Open Primary
Re “Candidates Plan Open-Primary Strategies,” Feb. 22.
I was amazed to see the lengths that your writer would go to not mention the Libertarian Party by name. He talks of the challenge of the initiative “filed by both the state Democratic and Republican party organizations,” ignoring that the Libertarian Party and Peace and Freedom Party were also plaintiffs in that suit.
He goes on to talk about the 20th Senate race, mentioning the American Independent Party, the Green Party and the Peace and Freedom Party, never once stumbling to say “Libertarian Party.”
The real story is the dearth of third-party candidates in most of the races in the state. In most races, the Libertarian Party is the only opposition to the two-party state. The open primary’s real effect has been to dumb down the debate in favor of so-called moderate candidates. In my race, the 39th Assembly [District], Republicans didn’t even field a candidate. So once again, it is up to the Libertarian Party to carry the flag of opposition to the status quo.
KIT MAIRA
Candidate, 39th Assembly District
North Hollywood
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