Libertarian candidates make campaign stops in Quincy, Jacksonville

QUINCY/JACKSONVILLE (Heartland Newsfeed) — The Libertarian candidates for governor, attorney general, secretary of state and comptroller were in west central Illinois Saturday for meet and greet events. Kash Jackson, Bubba Harsy, Steve Dutner and Claire Ball, ballot access director Krysta Walker and campaign manager Brian Lambrecht met with supporters and interested voters at One in downtown Quincy for an event co-sponsored by the Quincy Tea Party and Western Illinois Libertarian Party.

Jackson, a 20-year U.S. Navy veteran, mentioned to WGEM‘s Frank Healy that candidates not affiliated with the major party tickets aren’t given much of a forum to offer their voice. At the same time, the Libertarian Party of Illinois slate have received considerably more media attention than the 2014 and 2016 election cycles. Jackson also noted that more than half of Illinoisans are registered independent or nonpartisan due to the continuous nomination of status quo candidates which have disenfranchised voters from the major parties, because their voices were not being heard. “A lot of people would identify Libertarians as being really independent, because we’re about limited government,’ said Jackson, “We’re about limited taxation, and we’re about protecting individual rights as long as those individual rights don’t infringe upon the rights of other people.” A panel discussion took place during the event. The candidates then traveled to Jacksonville for a campaign event at Mulligan’s on the public square sponsored by the Morgan County Libertarian Party. One of the discussions which took place involved a teacher who was set to retire, but actions by Gov. Bruce Rauner pushed his retirement (and other teachers set to retire in 2018 and/or 2019) another five years to 2023 or 2024. Questions were raised about reforms to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) pension program to both Ball and Harsy as to the financial and legal aspects of pension reform. Jackson and others also went outside the establishment to speak to potential voters, even pausing once for a group photo. The candidates will march in the Bartlett Independence Day Parade today at noon and in the Nokomis Homecoming Parade Saturday at 6 PM, co-sponsored by multiple chapters led by Tri-Counties Libertarian Party.