I have to say I was quite surprised to see Kirsten Gillibrand appointed NY's junior Senator on Friday by David Paterson. My immediate reaction was to make a fun commentary on YouTube about it. Certainly in retrospect, with Caroline not in the running, an upstate political insider blue dog Democrat with a Palin potential (the superficial feels good kind) was the obvious choice.
After some other conversations, emails and even some Facebook chatting, the reality of a 'special election' has started to set in. I may have been the only 'Libertarian' ever to run in the district, when I did in 2006. Having served on the Libertarian National Committee and now serving as the chair of the LPNY, I recognize the difficulties a third party faces and appreciate the diversity of input and the impossibility of electoral victory based on a cold hard historical reality.
For this special election, over 3500 signatures would need to be collected in possibly as little as 12 days or as much as three weeks. While the latter may be possible with a rapid money and volunteer infusion, the reality is stark if the former. This post is designed primarily for interested parties to provide input into a potential candidacy on my part. Depending on certain facts and realities on the ground, it is possible that a brief, yet quixotic campaign for liberty is possible. I will list potential advantages and ideas after the 'jump'.