Libertarian candidates around Indiana posted strong numbers for third-party candidates on Election Day. The Libertarian Party of Indiana ran more candidates than any other state Libertarian Party at 45 candidates receiving a total of 59,510 votes.
Most notably, three candidates scored a victory:
Susan Bell was re-elected for the second time to the position of Hagerstown Judge. Bell was unopposed in the Wayne County election.
In Koskiusko County, Miccah Shepherd was a victor in his race for Claypool Clerk/Treasurer with 44% of the vote in a three-way race.
In Hancock County, Dennis Denney won his race for Shirley Town Council by ONE vote.
In Greenfield, a Libertarian candidate had one of the more impressive results in LPIN history. Phil Miller won 42% of the vote in a two-way race with a Republican. Miller, a former Libertarian Greenfield City Councilor, blanketed over 75% of the city with literature with an organized canvassing effort and local advertising.
Two other Mayoral candidates won double-digits in three way races:
In Anderson, Rob Jozwiak won 13.67% of the vote.
In Rushville, Debbie O'Neal won 15.35% of the vote.
In Warsaw, at-large City Council candidate Dan Stevens won 16% of the vote in a three-way race.
In Indianapolis, At-Large City-Council candidate Bill Levin won over 10,000 voters in the county-wide election. In District 24, sitting at-large City-County Councilor Ed Coleman was not successful in his bid for four more years. He won 24% of the vote.
"I want to thank everyone who came out to support my campaign in 2011," said Coleman. "It was a great experience, and I am so proud of all of the great support from every level of the Libertarian Party. We had great infrastructure, and showed that Libertarians can run a campaign as well as the establishment. Unfortunately, straight-ticket voting because of the highly contested Mayor's race was an obstacle our campaign could not overcome. I am confident that this will lay the foundation for a historic 2012 election, and for years to come in Marion County."
Despite these short term ups and downs, the party had unprecedented activism in the closing weeks of the 2011 Election season.
"Our party passed another milestone towards electoral success in 2011," said Sam Goldstein, Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Indiana." These numbers don't tell the entire story of this election cycle. Almost every campaign outside of Marion County ran effective, professional campaigns. Candidates like Jeff Spoonamore (Greenwood Mayor) and Matt Hisrich (Richmond City Council) put out yard signs, debated opponents, earned media, and made their opponents interview for a job.
Inside Marion County, the county party canvassed over 95% of Ed Coleman's district. They also staffed the polls inside and outside of the polls with over 40 people. These opportunities for those new to the Libertarian Party to learn the nuts and bolts of professional campaigns will be invaluable in 2012.
I want to thank every candidate and volunteer for their efforts in this election season, and I want to thank voters for casting their ballot for Libertarians."
