N.C. Libertarians meet to discuss next primary candidates

DURHAM — As Republicans battle for Sen. Kay Hagan's seat ahead of the May primary, the state Libertarian Party is trying to provide an alternative to Democrats and Republicans.

Prospective candidates Tim D’Annunzio, a businessman,  and Sean Haugh , the former executive director of the N.C. Libertarian Party, participated in a forum in Durham during the state Libertarian Convention this weekend . About 40 people attended.

The Libertarian Party will hold a primary on May 6, its first since the 2000 gubernatorial election. 

Libertarians, which makes up less than 23,500 registered voters out of 6.5 million in the state, is the only third party officially recognized on the ballot in North Carolina. 

D’Annunzio and Haugh are part of a crowded field vying for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Hagan. Including Hagan, there are 13 candidates running for her seat as this will be one of the most competitive Senate races in the 2014 election. 

The deadline to register to vote in the Democratic, Republican or Libertarian party primaries is Friday. The general election will be held Nov. 4.

At the convention, D'Annunzio and Hugh discussed the chances of a Libertarian candidate attracting media and popular attention during the election. 

“I'll be able to bring up the points and bring out the contrast between me and the Democratic or Republican candidates,” D’Annunzio said.

Haugh said he would also focus on the contrast between mainstream and Libertarian Party platforms. 

“No one will talk about war the way I will, or the debt,” Haugh said. “The only other one who comes closest is Tim, and only one of us will go on.”

Both candidates have previously run unsuccessfully for congressional office. 

D’Annunzio ran twice for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in 2010 and 2012, before switching his party affiliation. Haugh ran for U.S. Senate in 2002 as a Libertarian.

The Libertarian Party, which often splits votes with the Republican Party, is sometimes accused of taking votes away from mainstream parties with more realistic chances of producing winning candidates. 

But D'Annunzio and Haugh said a vote for a Libertarian is not a wasted vote, nor does it affect another candidate's chances of winning. 

“Libertarians believe in personal responsibility,” Haugh said. “Republicans will say, ‘Oh the Libertarians are the reason that I lost.’ That’s not personal responsibility.”

D'Annunzio said Greg Brannon, a Republican contender for the Senate seat, shares Libertarian values. D'Annunzio said he would not compete if Brannon won the Republican nomination. 

“The last thing I can do is be the cause for someone to get into office who will not protect and uphold the Constitution," D'Annunzio said. 

At the convention, the candidates discussed their positions on Libertarian hot topics, including gun control, drug legalization and military policy. 

D’Annunzio, who held a “Machine Gun Social” fundraiser during his 2012 campaign, highlighted his position in the gun debate. 

“The Second Amendment was designed to alleviate the fears of a standing army,” he said. “Machine guns? I would go even further than that to combat the militarization of the police.”

Haugh used his time in the forum to call for an end to all war — including culture wars and the war on drugs.

“Drone warfare is the first thing I want to get rid of and stop,” Haugh said. “The first government policy that has to change is that the President of the United States cannot claim to kill anyone in the world for any reason without review.”

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