This is old news that hasn't really surfaced, so it would be appropriate for the premiere urban republican blog in New York to bring it up.

One party in New York that has built a strong, yet small base, has been the Libertarian Party. The Ron Paul for President campaign in 2008 rallied a number of small government enthusiasts to start taking action.

Warren Redlich, who is a registered Republican, but considers himself very libertarian, is making the rounds for elective office in 2010 and  it appears he's getting a big push among libertarians to run for Governor.

From his website - Redlich for Governor:...

Warren is an entrepreneur who has created two businesses from scratch. Most recently he created a profitable web directory of traffic courts, Town-Court.com, which helps 150,000 people a month. He started his own law firm (RedlichLaw.com) in 2003, creating several jobs in the process. Before that he worked for the New York State Court System and for an insurance company. Through his work he has dealt with a number of state agencies, such as the DMV, the Attorney General, ORPS, DEC, State Police, and a variety of local governments.

The goal for Redlich is to receive enough votes from the Republican State Committee to force a primary, get his name out there enough, so in the General Election, if his only line is the Libertarian line, they may get their 50,000 votes for ballot status. An admirable goal. If he wins a GOP primary, well, we can honestly say many Republicans are tired of the rehash of candidates that tend to step forward and run.

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fresh face
written by Raquel Okyay , February 02, 2010

Ron Paul certainly made his mark nationwide when he ran for Republican nomination for Pres. All kinds of people could relate to Paul, in particular young adults.

I think Redlich can succeed not so much on Paul's coat tails, but on the popular view that less government is best government.

He's a fresh face -- I say he's got a fair chance to win the Republican nomination (and that's not wishful thinking!).

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written by Daniel Peterson , February 02, 2010

If 25% of the Republican State Committee want a new direction, they could vote for Redlich and force a primary with Lazio. In such a case, it'll be good for the party to debate conservative issues.

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written by Frank Ammendolea , February 02, 2010

I would welcome such a primary. I also think it would be good to have the Libertarian Party as a viable alternative in elections for instances where the GOP nominates a Scozzafava, or when the Conservatives sell out and endorse a Democrat.

Dan Halloran won his Queens City Council seat running on the Republican, Conservative Independence and Libertarian lines. It is another potential vehicle for helping true freedom loving Republicans get elected. They can be a force for good in NYS politics.

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written by Daniel Peterson , February 02, 2010

It would really cool if NY State can get a few extra ballot lines again. Since we are learning that the IP & WFP may participate in less than appealing practices, the more credible lines the better for candidates.

Let's see if this year adds Libertarian and Whig to the Conservative brand.

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written by Carl Svensson , February 02, 2010

I find myself agreeing with the comments above. I also happen to know Warren who served with me on the State Board of the Republican Liberty Caucus; he is a good man.

Warren was involved with the Ron Paul campaign, but the libertarian base that he is appealing to is much larger than Paul's. Indeed his call for limited government, free markets, personal freedom , and government transparency appeals to the vast majority of Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, and
indeed, everyone else.

I wonder if Warren's opponents will be calling
for term limits for themselves, and the members of the State Legislature. I doubt it.

The system is broken; we have to fix it.

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more on Redlich
written by Raquel Okyay , February 02, 2010

Newsday on line edition (h/t rlcny)

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/tea-party-republican-seeks-gop-line-for-governor-1.1736442

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written by osher g. , February 03, 2010

The state committee should not be preventing primary elections, they should be encouraging it. They more than anyone should know that you can't get more people involved be shutting them out. If we have learned anything from the special elections in the 20th and 23rd CDs last year it's that our party is in desperate need of an open debate to figure out where we stand and what we want to fight for. I was hoping it would be Chris Collins but if Warren Redlich is prepared to do it, than the state committee and the chairman should welcome it not oppose it.

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written by Daniel Peterson , February 03, 2010

Osher, primaries between qualified candidates should be encouraged. But if the person is a non-starter, why force the party to spend money on a primary?

If Rick Lazio and Warren Redlich build up a following and can raise money and do a good job communicating their positions, then primary away. If I said I want to run too and go into a convention with support from 25 people, have no money and didn't bother touring the different counties, why should I get into the primary?

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written by osher g. , February 03, 2010

Who should gets to decide who is or isn't a qualified candidate state committee members or republican voters? If you can get a significant number of republicans (I believe it's 5%) to sign a petition saying they want you to run for governor, your name should be put on the ballot, and republicans should be able to choose their candidate without interference from party bosses.

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written by Carl Svensson , February 03, 2010

I am not privy to Warren's game plan, but I suspect that he will not spend the time and
effort of reaching the GOP primary by way of
the Convention.

I am not saying the process is "fixed", but the
reality is that you have to be an "insider" to
win the support of the "Establishment".

The problem for the GOP? Let me share an antidote. When I began posting here some time ago, I drew the ire of a well know Republican activist who was incensed that I
did not "know" him. "All Republicans know
me!" he thundered.

My thought? If he was representative of the
GOP Establishment, these folks were certainly
full of themselves, and THEY did not know the rank and file.

Unfortunately, I believe that this is true in all
too many cases.

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No Way-- Dump Paul
written by Quickjustice , February 04, 2010

Out of curiosity, I attended a Libertarian Party meeting a few years ago. After listening to a lecture about 19th century libertarian philosophers in Europe for a few minutes, I left. There was no way those people could connect to ordinary voters.nnAs for Ron Paul, he has connections to neo-Nazis he never has disclaimed. My advice to libertarians everywhere: dump Paul now before he discredits you later.

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written by Carl Svensson , February 05, 2010

Quickjustice is a bit off the subject of Warren Redlich's campaign in his comments above but he does bring up a point or two that I will address.

First, he does allude to the fact that most libertarians in NY are not members of the Libertarian Party. It is estimated that there are
more than 600,000 in the GOP alone (20%-25%), but until relatively recently there was no effort to organize this key GOP constituency. With the arrival of a NYS Chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus, that has changed.

Second, Ron Paul's campaign was enthusiastically welcomed by many libertarians,
especially young people, but the vast majority
of libertarians did not support him for one reason or another. I should also note that
Paul was also supported by religious social conservatives .

Third, Paul certainly had, and has, staunch supporters within the RLC, but the RLC did not endorse him.

Fourth, the NYS Libertarian Party has traditionally had a split personality in a sense
with "purists" unwilling to face political realities,
and the "pragmatic" wing willing too.

Libertarian candidates, on their own line, have
connected to "ordinary voters" with Norma
Segal being one of the better examples. Norma captured just short of 120,000 votes
in her race for the US Senate in 1992.

And the Libertarian Party is changing. Dan Halloran is the latest, and the most successful
example of a Republican running with Libertarian Party support. For the uninformed,
Dan was recently elected NYC Councilman in
Queens District #19. Dan is also the current
State Chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

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