Third Party Connection in Kate Steinle Murder Case

Originally published at IPR

In the high profile murder case of illegal immigrant Garcia Zarate, the man who fired the fatal shot that killed San Francisco woman Kate Steinle three summers ago, the lead defense attorney may be someone with whom IPR readers are familiar.  Public defender Matt Gonzalez, a longtime Green Party activist, secured the “not guilty” verdict for Zarate on the two most serious of three charges Zarate faced.

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Ivanka Trump Wins Reform Party Nomination

Adapted from IPR

Ivanka Trump
Image: Seeds of Peace

According to the New York City Board of Elections, businesswoman Ivanka Trump, daughter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, won the Reform Party’s primary election for U.S. Congress in New York’s 12th Congressional District.

Trump received 2 write-in votes.  Three other candidates each received one.

The 12th District includes parts of Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.  Democrat Carolyn Maloney is the current representative.

Ex GOP Congressman Joins LP, Seeks VP, Then Leaves

Adapted from the Wikinews series On the campaign trail and originally posted at IPR

As soon as Donald Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination, Libertarian Party (LP) membership applications doubled. Longtime Republican consultant Mary Matalin, former Massachusetts governor William Weld, and former Congressman Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan, were among those who left the GOP in May to find a new home in the LP. While Matalin enthusiastically backed Libertarian presidential runner-up Austin Petersen, and Weld won the party’s vice presidential nomination; Bentivolio, who had endorsed Dr. Ben Carson for president before joining the party, had a much different experience.

IPR’s Third 2016 Libertarian Party Presidential Preference Poll Results: Johnson & Petersen Tie Amid Voting Anomalies

The below article was lost from IPR following a switch to a new server.  It is posted below (with comments intact) as it looked before the switch.

IPR conducted a poll with SurveyMonkey from May 20–23 asking readers to select their preferences for the Libertarian Party’s 2016 presidential and vice presidential nominations.  303 individuals participated in the poll.

Gary Johnson: Jewish Bakers Should Be Forced to Bake Nazi Cakes

Originally posted at IPR

Gary Johnson
Image:Gage Skidmore

During the first hour of the Libertarian Party presidential forum that aired Friday night on the Fox Business Network, leading Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson admitted that in his view, Jewish bakers should be forced by government to bake wedding cakes for Nazis.

The issue arose when fellow Libertarian presidential candidate Austin Petersen brought to the attention of moderator John Stossel that in an earlier debate in Oregon, Johnson declared that bakeries should be forced to bake wedding cakes for gay couples.  Johnson affirmed the position, arguing that being able to discriminate on the basis of religion is a “black hole.”  

Gary Johnson Is Not the Free Speech Candidate

Gary Johnson

This past week, shortly after he announced he was mounting a second run for the presidency, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s 2012 presidential nominee, shocked libertarians with his declaration (to at least three news sources) that the face covering worn by many Muslim women, the burqa, should be banned from public places.  Though Johnson later retracted the comment (after much condemnation from libertarians), it provides evidence that his instincts on free expression, particularly of unpopular views, swing statist rather than libertarian.

Virgil Goode Endorses Donald Trump for President

Originally published at IPR

Former Congressman Virgil Goode, the Constitution Party’s 2012 presidential nominee and member of the party’s Executive Committee wrote an editorial yesterday for Breitbart.com in which he endorsed the presidential campaign of the Republican Party’s 2016 front-runner Donald Trump.

Greg Seltzer Drops Presidential Bid & Steps Down as Prohibition Party Chair

As reported in The National Prohibitionist and at Independent Political Report, Rev. Greg Seltzer of Maryland is ending his 2016 campaign for president and is stepping down as Chairman of the Prohibition Party.  This comes as the new Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan, a Republican, named Seltzer to the state’s Election Board.

Seltzer is a retired history professor and Presbyterian Minister.  He took over as Prohibition Party Chairman early last year when Rev. Toby Davis, the 2012 vice presidential nominee, stepped down due to a busy schedule.  He  previously served on the Maryland Election Board from 2002 to 2006 during the state’s last Republican administration.

2016 Field Narrows with Passing of Jim “Libertarian” Burns

As reported on IPR, 2016 presidential candidate Jim “Libertarian” Burns died last month, according to Libertarian National Committee Executive Director Wes Benedict. Burns, who had suffered from an illness, was 67.

Burns founded the Nevada Libertarian Party in the 1970s.  He was elected chairman twice, and coordinated several successful ballot access efforts.  In addition, Burns ran for multiple offices including Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada Assembly, United States Congress, and President of the United States.  In 2012,  Burns won election to the Beatty, Nevada Water and Sanitation District, a position he held until his death.