Tacoma News Tribune

November 24, 2000

Libertarians not only ran a record number of legislative, statewide and congressional candidates, they received enough votes to make a difference in a number of tight races. They even achieved major party status when two of their statewide candidates received more than 5 percent of the vote in the Nov. 7 election.

Now Republicans, who say they were robbed of victories in a couple of legislative contests because voters who traditionally would have stuck with their party jumped to the Libertarian Party, are pledging to change the way they do business.

It's something we're going to have to take a look at in the future. Libertarians did better than I think many people expected, said Don Benton, chairman of the state Republican Party. We have to do a much better job of articulating our message to the voters.

Libertarians potentially had the biggest impact in Washington on the U.S. Senate race. Democrat Maria Cantwell edged out incumbent Sen. Slade Gorton by 1,953 votes of more than 2.3 million cast, although there will be a recount.

The Libertarian in the race, Jeff Jared, received about 65,000 votes, more than 32 times the spread between Cantwell and Gorton.

In effect, in several races, what Libertarian candidates have done is help elect someone who is opposed to everything they stand for. Libertarians and those who may feel motivated to vote Libertarian need to really look at the big picture, Benton said. Benton said Republicans spoke to several Libertarian candidates this year in an effort to get them to drop out or endorse the Republican running in the same race. One legislative candidate did so. Others ignored the request.

Chris Caputo, treasurer of the Washington Libertarian Party, said he doesn't know if his party made a difference in any race this year. With a less-government-is-better-government mantra, Libertarians are generally thought to take votes from Republicans. But Libertarians also may siphon some votes from Democrats because of their hands-off approach to social issues, Caputo said.

Some of Jared's votes, for example, most likely came from traditionally Democratic voters because he campaigned on a platform of legalizing hemp. Another portion of the voters probably wouldn't have voted for either Cantwell or Gorton, even if Jared weren't in the race, Caputo said.

I don't think of us as spoilers. We're working earnestly to get elected, Caputo said. Republicans are trying to place blame on us for their loss, rather than blame their own party for failing to answer the call of the voters.

Paul Berendt, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said he thought Libertarians did more to protect the status quo than anything else this year. In every race with a Libertarian candidate, the party diminished the anti-incumbent vote, Berendt said.

Evidence of that may be found in the state legislative races. Republicans and Democrats will share control in the House, as they have for the past two years. The Senate remains in Democratic hands, although by just one seat, 25-24.

Rep. Joyce McDonald, R-Puyallup, narrowly lost her race against Rep. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, for the open Senate seat in the 25th Legislative District.

She talked to Libertarian candidate Jerry Christensen last summer, warning him that his candidacy could tilt the election to Kastama. But Christensen stayed in, arguing that the two disagreed on several issues.

Had McDonald won, Republicans would have controlled the Senate next year.

None of the Libertarian candidates won races in Washington this year. But three of the party's eight candidates for statewide office surpassed the 5 percent threshold needed to gain major party status.

Ruth Bennett, who ran a campaign on eliminating the lieutenant governor's office, received 7 percent of the vote, the largest percentage of any of the party's statewide candidates.

Sharing the same status with Democrats and Republicans means Libertarians no longer will have to have a nominating convention to choose primary candidates and gather voters' signatures to qualify for the ballot.