53rd District: Falls Church and Fairfax CountryMy opponents are Marcus Simon, – 20 year legislative assistant to Jim Scott
Brad Tidwell, former Chair of the Falls Church Young Republicans
2. What led you to run for office and why as a Libertarian (If you have run before, let me know that, too)
Marcus Simon ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary and pledged to increase gun control in Virginia, in the General Election he was unopposed by the Republican party and over the last 20 years they have only challenged Jim Scott a handful of times. I felt that they were incapable of running a candidate and would likely not run anyone, so I decided to give the voters a choice. I find it absolutely embarrassing that nearly one-third of our races in the Commonwealth are unopposed, democracy only works when you have contested elections and as someone who believes in the Democratic system I was not going to allow Marcus to run unopposed in the general election.
Robert Kennedy. I don’t agree with him ideologically, but his speech in Indianapolis on the death of Martin Luther King Jr. reminds me that we are all in this together; Black, White, Hispanic, Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian. Sometimes in politics we demonize each other and forget that we are all involved because we want to leave this world in better shape than we found it for our children and grandchildren. I think our law makers in Richmond and D.C. sometimes forget that and need to be reminded. I would consider this speech to be the greatest speech of all time followed closely by Charlie Chaplin’s speech in “The Great Dictator”.
I am a strong supporter of personal liberty and personal responsibility. I grew up in a working class home and worked my first job when I was 14. Everything I own was paid for with my own hard work, I have never been someone to ask for handouts because I believe that anything can be overcome if you have the will to do so. My mentality of personal responsibility is why I am such a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I would like to allow others to take responsibility for their own personal safety by passing a Constitutional Carry Amendment. As a Libertarian candidate, I would like to see the government get out of the business of regulating marriage and mandating morality. A government that has the ability to decide what constitutes a legitimate relationship now or the morality of an activity will have the power to enforce a different morality upon people when the pendulum swings in the other direction.
I have done a few local debates and have made some contacts in the Media who have covered my campaign. I have a strong social media following and have been influential in driving policy discussions online. My comments have been featured in Metro Weekly, Al-Jazeera America. I also gave a speech in Washington D.C. about the recent NSA revelations in front of a large crowd, I was covered by the BBC, RT, Al-Jazeera.
6. Is there interest in your district for Sarvis and will it help you.
My district is heavily Democratic, but that has not stopped me from making in roads on important issues such as prison sentencing reform. I am more of a moderate libertarian which has helped people understand there are many different types of libertarians. There are some groups in the GOP who claim the title of libertarian but don’t actually govern that way. With the proximity of my district to Washington DC. it has caused some issues were voters ask me why I support a certain policy that I completely disagree with. I’m not sure about the support for Sarvis and I haven’t really touted his campaign goals as I have my own message I am focused on.
This is my first time running for political office, I am young so I’m sure it won’t be my last. I have enjoyed meeting many voters and learning how to run an effective campaign. It has also been very important to me to propose solutions and ideas during the debates that challenge other incumbents to disagree with them or even compliment them and propose they would support them in the next General Assembly. Last month I was endorsed by the VCDL-PAC and hope to gain some more endorsements. Like all campaigns I need funds, I have done very well with what I have so any further investments will be spent wisely on turn out and spreading the message of liberty.
About Elwood Sanders
Elwood "Sandy" Sanders is a Hanover attorney who is an Appellate Procedure Consultant for Lantagne Legal Printing and has written ten scholarly legal articles. Sandy was also Virginia's first Appellate Defender and also helped bring curling in VA! (None of these titles imply any endorsement of Sanders’ views)
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Just following the Rafael Cruz money trail. Koch Brothers, big oil, Goldman Sachs, Wall St. boys. Bankers and big oil. Check it out yourself, do not take my word for it.
Nothing but financial cancer. Spread the lies, increase the corruption. The Republicans should start a PAC, call it “running from the truth”. The truth to a Republican is what a silver bullet is to a vampire.
These are just a couple of the companies that Tom seems to think care about him. Go look at who finances Rafael Cruz. It is easy to do.
You think you are one of them Tom? You think they care 2 cents worth about you? They will steal the gold fillings out of your teeth if you smile at them.
They don’t like President Obama because he will not sell out to them.
They got you talking about the T Party, abortion, anti-gay, ObamaCare, while they steal your very soul. They want to end SS and Medicare, nothing but lies. They have you and your buddies Tom, doing their dirty work for them , for free.
The media? Hell, they own it all!
Boy, didn’t Hillary look good at the McAuliffe rally? Wish I could early vote for her next month!
https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/pacs.php?cycle=2012&cid=N00033085§or=E&seclong=Energy+%26+Natural+Resources&newmem=Y
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