Submitted by William Bowers -- Mifflin County
During the April 6th and 7th weekend, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference gave a great opportunity to all grass-roots activists and groups. The conference invites individuals from across Pennsylvania to interact with movers and shakers in the conservative movement. Attendees also were able to network with volunteers from various think-tanks and advocacy groups at information booths during breaks in the program. The most important panel on Friday featured Senators running for office this year including Lou Barletta, Jim Christiana, and the Libertarian candidate Dale Kerns. Each candidate received positive response from the audience. The largest roar that filled the room came from Kerns, who made principles statement after principled statement, building to when he made the declaration to support legislation to remove pensions from career politicians. His only negative response came while talking about opposing the wall on the southern border, but he stood his ground and presented libertarian principles on the issue.
The second day held the clash of Pennsylvania's candidates for Governor. Many gathered to the ball room to witness the candidates expressive opinions for their platforms. Starting off with Laura Ellsworth adding her input, expressing her views, and allowing the audience to know her name. Libertarian candidate Ken Krawchuk was up second and he used visuals of all kinds to push his beliefs ahead of his opponents. He used the opportunity to implore those in the crowd to look further into topics that they may not agree with him on, like that of ending the war on drugs. He crowning moment was when he said of federal grant money, "the feds say 'here have some federal funding' like a drug dealer saying hey have some drugs," its not going to hurt", next thing you know you're addicted to federal funding, and I think thats the case now. We have to end that addiction now". This statement certainly ignited the crowd with claps and cheers. Creating a rush that not many libertarian candidates can do to a Conservative crowd. The Governors panel ended with Mango and Wagner focused about the controversy of an ad campaign and disagreements over who was the most phony.
As a newcomer to the party I found the weekend to be very successful. The spark of new ideas lit the torch of liberty resulting in future development opportunities for the Libertarian Party. Many Conservatives heard the policies and topics from our side for the first time and as Ken Krawchuk likes to say many of them found out that 'We are all Libertarians'
April 5, 2018, Lehigh Valley, PA – Tim Silfies interviewed hundreds of citizens in our community as the Business Reporter for WFMZ-TV. He brought to the small screen some of our best success stories, but also discovered some common, troubling themes.
Over and over, he heard from business owners frustrated by the way government holds them back. Time after time, Tim listened to his neighbors talk about their growing disgust with our broken two-party system and how establishment politicians do not represent them.
People fed up with voting for the lesser of two evils now have another choice.
Today, Tim is announcing his decision to leave his career at WFMZ to enter the race for the 7th Congressional District, independent of the two major parties.
“Politicians today only protect the Democratic and Republican establishment, rigging the system for themselves, big business, and the well-connected,” Silfies says. “They leave all of us behind with mountains of debt, endless war, and bloated, ineffective government.”
Tim grew up in the Lehigh Valley, graduating from Liberty High School. At Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, Tim worked closely with journalist John Stossel, and co-created the prime time shows “The Independents” and “Kennedy”. Throughout his career, Tim observed firsthand how common sense limited government, when it protects economic and personal liberty, sets the stage for individuals to prosper on their own.
Tim joins the slate of Republicans and Democrats as the sole independent voice in the race for the 7th Congressional District and will appear on the November ballot as the Libertarian Party nominee.
Contact: Tim Silfies (484) 403-0779, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The LPPA NEEDS YOUR HELP petitioning its statewide candidates onto the ballot.
- Dale Kerns for U.S. Senate. Link.
- Ken Krawchuk for Governor. Link.
- Kathy Smith for Lieutenant Governor.
We are still looking for candidates for State Representative, State Senate, and U.S. Congress in many districts. Please fill out this form if you might be interested in running for office and want more information.
We need to collect 5,000 valid signatures on our minor party nomination paper from registered voters throughout Pennsylvania by August 1. This translates to 8,333 to 10,000 raw signatures to give us a reasonable buffer if some signatures are challenged.
Please download our statewide nomination paper and print it out on double sided legal paper.
Read more ...
(Harrisburg, PA) – The 2018 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference is now just two weeks away on April 6th and 7th at the Radisson Penn Harris Convention Center. The conference will be headlined by featured speakers including Fox News contributor Byron York, former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn now with Convention of States, Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA, Congressman Scott Perry, author Greg Wrightstone and John Gizzi of Newsmax.
Mac Zimmerman, Vice President of Legislative Affairs at Americans for Prosperity and former Congressman Phil English, co-chairman of the government relations practice at Arent Fox will have a Conversation on Tax Reform; and Brianna Walden of the Charles Koch Institute will have a conversation on Safe Streets & Second Chances with John Koufos from Right on Crime.
The 2018 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference will include a U.S. Senate candidate forum, and a gubernatorial candidate forum. The U.S. Senate forum including Congressman Lou Barletta, State Representative Jim Christiana, businessman Joe Vodvarka, and Libertarian Party nominee Dale Kerns will be moderated by nationally syndicated radio talk show host Rose Tennent; and the gubernatorial forum including attorney Laura Ellsworth, businessman Paul Mango, State Senator Scott Wagner, and Libertarian Party nominee Ken Krawchuk will be moderated by Philadelphia talk show host Dom Giordano.
Candidates for Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania, including businessman Jeff Bartos, consultant Kathy Coder, education consultant Peg Luksik and Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan will make brief comments during the Saturday breakfast.
The conference will include four interactive panel presentations including Protecting Freedom of Speech moderated by Michael Geer of the Pennsylvania Family Institute; When in the Course of Human Events (limited state constitutional convention, Convention of States) moderated by Leo Knepper from the Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania; Lessons in Reform (How Other States Did It) moderated by Lenny McAllister of the Commonwealth Foundation, and Pursuit of Happiness (Reform efforts including education, business climate, regulations & Welfare) moderated by State Representative Kristin Phillips-Hill.
This year’s Pennsylvania Leadership Conference will also feature four workshop sessions for attendees including How Do We Experience Change presented by Americans for Prosperity-PA and the Grassroots Leadership Academy; Influence of the Reformation on American Liberty presented by the Constitutional Organization of Liberty; Protecting Student Safety, Privacy and Constitutional Freedoms presented by the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Campaign Planning to Win presented by American Majority.
Additional speakers will be announced over the coming weeks.
The Pennsylvania Leadership Conference is the premiere gathering of public policy conservatives each year in the Keystone State. It is the largest and longest-running of the state-based conservative conferences regularly attracting a long list of conservative elected officials, scholars, journalists and activists for two days of speeches, panel presentations, workshops and networking.
Registration for the conference is now open at www.paleadershipconference.org
By Sonja Dagny Yago
What a great weekend at the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania's convention in Shippensburg, PA!
Did you attend and make new friends or gain clarity on a libertarian concept, leadership, or how you can get more involved? If not, you missed out!
Libertarian Governor candidate Ken Krawchuk was there advocating for liberty, smaller government, and, of course, the Toast Masters!
There were inspiring and informing speakers as young as 17, much older (we won't say how old!), and ages in between!
We even had Libertarian "Not- Presidential" hopeful Adam Kokesh from Arizona not only visit and speak but also join our state party.
The Vice Chair debate was another highlights of the first day, with four candidates giving their perspective on the libertarian party, the liberty movement, and how the national can support our state parties. Sitting chair Arvin Vohra and challengers Alex Merced, Joe Hauptmann, and Steve Scheetz were all informed, unique, and compelling.
Women were also represented in the audience and with Kathleen Smith, our candidate for Lieutenant Governor, speaking.
Michael Heise of Lancaster County, founder of the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus and 2018 US Senate candidate Dale Kerns of Delaware County also spoke and then-Congressional candidate Drew Gray Miller led our fund-raising auction near the end of the day.
The first day was definitely filled with a number of opportunities to hear many perspective and updates on the national and state parties and the libertarian movement and culture, too.
We also had speaker Carol Kuniholm, chair of Fair Districts PA , update us on state politics concerning district gerrymandering and Jerry Feaser talked about how to work with the local Bureau of Registration and Elections. With both, there was a lot of information on what we can do to help promote policies that support greater liberty and make our voices for liberty heard throughout our state.
Over all, it was a liberty-loving, festive day that was also very informative and entertaining. There was also plenty of time for connecting with speakers and other attendees. People are very friendly and welcoming when you talk with them but also will respect your desire to sit quietly in reflection with your own ideas if that's what you prefer.
The second day was business. This day was a bit more formal. If you're familiar with the Robert's Rules of Order, you'll have an easier time understanding what's going on and the rules for who speaks when, how, and why. This is the day of focused work - discerning if we'll support certain candidates or not, hearing reports of our officers, and making any other decisions deemed necessary as the day progresses.
On this second day, if you are a voting member and relatively new to being active politically, then there's an extra bit of joyful thrill in casting your votes because you know you are participating in supporting liberty with every vote you cast. This can't necessarily be said so consistently at the election ballot when you're voting in other types of elections, so when you have a day where you get to do nothing but be certain that your vote is a clear vote for liberty, it is very heart-warming and thrilling, especially the first time.
What rang clear as officers and candidates spoke was that we are at a wonderful turning point. We have a lot more clarity on how we need to organize and present our party more professionally and our leadership is focused and highly motivated.
Clearly the members of our state party agreed with their vision and commitment as several members currently sitting on the Board won a second term.
Ken Krawchuk (for Governor), Kathleen Smith (for Lieutenant Governor), and Dale Kerns (for US Senate) were officially nominated. In accepting her nomination, Kathleen Smith also affirmed the focus and commitment of our party when she spoke of how she wasn't thinking of running until she saw how organized Ken Krawchuk and Dale Kerns were and what kind of team they had built.
Which brings us to you. YOU are a part of this team working for the liberty movement (and hopefully our libertarian party), too. I know you are because you wouldn't be reading this if you weren't.
Certainly, the convention is a great way to get tapped into the team for liberty more deeply, get energized on love for liberty, make more liberty-oriented friends and connections, and get informed on what you can do. But, if you missed out on our recent convention, there are two things you can do.
First, plan and commit to attending the next LPPA convention. Second, locate your local county party and approach your county chair. Connect and ask what questions you have. See how you can participate in a way that promotes liberty and fits in with your time, talent, and treasure you have because in the movement and party that supports individual liberty, every individual counts. You matter and can make a meaningful contribution that fits with your local party and where you are in life.
It doesn't take long to figure out what your bigger and better "fit" is in the liberty movement and it doesn't matter if you contribute in a way that others do or don't. What matters is that you show up because, when it comes to the government we do have, it works for those who show up. So the big question is, how will you show up for your liberty and the liberty of other individuals?
Parting thought: along the way, remember to have fun. Life's far too short and too long to work for individual liberty without making it fun.
Sonja Dagny Yago is a contributing writer for LPPA, advocate for individual liberty and empowerment, and a mentor-coach for busy emerging leaders, service-based entrepreneurs, empaths, and those with ADHD who want to get more done and have more impact and influence with less stress and more freedom.
March 12th 2018
For Immediate Release:
The Delaware County Libertarian Committee has endorsed W. David Medina to challenge the 162nd Legislative District of Pennsylvania. Medina is an upstanding business owner in Springfield Delaware County, and a resident of Ridley Park. Medina is also a husband and father of two daughters. David was endorsed because of his leadership qualities in the community, his compassion for the less fortunate and the love he shows for his wife and two girls. (Please contact Chairman David Jahn at 610-368-5035 with any questions or comments).
W. David Medina is a Business Owner who partners with children and adults on the Autism Spectrum, Asperger’s and Sensory Differences to help them reach their potential. David’s clients have experienced incredible gains in the form of improved strength, balance and confidence. After developing and refining teaching methodologies at Temple University, St. Joseph’s University and Neumann University, training with Grand Masters and former World Champions in the U.S., Canada and Japan and working as an Executive in New York City for a Fortune 100 Company, David knows that success does not come from unproven strategy and tactics. Success happens for those who follow proven principles, systems, and frameworks.
David has been interviewed and received coverage in print and broadcast outlets including NBC, ABC News, CBS, Fox News, CNN, USA Today, and Fortune. David is also the author of two Best Selling Books.
David holds a BBA in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is an alumnus of Springfield High School and lives in Ridley Township with his wife and two daughters.
(Contact David W. Medina for questions 610-506-8416 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
The Delaware County Libertarian Committee strongly supports their candidates who believe in the constitution, fiscal responsibility, and individual rights. With enthusiastic support, we endorse W.David Medina as our candidate in November for the 162nd Legislative District!
In Liberty,
The Delaware County Libertarian Committee
Delco4Liberty.com
Libertarians converge on south central Pennsylvania to change the face of the current political landscape.
SHIPPENSBURG, PA, March 4, 2018– The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPA) held its annual statewide convention at the Shippen Place Hotel. The event was held in order to nominate candidates for state and federal offices, elect delegates to attend the Libertarian Party national convention in New Orleans this June, and discuss various LPPA business.
During the convention, three key candidates were accepted as nominees for the LPPA: Ken Krawchuk for Governor, Kathleen Smith for Lieutenant Governor, and Dale Kerns for U.S. Senate.
Ken Krawchuk is a long time IT professional, Toastmaster, and LPPA member. This is his third run for Governor as a libertarian. Asked about libertarianism and its growth over the years, Mr. Krawchuk says, “Libertarians are different than the two old parties because we are the party of principle. We are the ultimate party of respect and tolerance for the individual. Since our founding in 1971, we have grown to be the third largest political party, hands down, outnumbering all the other third parties together.”
Kathleen Smith is an activist, volunteer, and has fought for quality education for Pennsylvania’s youth over many years. Ms. Smith has been a strong example of leadership to the women of the LPPA since joining.
Dale Kerns is a devoted family man, volunteer, and a construction project manager, in addition to being an active member of the LPPA. Asked why he wants to represent Pennsylvania in Washington D.C., Mr. Kerns states, “We’re going to Washington, D.C. to return Pennsylvania’s senate seat to the people and free them from a lobbyist controlled system.”
Pennsylvania has more elected Libertarians than any other state as of the 2017 elections, and the LPPA hopes to add a few more in 2018.
For more information on the Kerns Campaign visit dalekerns.com. For more information on the Krawchuk/Smith ticket visit kenk4pa.com.
An Interview with the Chair
Drew Bingaman, Chair of The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, could be described as a jack of many trades. Boasting an Associates Degree in electrical engineering and a great deal of IT work experience with the local small business community here in central PA, he also founded his own local chapter of the Libertarian Party in Sunbury. His local chapter eventually merged with Snyder County to become the Susquehanna Valley Libertarian Party, who he says has contributed a great deal to the movement in the state. In addition to these credentials he has another proud achievement under his belt.
“In 2017 I won my local ward race for Constable and will be attending training to become certified in August. This apparently makes me a rare thing: an elected Libertarian.” he explained in a recent interview.
He is quick to point out, however, that while challenges remain the LPPA is well on it's way to success and is already able to boast of great strides in recent years. Having recently achieved Minor Party status the LPPA is now given, along with other considerations, the opportunity to be directly informed of and nominate candidates for special elections, giving the party a great opportunity to claim vacant seats. Along with this news and a few other signs, Bingaman remains optimistic about the future of the party.
“I believe the LPPA is headed in a wonderful direction, we just elected a bunch of local officials (myself included) we are bringing back the western contingent of the LPPA into the fold. We have some wonderful activists and volunteers out there. The LPPA along with the Green and Constitution party of PA are winning in the courts to achieve easier ballot access. These are all steps forward for us in the LPPA.”
He also believes with the Membership and Fundraising committees in full gear the party will achieve a great deal of success this year.
Despite his optimism, however, he acknowledges many challenges remain for Libertarians in the state, including a need to continue a strong performance in either the gubernatorial or U.S senate race in order to remain a minor party, and a continued uphill battle in achieving ballot access for candidates statewide.
For those who want to contribute to party and its overall movement he has some simple advice
“Decide how you wish to help. If you wish to spread the word, do that. If you wish to get involved with elections, Join the LPPA or a local affiliate and help a candidate in any way you can. We are always in need of volunteers to work polls, to collect signatures, to march in parades, to run a table at an event...Get involved!”
The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania(LPPA) will hold it's annual Convention Weekend at the Shippen Place Hotel in Shippensburg on March 3rd and 4th.
The event on Saturday the 3rd will feature speakers and workshops as attendees have the opportunity to interact with libertarian activists from around the state. Registration will begin at 11am with the festivities beginning at noon.
Speakers include Elected Libertarians from around the commonwealth; Jennifer Moore (Montgomery County), Demo Agoris (Washington County), Jake Towne (Northampton County), and LPPA Chair Drew Bingaman (Northumberland County).
Sharing the podium with the LPPA elected officials will be activists Josiah Strickland (Delaware County), Dan Sullivan (Allegheny), and Andrew Hatstat (Montgomery County) as well as candidates Drew Miller (Congress PA-18), Steve Scheetz (Congress PA-8) Ken Krawchuk (Governor), Kathy Smith (Lt. Governor) and Dale Kerns (U.S. Senate).
The LPPA will also host various presentations and workshops from outside organisations. Carol Kuniholm the Chair Fair Districts will speak on the organisations movement on putting an end to gerrymandering in the commonwealth.Jerry Feaser of Dauphin County Bureau of Registration and Elections will conduct a workshop that educates local candidates and county committees on the process of maintaining effective committee reports. Daryn Iwicki of Americans for Prosperity Foundation will present a condensed grassroots activists training class and Scott Horton of Anti-War Radio will speak on his new book Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan.
The event will feature an optional buffet meal at 4pm followed by a debate featuring candidates for the Libertarian National Committee Vice Chair position. The debate will focus on the continued growth of the party and what needs to be done to achieve victory in elections and policy changes.Speaking after the debate will be Adam Kokesh author of the book 'Freedom' and a 2020 candidate for President of the United States.
The event on Sunday March 4th will serve as the LPPA's annual business meeting and will feature the election of party officers and nomination of candidates for state wide offices.
Agenda for Sundays business meeting follows:
1. Annual Reports to the membership
- Report of the Chair to the Party Membership.
- Report of the Eastern VC to the Party Membership.
- Report of the Central VC to the Party Membership.
- Report of the Western VC to the Party Membership.
- Report of the Treasurer to the Party Membership.
- Report of the Secretary to the Party Membership.
2. Consideration that every attending member in good standing at the time of the convention may be a delegate. (Passage by 2/3rds of members certified as members for more than 180 days required)
3. Elections of officers for the LPPA
- Election of the Chair of the LPPA
- Election of the Eastern Vice-Chair of the LPPA
- Election of the Western Vice-Chair of the LPPA
- Election of the Central Vice-Chair of the LPPA
- Election of the Treasurer of the LPPA
- Election of the Secretary of the LPPA
4. Nomination of Candidates for Public Office
- Consideration of Nominations for Governor(1)
- Consideration of Nominations for Lt. Governor(1)
- Consideration of Nominations for Senate(1)
- Consideration of any other necessary nominations.
5. Nomination of Delegates to the National Convention.(39)
6. Consideration of Change to LNC Region status.
7. Consideration of Submitted changes to the LPPA Constitution.(Simple majority required for passage, 2/3rds required for changes to take effect immediately)
8. Consideration of Submitted changes to the LPPA Bylaws. (Simple majority required for passage, 2/3rds required for changes to take effect immediately)
9. Consideration of Submitted changes to the LPPA Convention Rules. (Simple majority required for passage, 2/3rds required for changes to take effect immediately)
10. Any other Business deemed necessary by the Membership.
11. Adjornment.
Attendance to both events is open to anyone that wishes to attend but voting ability at the convention is based on party bylaws.
For those planning on attending both days events please register at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/libertarian-party-of-pennsylvania-convention-weekend-tickets-41527423642
Our party is growing. Not only is it growing it is evolving. With new members come new ideas and philosophical discussions. As these ideas evolve we always need to go back to our basic philosophies to keep ourselves from turning into another party intent on curtailing our liberties. It’s a lot of work and it is the right thing to do. For any one new to the party or thinking about affiliating there is the most basic rule. Live and let live.
What does live and let live mean really? What Libertarians mean by live and let live is that everyone has the right to live their life as they see fit as long as they are not directly stepping on the rights of others. It is really that simple. You will hear us refer to these violations of rights as using force or fraud or “true crimes”.
The more complicated question is what gets in the way of this philosophy that Libertarians can affect? In short, laws. Some laws are good and some are bad. First as Libertarians we recognize that every time a law is created we are giving government the power to apply force on its citizens. A good law will address the infringement of rights by others such as violence and theft. This could be pretty simple but it is complicated by the fact that our country, commonwealth and municipalities have been creating laws and ordinances for a few hundred years now. While some of us would like to just scrap the whole system and start over, we recognize that most of society is not prepared for that at the time being. As a libertarian it is our duty to look at the laws on the books and ask ourselves, “Does this law violate individual liberty”? If it does then it is our responsibility to expand liberty by taking action to get bad laws and ordinances off of the books.
That last statement might seem a little overwhelming at first but it is easier than you have been led to believe. If we look at the laws and ordinances that get in the way of Liberty you will find that the majority of them are at the local and Commonwealth level. That is good thing for two reasons. The first is because of the 10th Amendment. The second reason is because your Commonwealth and Municipal Representatives are easily accessible and we all should take advantage of that accessibility as often as feasible. Make a call, set up a town hall about a pressing issue, or show up to township or school board meeting. On a side note, I did not quote the 10th amendment because it is your duty as a Libertarian to be a good steward of the freedoms our Constitution protects. If you are an aspiring Libertarian consider this a homework assignment.
What is fraud? Quite simply it is being intentionally deceitful for personal or professional gain. In the Libertarian view if and individual, group or government intentionally misrepresents themselves in a contract with others, that is fraud. Hence, that the individuals’ constitutional rights to life, liberty and property were taken from them without due process. Violating a contract (e.g. rental agreement, purchase agreement), unjust incarceration and emanate domain acquisitions are common examples.
We consider these examples of force and fraud true crimes and advocate that the punishment fit the crime indiscriminately and equally irregardless of any societal status. That is a subject in itself I will address in depth in another article.For any future affiliated Libertarians I hope this answers some questions. For current Libertarians it is important that we dispel the myths thrown upon us. Spread the word of liberty.
Gust Tatlas
LPPA Legislative Chair
Pittsburgh – January 8, 2018 – The Libertarian Party of Allegheny and Washington Counties unanimously nominated Pittsburgh attorney Drew Gray Miller to be the Libertarian candidate for the 18th Congressional District Special Election taking place on March 13, 2018. The seat became vacant upon the resignation of Congressman Tim Murphy.