Instead of enjoying Arby’s and waiting for SMOD, it would appear that many people haven’t taken to nihilism just yet, and have instead thrown their weight behind the Libertarian party in large number. In fact, 20 times more than May last year.
According to The Hill, this time last year, the Libertarian party was averaging 100 new members a month. Compare that to this year…
“But beginning in early 2016, as the contours of the Republican and Democratic races began took shape, new membership began creeping upward to 148 in January, 323 in February, 546 in March, 706 in April, and now 1,292 in the first three weeks of May alone.”
Here’s a handy visual of the hockey stick like increase.
For the last year the Libertarian Party would get about 100 new members a month. Then, starting in January… pic.twitter.com/Bvu26wGUT8
— Jonathan Easley (@JonEasley) May 25, 2016
That’s not all. Fundraising has gone up, bringing in $205,000 for the party in April, and according to a party operative, they are well on their way to doubling this, expecting somewhere around $400,000.
With each passing day, the party is growing stronger, and we’re likely to see a Libertarian candidate on ballots in every state. This would be a welcome change of pace, and a relief to many who don’t feel that Clinton or Trump is the right candidate for them.
In fact, both Trump and Clinton suffer from a sever lack of popularity. The election may pan out to dictate who is disliked less, and if that’s the case, the Libertarian party may actually take a good chunk of the voting public away from the two party frontrunners.
Former New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson, is currently leading the Libertarian candidates, and current polls have him taking 10% against Trump and Clinton, though it requires 15% to be able to take the stage along with the two major parties.
Still, it’s an exciting time for the Libertarian party, and perhaps a bit more exposure could push them over the edge, and into the public view where they can do a bit of damage to this confined two party system.
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