough estimate of voters per dollar for top of the ticket third-party candidates in Texas.  If he's currently at 4%, that's very different from currently at 1% or currently at 10%.

Joshua A. Katz
Westbrook CT Planning Commission (L in R seat)

On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 10:39 AM, Aaron Starr <star...@gmail.com> wrote:

May we first have an opinion from legal counsel stating that we can direct funds this way to a candidate in Texas and what are the additional campaign finance reporting requirements (if any)?

 

How do we intelligently gauge the likelihood that spending only this much money in the manner suggested will move the needle in a state the size of Texas? Are we trying to dilute a dirty lake with a glass of clean water?

 

 

From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Hayes


Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 7:11 AM
To: lnc-business

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:45:12 AM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
I'm not certain on this and obviously we should make certain on the facts.

But, I'm thinking there is no limit on how much the LNC can contribute
directly to the Miller campaign in Texas.

Also, I'm thinking it took 47,086 valid signatures to get full statewide
party ballot access in Texas this year, so I want to see why it's 80,000
(verified) in two years.

Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
> <http://miller4tx.com/>"
>
> "
>
> "Thank you for considering supporting his campaign. If anyone would
> like to talk with me directly, they can call/text me at 931 249 9924
> or email me at lau...@miller4tx.com <mailto:lau...@miller4tx.com>"

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 11:54:39 AM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, Bob Johnston

Bob, if you're researching this, also be sure to check on any timing issues, in other words are there restrictions or deadlines on when a committee has to tell the Texas Ethics Commission they plan to spend money on a candidate for the November 8, 2016 elections. It could vary whether it's the state party or directly to the candidate, so that might affect whether giving through LPTexas versus directly to the candidate.


Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
On 9/19/2016 11:40 AM, Daniel Hayes wrote:
Bob,

Research fast please.  It would be good to get this up today.


Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 19, 2016, at 10:35 AM, Bob Johnston <bob.jo...@lp.org> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I need to research how much the LNC can donate to a non-federal candidate, and get back to you.

 

My original thought was to donate the funds directly to the LPTX, which is a federal filing party, and have them funnel the funds to the Miller campaign.

 

Bob

 

 


From: Daniel Hayes [mailto:daniel...@icloud.com]
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 11:30 AM
To: lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Cc: bob.jo...@lp.org
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

 

Sam,

 

I agree about the time.  I wanted to hit send on what I had written already this morning before the hygienist started the cleaning.   

 

 I started writing this current email in the dentist chair, when he came up and saw my Louisiana Libertarian shirt he said he liked it.  He's currently independent but is going to be ReRegistering along with his wife.  She apparently is former military and has been donating to the Johnson campaign.

 

 

But back on topic, before we put a motion out there, how much should we commit? 

 

 Should we do two separate motions?  One to Mark's campaign and one to TX LP with the understanding they donate to his campaign?  

 


I have CCed Bob Johnston on here since apparently he and I are psychically linked and both wrote Lauren at almost the same time and he seems to have a better understanding of what we can do in TX than I do.

 

Bob what are the limits that the NLP/LNC could donate to the Mark Miller campaign?

 

Daniel Hayes

LNC At Large Member

 

 

Sent from my iPhone


On Sep 19, 2016, at 9:43 AM, Sam Goldstein <goldstei...@gmail.com> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I would co-sponsor a motion for a LNC contribution to Mark Miller's campaign and/or a targeted contribution to the LPTX in 

his behalf based on the information provided above.

 

However, you better write the motion and get it submitted for an email ballot very quickly as time is running out on this 

election year.

 

Live Free,

 


Sam Goldstein

Libertarian National Committee

Member at Large

8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101

Indianapolis IN 46260

317-850-0726 Phone

 

On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 10:11 AM, Daniel Hayes <daniel...@icloud.com> wrote:

Mr. Chairman and fellow LNC members,


We have been asked to make donations recently to certain campaigns.  Despite having more money to do so than in the past, we clearly don't have the means, time or frankly, even the desire to donate to every person's campaign that is running as a Libertarian.  We need to develop some criteria to apply to the process to make it as fair and efficient as we possibly can.    I think that there should be implications of the campaign beyond just electing that one person to office.   

 

I intend to bring or support a motion for the NLP/LNC to donate funds to Mark Miller's campaign for Railroad Commissioner in Texas.  What's at stake is ballot access in Texas.  If they do not have a statewide candidate achieve 5% in this election, they lose their current ballot access and with the size of Texas, it will likely cost us multiple 6 figures getting it back.  At present Dr. Miller's campaign is the only one that could be considered more than a paper candidacy.  As we had been having discussions about which campaigns should the LNC be donating to, it crossed my mind that Mark Miller's was exactly the sort we should be lending assistance to.  It also occurred to me that we might be hearing a little less about it than we might because his campaign manager is also our Special Projects Director, Lauren Daugherty and I know she works very hard to try and keep those roles separated.

Making it brief, Mark Miller has raised significant money already, his campaign stands to benefit the whole TX Affiliate and save it and the NLP a LOT of money, he is highly qualified for the job,  he has gotten major endorsements.

With that in mind I reached out to Lauren yesterday.  Apparently, some other people were having some of the same thoughts at the same time.
Here is Lauren's response to my inquiry.

"

Mark Miller is an exceptional candidate. He’s highly qualified for the position he’s seeking and more qualified (by far) than his 3 opponents. If he was elected, he would be well prepared to serve. He’s been a Libertarian since the 1970s and is well versed on Libertarianism and able to communicate Libertarian ideas well. And, he’s also a solid leader. He’s well liked, kind, and personable. Rarely do we find candidates of any party that are so well rounded.

 

Mark’s race is the top of the ticket in Texas this cycle. The Texas Railroad Commission is one of the most powerful agencies in Texas. It regulates oil and gas and has nothing to do with railroads. In Texas, oil & gas often trump property rights. It’s messy and outrageous and will make any normal human being hopping mad if they look into it. Mark is outspoken about protecting property rights.

 

Mark has a PhD from Stanford in petroleum engineering and has spent over 40 years in the industry. In contrast, none of his opponents have worked one day in oil & gas.

 

For the Libertarian Party of Texas to retain ballot access for 2018, we need one statewide candidate to achieve 5% of the vote. This cycle, the only statewide candidates on ballots in Texas are Railroad Commission (Mark’s race) and judicial races. Almost all of our judicial candidates this year are “paper candidates”. Mark is running the most active campaign, by far.

 

We started this campaign 1 and a half years ago, when I left employment with LPTexas. We’ve raised over $70k so far and received 2 of the biggest media endorsements in Libertarian history. I expect that we’ll break $100k within the next 2 weeks. Mark is a full-time candidate. We anticipate that he’ll very likely get more media endorsements over the coming weeks. He’s talking with reporters almost daily and traveling extensively.

 

We’ve just started robo calls to strategic areas and will have mailers promoting our endorsements starting in the next few days. We are planning a major radio buy that will flood the talk radio airwaves across Texas with Mark’s name and info on his endorsements and the LP for 2 weeks before early voting begins. This will cost $50k and we think this is critical to achieving the 5% needed to ensure ballot access. We’ve raised approximately $30k towards this so far and we expect to receive the final funding on that within the next week.

 

If we are unable to achieve the 5% needed to secure ballot access, it will take approximately 80,000 verified signatures to regain ballot access. I’m told we’d need to shoot for approximately 125,000 signatures or more to make sure we have enough “good” signatures. In Texas, if someone votes in a primary, they are not eligible to sign a ballot access petition and this makes it more difficult. The signatures would have to be gathered within a 75 day window. Experts tell me that this would likely cost between $250,000 and $500,000.

 

In my opinion, it is far better to spend money now, promoting an exceptional candidate, rather than having to scramble to raise even more money to regain ballot access in 2018 or 2020. I know the fundraising situation in Texas better than anyone. If we lose ballot access, it will likely be 2020 before we can afford to regain it.

 

Mark is a candidate that makes us all extra proud to be Libertarians. He’s highly qualified, and skilled communicator, and represents us very well. He can walk into a room of people who are skeptical or even of the Libertarian Party and when he walks out, they respect us and many support us.


Here are our goals for Mark’s campaign: 1) achieve 5% (or far more!) of the vote in order to retain ballot access for 2018; 2) grow the Libertarian Party. Mark’s a team player. We are promoting Libertarians up and down the ballot whenever we can."

"

If the LNC donates to Mark’s campaign, we’d use the money on radio buys, and/or carefully targeted robo calls, and/or large postcard to strategic areas, educating voters about the endorsements, Mark’s credentials, and the LP.

 

I think the max that the LNC could give Mark’s campaign directly, by law, is $5k. My understanding, based on what Bob Johnston has told me, is that if the LNC wanted to give more, they could donate it to LPTexas (which is currently an FEC filing entity) with the understanding that LPTexas would then donate the funds to the campaign. LPTexas receives directed donations regularly and I don’t foresee any problem with working with them in this way. One SLEC member said in the SLEC meeting yesterday that “Mark is our shining star”. SLEC, the officers, and key players, all agree and I think they’d be delighted to help in this way.

 

Folks can read more about Mark here: miller4tx.com"

"

 

"Thank you for considering supporting his campaign. If anyone would like to talk with me directly, they can call/text me at 931 249 9924 or email me at lau...@miller4tx.com"



Here are some links she sent to me also:

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/recommendations/article/For-the-RRC-9206271.php?t=76087424ea438d9cbb

 

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20160915-we-recommend-mark-miller-for-texas-railroad-commissioner.ece

 

 

Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................








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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 12:04:34 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, Bob Johnston
If memory serves, when the LNC contributed money to Ed Coleman's campaign for Indianapolis City-County Council, the money had to flow through the LNCC since Ed want not a federal candidate.  I don't think the LNC can give any money directly to the Miller campaign but it would be a good question to pose to Paula Edwards.

Sam

Sam Goldstein
Libertarian National Committee
Member at Large
8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
Indianapolis IN 46260

On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 11:59 AM, Wes Benedict <wes.be...@lp.org> wrote:

Bob, if you're researching this, also be sure to check on any timing issues, in other words are there restrictions or deadlines on when a committee has to tell the Texas Ethics Commission they plan to spend money on a candidate for the November 8, 2016 elections. It could vary whether it's the state party or directly to the candidate, so that might affect whether giving through LPTexas versus directly to the candidate.


Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
On 9/19/2016 11:40 AM, Daniel Hayes wrote:
Bob,

Research fast please.  It would be good to get this up today.


Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 19, 2016, at 10:35 AM, Bob Johnston <bob.jo...@lp.org> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I need to research how much the LNC can donate to a non-federal candidate, and get back to you.

 

My original thought was to donate the funds directly to the LPTX, which is a federal filing party, and have them funnel the funds to the Miller campaign.

 

Bob

 

 

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 12:11:19 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, Bob Johnston

Perhaps Aaron Starr remembers, but I'm thinking the issue was that the LNC would have had to file some campaign finance reports with the state of Indiana, and you all decided that Aaron Starr and the LNCC would be willing to handle the burden of that extra campaign finance reporting. I don't think it was an issue of prohibitions on giving directly to Ed Coleman--rather reporting hassles, but again, that's off the top of my head and is about something from over 5 years ago.


Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 12:12:27 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org

Richard Winger answered the signature requirement question.


Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership


-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Re: Fwd: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2016 15:57:48 +0000 (UTC)
From: Richard Winger <richar...@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: Richard Winger <richar...@yahoo.com>
To: Wes Benedict <wes.be...@lp.org>


The same number as were required in 2016...47,086.

Last time we did the petition, in 2004, we needed 45,540.
 
Richard Winger 415-922-9779 PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147



From: Wes Benedict <wes.be...@lp.org>
To: 'Richard Winger' <richar...@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 8:23 AM
Subject: Fwd: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

Richard, do you know how many valid signatures required to get back on the ballot in 2018 if Texas in falls short this year?

Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership


-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2016 14:11:09 +0000 (GMT)
From: Daniel Hayes <daniel...@icloud.com>
Reply-To: lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
To: lnc-business <lnc-bu...@lp.org>

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 12:20:16 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org

 

All -
 
I think we need to gather more information here.  Is it legal to give this amount?  How many sigs will we need in 2017, if TX doesn't hit the 5% mark?
 
I will remind everyone that OH will also need help in 2017, and that will also be a large drive. Based on my math, Ohio will probably need a minimum of 49,500 raw sigs at 2/3rds validity next year in order to get their party label back.
 
I did see that the candidate was endorsed by one of the papers there in TX, so that's a good start. 
 
I also would prefer to create a "matching funds" scenarios rather than straight-up donations.  If we match dollar-for-dollar, then the campaign could go out an raise more money as well.  In exchange, I'd like to be sure we get contact information for those donors from the campaign.  Also, while I certainly don't want to tell a campaign what to do, I'd like to have a peek under the hood, just enough to make sure the money isn't being mostly spent on administrative or staff costs.
 
Just my $0.02 on the matter. 
 
---

Ken C. Moellman, Jr.
LNC Region 3 Alternate Representative
LPKY Judicial Committee

 

On 2016-09-19 11:50, Wes Benedict wrote:

I'm not certain on this and obviously we should make certain on the facts.

But, I'm thinking there is no limit on how much the LNC can contribute directly to the Miller campaign in Texas.

Also, I'm thinking it took 47,086 valid signatures to get full statewide party ballot access in Texas this year, so I want to see why it's 80,000 (verified) in two years.

Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
_______________________________________________
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Lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 12:22:49 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, Bob Johnston

 

Since this is a state race, the rules will vary by state.
 
---

Ken C. Moellman, Jr.
LNC Region 3 Alternate Representative
LPKY Judicial Committee

 

On 2016-09-19 12:16, Wes Benedict wrote:

Perhaps Aaron Starr remembers, but I'm thinking the issue was that the LNC would have had to file some campaign finance reports with the state of Indiana, and you all decided that Aaron Starr and the LNCC would be willing to handle the burden of that extra campaign finance reporting. I don't think it was an issue of prohibitions on giving directly to Ed Coleman--rather reporting hassles, but again, that's off the top of my head and is about something from over 5 years ago.

 

Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314

On 9/19/2016 12:03 PM, Sam Goldstein wrote:
If memory serves, when the LNC contributed money to Ed Coleman's campaign for Indianapolis City-County Council, the money had to flow through the LNCC since Ed want not a federal candidate.  I don't think the LNC can give any money directly to the Miller campaign but it would be a good question to pose to Paula Edwards.
 
Sam

Sam Goldstein
Libertarian National Committee
Member at Large
8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
Indianapolis IN 46260

On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 11:59 AM, Wes Benedict <wes.be...@lp.org> wrote:

Bob, if you're researching this, also be sure to check on any timing issues, in other words are there restrictions or deadlines on when a committee has to tell the Texas Ethics Commission they plan to spend money on a candidate for the November 8, 2016 elections. It could vary whether it's the state party or directly to the candidate, so that might affect whether giving through LPTexas versus directly to the candidate.

 

Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314

On 9/19/2016 11:40 AM, Daniel Hayes wrote:
Bob,
 
Research fast please.  It would be good to get this up today.
 
 
Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 19, 2016, at 10:35 AM, Bob Johnston <bob.jo...@lp.org> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I need to research how much the LNC can donate to a non-federal candidate, and get back to you.

 

My original thought was to donate the funds directly to the LPTX, which is a federal filing party, and have them funnel the funds to the Miller campaign.

 

Bob

 

 


From: Daniel Hayes [mailto:danielehayes@icloud.com]
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 11:30 AM
To: lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Cc: bob.jo...@lp.org
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

 

Sam,

 

I agree about the time.  I wanted to hit send on what I had written already this morning before the hygienist started the cleaning.   

 

 I started writing this current email in the dentist chair, when he came up and saw my Louisiana Libertarian shirt he said he liked it.  He's currently independent but is going to be ReRegistering along with his wife.  She apparently is former military and has been donating to the Johnson campaign.

 

 

But back on topic, before we put a motion out there, how much should we commit? 

 

 Should we do two separate motions?  One to Mark's campaign and one to TX LP with the understanding they donate to his campaign?  

 


I have CCed Bob Johnston on here since apparently he and I are psychically linked and both wrote Lauren at almost the same time and he seems to have a better understanding of what we can do in TX than I do.

 

Bob what are the limits that the NLP/LNC could donate to the Mark Miller campaign?

 

Daniel Hayes

LNC At Large Member

 

 

Sent from my iPhone


On Sep 19, 2016, at 9:43 AM, Sam Goldstein <goldstei...@gmail.com> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I would co-sponsor a motion for a LNC contribution to Mark Miller's campaign and/or a targeted contribution to the LPTX in 

his behalf based on the information provided above.

 

However, you better write the motion and get it submitted for an email ballot very quickly as time is running out on this 

election year.

 

Live Free,

 


Sam Goldstein

Libertarian National Committee

Member at Large

8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101

Indianapolis IN 46260

317-850-0726 Phone

 

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 12:41:27 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, Bob Johnston

Robert says my recollection is 100% correct -- so now I'm 66.7% certain I remember correctly : ). Aaron Starr's confirmation would make it 100%.


Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership


-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: RE: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2016 12:38:28 -0400
From: Robert Kraus <robert...@lp.org>
To: 'Wes Benedict' <wes.be...@lp.org>, 'Bob Johnston' <bob.jo...@lp.org>


Your recollection is 100% correct.

 

Live Free!​​​​

 

Robert


Robert S. Kraus - Dir of Operations
Opera...@LP.org
Libertarian National Committee
Ph: 202.333.0008 x 231

 

Join today: https://www.lp.org/membership

LP FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/libertarians

size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 12:49:54 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Mark Miller has been endorsed by TWO of the largest newspapers in Texas, so far...Houston Chronicle and Dallas Morning News.  Links to those were included in Daniel's original e-mail, I believe.





lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 1:11:42 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
I will cosponsor this, for the obvious strategic benefit

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 1:27:22 PM9/19/16
to William Redpath, lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
We are well aware of that serious issue in Texas...  In fact, part of our ground game strategy is to educate voters on how to vote for Mark Miller, even if they still insist on voting straight-ticket otherwise.  We (all of us LPers in Texas, not just Mark's campaign) are hitting that issue as much as we can.

Whitney Bilyeu

On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 10:13 AM, William Redpath <wred...@yahoo.com> wrote:
DanieL  You beat me to the punch by one hour.  I will co-sponsor such a motion.  Yes, I would like to win this election, as well, but do be advised that Texas has a straight ticket voting device that, according to Richard Winger, about half of Texas voters employ (of course, some of them pull the Libertarian lever on this).  Thanks, Bill Redpath
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 9/19/16, Daniel Hayes <daniel...@icloud.com> wrote:

 Subject: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
 To: "lnc-business" <lnc-bu...@lp.org>
 Date: Monday, September 19, 2016, 10:11 AM
 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................







 -----Inline Attachment Follows-----

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 1:33:52 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, Bob Johnston
That matches my recollection, but the rules for Texas may be different than they are (or were) in Indiana. 

Aaron Starr

Sent from my iPhone

Daniel Hayes

LNC At Large Member

Sent from my iPhone


On Sep 19, 2016, at 10:35 AM, Bob Johnston <bob.jo...@lp.org> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I need to research how much the LNC can donate to a non-federal candidate, and get back to you.

 

My original thought was to donate the funds directly to the LPTX, which is a federal filing party, and have them funnel the funds to the Miller campaign.

 

Bob

 

 


From: Daniel Hayes [mailto:danielehayes@icloud.com]
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 11:30 AM
To: lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Cc: bob.jo...@lp.org
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

 

Sam,

 

I agree about the time.  I wanted to hit send on what I had written already this morning before the hygienist started the cleaning.   

 

 I started writing this current email in the dentist chair, when he came up and saw my Louisiana Libertarian shirt he said he liked it.  He's currently independent but is going to be ReRegistering along with his wife.  She apparently is former military and has been donating to the Johnson campaign.

 

 

But back on topic, before we put a motion out there, how much should we commit? 

 

 Should we do two separate motions?  One to Mark's campaign and one to TX LP with the understanding they donate to his campaign?  

 


I have CCed Bob Johnston on here since apparently he and I are psychically linked and both wrote Lauren at almost the same time and he seems to have a better understanding of what we can do in TX than I do.

 

Bob what are the limits that the NLP/LNC could donate to the Mark Miller campaign?

 

Daniel Hayes

LNC At Large Member

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

On Sep 19, 2016, at 9:43 AM, Sam Goldstein <goldstei...@gmail.com> wrote:

Daniel,

 

I would co-sponsor a motion for a LNC contribution to Mark Miller's campaign and/or a targeted contribution to the LPTX in 

his behalf based on the information provided above.

 

However, you better write the motion and get it submitted for an email ballot very quickly as time is running out on this 

election year.

 

Live Free,

 


Sam Goldstein

Libertarian National Committee

Member at Large

8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101

Indianapolis IN 46260

317-850-0726 Phone

 

_______________________________________________
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_______________________________________________
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_______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

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lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 1:39:29 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Instead of Robocalls and other proposed uses of money, I am wondering if perhaps we can get more bang for the buck by paying a PR firm to arrange meetings (along with supporting collateral material) with editorial boards of other Texas newspapers. 

Aaron Starr

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 19, 2016, at 9:48 AM, Whitney Bilyeu <whitn...@gmail.com> wrote:

Mark Miller has been endorsed by TWO of the largest newspapers in Texas, so far...Houston Chronicle and Dallas Morning News.  Links to those were included in Daniel's original e-mail, I believe.




lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 2:13:05 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
I submit that 100% of any LNC donation would be spent on voter outreach, whether it is radio buys, robo calls, or mailers…not on overhead etc.

Mr. Starr, Mark has met with a number of editorial boards, and has no need for a PR firm to help make that happen.

Whitney Bilyeu


[Message clipped]  

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 2:33:11 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org

"How do we intelligently gauge the likelihood that spending only this much money in the manner suggested will move the needle in a state the size of Texas? Are we trying to dilute a dirty lake with a glass of clean water?"


Aaron Starr


Sent from my iPhone

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 3:30:44 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
With regard to polls...  Media outlets don't typically poll for this race, since it has never really been a close race to watch.  Mark's campaign has looked into paying for polling, but experts are reporting that it would be more costly than it is worth, given the size of TX and the possibility that our results would fall within the margin of error.

One important thing to remember is that this race is for Texas Railroad Commission....which is exactly why no one pays attention to it (historically).  No one cares about the Railroad.  **However, this Commission has nothing to do with the railroad, and EVERYTHING to do with Oil & Gas (and uranium).  Mark's campaign has been instrumental in finally bringing this to the attention of voters in Texas.  Any additional support would expand his reach, and bring this deceptively named commission out of the shadows - making the election of its commissioners an important matter in the future - opening the door to even greater success for a Libertarian candidate.    

With regard to a fund-matching option...the campaign is currently engaged in such an effort, and has been very thorough in their fundraising so far.  Considering that a matching project is currently underway, it would seem that making the LNC donation a matching option, as well, would only be productive if the LP provided donor info for potential donors outside Texas.

Whitney Bilyeu


lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 3:35:10 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, Lauren Daugherty
Whitney or Lauren,

Are there any Texas campaign finance laws that would prevent the LNC from giving money either directly to the MIller
Campaign or to the LPTX on his behalf?

Live Free,



Sam Goldstein
Libertarian National Committee
Member at Large
8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
Indianapolis IN 46260

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

unread,
Sep 19, 2016, 3:43:01 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
I will defer to Lauren on this one.

Whitney

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 9:42:17 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Okay, absent polling, what can we rely on to see if we'll actually make a difference?  Does this race typically have a lot of undervotes?  I'm guessing not because of the straight ticket voting?  If it's a low interest race it sounds like a real uphill battle.  Does the campaign have an idea of how many people the ads and robocalls they want to do will reach?

Joshua A. Katz
Westbrook CT Planning Commission (L in R seat)

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 10:13:32 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
There are some numbers on Ballotpedia about the campaigns in past.  When Mark Miller ran for one of the other Railroad commission seats in 2014 he had $825 in expenditures.  He got about 3.2% of the vote with about 145,000 votes and  3 other candidates in the race like this time around.

They say they are at about $70,000 in donations so far for this race.  We can expect more people to be pulling the lever straight Libertarian this time so that will help.   If $20,000 only gets us 10 votes when we would have been 10 votes shy of 5% and we find ourselves dropping $200,000 or twice that to get ballot access back we will kick ourselves all the way to the bank and back.

Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member

Sent from my iPhone

lnc-...@hq.lp.org

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Sep 19, 2016, 10:37:58 PM9/19/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org, Bob Johnston
As mentioned on one of the numerous e-mails sent today, the $5000 limit applies to a National Committee contributing to a Federal Candidate Committee. The FEC publications use the term "committee" in a specific way and it refers to organizations whose federal election activities exceed one of the registration thresholds. The Federal Election Campaign Act does not set a limit on contributions from a National Committee to a non-federal candidate, which is why the LNC was able to contribute $10,000 (the limit set by Nevada law) to Assemblyman Moore.

According to the Texas Campaign Finance Guide for Out-of-State Political Committees (https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/guides/out_of_state_committees_guide.htm#PAC_REPORT), the reporting requirement is not burdensome:

An out-of-state political committee that files reports electronically in another jurisdiction may comply with this reporting requirement by sending a letter to the commission specifying in detail where the electronic report may be found on the website of the agency with which the out-of-state political committee is
required to file its reports.

I can handle this burden if the LNC contributes to the Mark Miller campaign.

Tim Hagan


From: "star...@gmail.com" <star...@gmail.com>
To: lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Cc: Bob Johnston <bob.jo...@lp.org>
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 10:32 AM
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Fwd: RE: LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

That matches my recollection, but the rules for Texas may be different than they are (or were) in Indiana. 

Aaron Starr

Sent from my iPhone
From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-busine...@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Wes Benedict

Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 12:16 PM
To: lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Cc: Bob Johnston
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign
 
Perhaps Aaron Starr remembers, but I'm thinking the issue was that the LNC would have had to file some campaign finance reports with the state of Indiana , and you all decided that Aaron Starr and the LNCC would be willing to handle the burden of that extra campaign finance reporting. I don't think it was an issue of prohibitions on giving directly to Ed Coleman--rather reporting hassles, but again, that's off the top of my head and is about something from over 5 years ago.
 
Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St. , Alexandria , VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
On 9/19/2016 12:03 PM, Sam Goldstein wrote:
If memory serves, when the LNC contributed money to Ed Coleman's campaign for Indianapolis City-County Council, the money had to flow through the LNCC since Ed want not a federal candidate.  I don't think the LNC can give any money directly to the Miller campaign but it would be a good question to pose to Paula Edwards.
 
Sam

Sam Goldstein
Libertarian National Committee
Member at Large
8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
Indianapolis IN 46260
 
On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 11:59 AM, Wes Benedict <wes.be...@lp.org> wrote:
Bob, if you're researching this, also be sure to check on any timing issues, in other words are there restrictions or deadlines on when a committee has to tell the Texas Ethics Commission they plan to spend money on a candidate for the November 8, 2016 elections. It could vary whether it's the state party or directly to the candidate, so that might affect whether giving through LPTexas versus directly to the candidate.
 
Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St. , Alexandria , VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.be...@lp.org
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
On 9/19/2016 11:40 AM, Daniel Hayes wrote:
Bob,
 
Research fast please.  It would be good to get this up today.
 
 
Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 19, 2016, at 10:35 AM, Bob Johnston <bob.jo...@lp.org> wrote:
Daniel,
 
I need to research how much the LNC can donate to a non-federal candidate, and get back to you.
 
My original thought was to donate the funds directly to the LPTX, which is a federal filing party, and have them funnel the funds to the Miller campaign.
 
Bob
 
 

From: Daniel Hayes [mailto:danielehayes@icloud. com]
I intend to bring or support a motion for the NLP/LNC to donate funds to Mark Miller's campaign for Railroad Commissioner in Texas .  What's at stake is ballot access in Texas .  If they do not have a statewide candidate achieve 5% in this election, they lose their current ballot access and with the size of Texas , it will likely cost us multiple 6 figures getting it back.  At present Dr. Miller's campaign is the only one that could be considered more than a paper candidacy.  As we had been having discussions about which campaigns should the LNC be donating to, it crossed my mind that Mark Miller's was exactly the sort we should be lending assistance to.  It also occurred to me that we might be hearing a little less about it than we might because his campaign manager is also our Special Projects Director, Lauren Daugherty and I know she works very hard to try and keep those roles separated.


Making it brief, Mark Miller has raised significant money already, his campaign stands to benefit the whole TX Affiliate and save it and the NLP a LOT of money, he is highly qualified for the job,  he has gotten major endorsements.

With that in mind I reached out to Lauren yesterday.  Apparently, some other people were having some of the same thoughts at the same time.
Here is Lauren's response to my inquiry.

"
Mark Miller is an exceptional candidate. He’s highly qualified for the position he’s seeking and more qualified (by far) than his 3 opponents. If he was elected, he would be well prepared to serve. He’s been a Libertarian since the 1970s and is well versed on Libertarianism and able to communicate Libertarian ideas well. And, he’s also a solid leader. He’s well liked, kind, and personable. Rarely do we find candidates of any party that are so well rounded.
 
Mark’s race is the top of the ticket in Texas this cycle. The Texas Railroad Commission is one of the most powerful agencies in Texas . It regulates oil and gas and has nothing to do with railroads. In Texas , oil & gas often trump property rights. It’s messy and outrageous and will make any normal human being hopping mad if they look into it. Mark is outspoken about protecting property rights.
 
Mark has a PhD from Stanford in petroleum engineering and has spent over 40 years in the industry. In contrast, none of his opponents have worked one day in oil & gas.
 
For the Libertarian Party of Texas to retain ballot access for 2018, we need one statewide candidate to achieve 5% of the vote. This cycle, the only statewide candidates on ballots in Texas are Railroad Commission (Mark’s race) and judicial races. Almost all of our judicial candidates this year are “paper candidates”. Mark is running the most active campaign, by far.
 
We started this campaign 1 and a half years ago, when I left employment with LPTexas. We’ve raised over $70k so far and received 2 of the biggest media endorsements in Libertarian history. I expect that we’ll break $100k within the next 2 weeks. Mark is a full-time candidate. We anticipate that he’ll very likely get more media endorsements over the coming weeks. He’s talking with reporters almost daily and traveling extensively.
 
We’ve just started robo calls to strategic areas and will have mailers promoting our endorsements starting in the next few days. We are planning a major radio buy that will flood the talk radio airwaves across Texas with Mark’s name and info on his endorsements and the LP for 2 weeks before early voting begins. This will cost $50k and we think this is critical to achieving the 5% needed to ensure ballot access. We’ve raised approximately $30k towards this so far and we expect to receive the final funding on that within the next week.
 
If we are unable to achieve the 5% needed to secure ballot access, it will take approximately 80,000 verified signatures to regain ballot access. I’m told we’d need to shoot for approximately 125,000 signatures or more to make sure we have enough “good” signatures. In Texas , if someone votes in a primary, they are not eligible to sign a ballot access petition and this makes it more difficult. The signatures would have to be gathered within a 75 day window. Experts tell me that this would likely cost between $250,000 and $500,000.
 
In my opinion, it is far better to spend money now, promoting an exceptional candidate, rather than having to scramble to raise even more money to regain ballot access in 2018 or 2020. I know the fundraising situation in Texas better than anyone. If we lose ballot access, it will likely be 2020 before we can afford to regain it.
 
Mark is a candidate that makes us all extra proud to be Libertarians. He’s highly qualified, and skilled communicator, and represents us very well. He can walk into a room of people who are skeptical or even of the Libertarian Party and when he walks out, they respect us and many support us.

Here are our goals for Mark’s campaign: 1) achieve 5% (or far more!) of the vote in order to retain ballot access for 2018; 2) grow the Libertarian Party. Mark’s a team player. We are promoting Libertarians up and down the ballot whenever we can."

"
If the LNC donates to Mark’s campaign, we’d use the money on radio buys, and/or carefully targeted robo calls, and/or large postcard to strategic areas, educating voters about the endorsements, Mark’s credentials, and the LP.
 
I think the max that the LNC could give Mark’s campaign directly, by law, is $5k. My understanding, based on what Bob Johnston has told me, is that if the LNC wanted to give more, they could donate it to LPTexas (which is currently an FEC filing entity) with the understanding that LPTexas would then donate the funds to the campaign. LPTexas receives directed donations regularly and I don’t foresee any problem with working with them in this way. One SLEC member said in the SLEC meeting yesterday that “Mark is our shining star”. SLEC, the officers, and key players, all agree and I think they’d be delighted to help in this way.
 
Folks can read more about Mark here: miller4tx.com"

"
 
"Thank you for considering supporting his campaign. If anyone would like to talk with me directly, they can call/text me at 931 249 9924 or email me at lau...@miller4tx.com"


Here are some links she sent to me also:
 
 
 
Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. ..................






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Sep 30, 2016, 10:41:10 PM9/30/16
to lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org

Mark has now received endorsements from the Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express, and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.


On Sep 19, 2016 11:48 AM, "Whitney Bilyeu" <whitn...@gmail.com> wrote:
Mark Miller has been endorsed by TWO of the largest newspapers in Texas, so far...Houston Chronicle and Dallas Morning News.  Links to those were included in Daniel's original e-mail, I believe.




From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Wes Benedict
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 12:16 PM
To: lnc-bu...@hq.lp.org
Cc: Bob Johnston
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] LP Donation to Mark Miller Campaign

 

Perhaps Aaron Starr remembers, but I'm thinking the issue was that the LNC would have had to file some campaign finance reports with the state of Indiana, and you all decided that Aaron Starr and the LNCC would be willing to handle the burden of that extra campaign finance reporting. I don't think it was an issue of prohibitions on giving directly to Ed Coleman--rather reporting hassles, but again, that's off the top of my head and is about something from over 5 years ago.

 

Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314

On 9/19/2016 12:03 PM, Sam Goldstein wrote:

If memory serves, when the LNC contributed money to Ed Coleman's campaign for Indianapolis City-County Council, the money had to flow through the LNCC since Ed want not a federal candidate.  I don't think the LNC can give any money directly to the Miller campaign but it would be a good question to pose to Paula Edwards.

 

Sam


Sam Goldstein

Libertarian National Committee

Member at Large

8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101

Indianapolis IN 46260

317-850-0726 Phone

 

On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 11:59 AM, Wes Benedict <wes.be...@lp.org> wrote:

Bob, if you're researching this, also be sure to check on any timing issues, in other words are there restrictions or deadlines on when a committee has to tell the Texas Ethics Commission they plan to spend money on a candidate for the November 8, 2016 elections. It could vary whether it's the state party or directly to the candidate, so that might affect whether giving through LPTexas versus directly to the candidate.

 

Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314

On 9/19/2016 11:40 AM, Daniel Hayes wrote:

I intend to bring or support a motion for the NLP/LNC to donate funds to Mark Miller's campaign for Railroad Commissioner in Texas.  What's at stake is ballot access in Texas.  If they do not have a statewide candidate achieve 5% in this election, they lose their current ballot access and with the size of Texas, it will likely cost us multiple 6 figures getting it back.  At present Dr. Miller's campaign is the only one that could be considered more than a paper candidacy.  As we had been having discussions about which campaigns should the LNC be donating to, it crossed my mind that Mark Miller's was exactly the sort we should be lending assistance to.  It also occurred to me that we might be hearing a little less about it than we might because his campaign manager is also our Special Projects Director, Lauren Daugherty and I know she works very hard to try and keep those roles separated.



Making it brief, Mark Miller has raised significant money already, his campaign stands to benefit the whole TX Affiliate and save it and the NLP a LOT of money, he is highly qualified for the job,  he has gotten major endorsements.

With that in mind I reached out to Lauren yesterday.  Apparently, some other people were having some of the same thoughts at the same time.
Here is Lauren's response to my inquiry.

"

Mark Miller is an exceptional candidate. He’s highly qualified for the position he’s seeking and more qualified (by far) than his 3 opponents. If he was elected, he would be well prepared to serve. He’s been a Libertarian since the 1970s and is well versed on Libertarianism and able to communicate Libertarian ideas well. And, he’s also a solid leader. He’s well liked, kind, and personable. Rarely do we find candidates of any party that are so well rounded.

 

Mark’s race is the top of the ticket in Texas this cycle. The Texas Railroad Commission is one of the most powerful agencies in Texas. It regulates oil and gas and has nothing to do with railroads. In Texas, oil & gas often trump property rights. It’s messy and outrageous and will make any normal human being hopping mad if they look into it. Mark is outspoken about protecting property rights.

 

Mark has a PhD from Stanford in petroleum engineering and has spent over 40 years in the industry. In contrast, none of his opponents have worked one day in oil & gas.

 

For the Libertarian Party of Texas to retain ballot access for 2018, we need one statewide candidate to achieve 5% of the vote. This cycle, the only statewide candidates on ballots in Texas are Railroad Commission (Mark’s race) and judicial races. Almost all of our judicial candidates this year are “paper candidates”. Mark is running the most active campaign, by far.

 

We started this campaign 1 and a half years ago, when I left employment with LPTexas. We’ve raised over $70k so far and received 2 of the biggest media endorsements in Libertarian history. I expect that we’ll break $100k within the next 2 weeks. Mark is a full-time candidate. We anticipate that he’ll very likely get more media endorsements over the coming weeks. He’s talking with reporters almost daily and traveling extensively.

 

We’ve just started robo calls to strategic areas and will have mailers promoting our endorsements starting in the next few days. We are planning a major radio buy that will flood the talk radio airwaves across Texas with Mark’s name and info on his endorsements and the LP for 2 weeks before early voting begins. This will cost $50k and we think this is critical to achieving the 5% needed to ensure ballot access. We’ve raised approximately $30k towards this so far and we expect to receive the final funding on that within the next week.

 

If we are unable to achieve the 5% needed to secure ballot access, it will take approximately 80,000 verified signatures to regain ballot access. I’m told we’d need to shoot for approximately 125,000 signatures or more to make sure we have enough “good” signatures. In Texas, if someone votes in a primary, they are not eligible to sign a ballot access petition and this makes it more difficult. The signatures would have to be gathered within a 75 day window. Experts tell me that this would likely cost between $250,000 and $500,000.

 

In my opinion, it is far better to spend money now, promoting an exceptional candidate, rather than having to scramble to raise even more money to regain ballot access in 2018 or 2020. I know the fundraising situation in Texas better than anyone. If we lose ballot access, it will likely be 2020 before we can afford to regain it.

 

Mark is a candidate that makes us all extra proud to be Libertarians. He’s highly qualified, and skilled communicator, and represents us very well. He can walk into a room of people who are skeptical or even of the Libertarian Party and when he walks out, they respect us and many support us.


Here are our goals for Mark’s campaign: 1) achieve 5% (or far more!) of the vote in order to retain ballot access for 2018; 2) grow the Libertarian Party. Mark’s a team player. We are promoting Libertarians up and down the ballot whenever we can."

"

If the LNC donates to Mark’s campaign, we’d use the money on radio buys, and/or carefully targeted robo calls, and/or large postcard to strategic areas, educating voters about the endorsements, Mark’s credentials, and the LP.

 

I think the max that the LNC could give Mark’s campaign directly, by law, is $5k. My understanding, based on what Bob Johnston has told me, is that if the LNC wanted to give more, they could donate it to LPTexas (which is currently an FEC filing entity) with the understanding that LPTexas would then donate the funds to the campaign. LPTexas receives directed donations regularly and I don’t foresee any problem with working with them in this way. One SLEC member said in the SLEC meeting yesterday that “Mark is our shining star”. SLEC, the officers, and key players, all agree and I think they’d be delighted to help in this way.

 

Folks can read more about Mark here: miller4tx.com"

"

 

"Thank you for considering supporting his campaign. If anyone would like to talk with me directly, they can call/text me at 931 249 9924 or email me at lau...@miller4tx.com"



Here are some links she sent to me also:

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/recommendations/article/For-the-RRC-9206271.php?t=76087424ea438d9cbb

 

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20160915-we-recommend-mark-miller-for-texas-railroad-commissioner.ece

 

 

Daniel Hayes
LNC At Large Member

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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