TOMAHAWK, WI (WSAU-WXPR) — The Libertarian Party of Wisconsin is bringing their convention and liberty retreat this weekend to Treehaven near Tomahawk.
Founded in 1971, Libertarians run on the platform that the government should not interfere in any personal, family, or business decision.
Phillip Anderson ran in last year’s U.S. Senate race and is the interim Wisconsin party Director. He believes Libertarians have positioned themselves for the future.
Anderson said, “We had a lot of people that joined the Libertarian Party. We had a lot of people who identified as Libertarians already but hadn’t been engaged in politics. In particular, because of the two candidates that were offered up by Republicans and Democrats, was an opportunity to open up people’s eyes to see what’s wrong with government, what’s wrong with the two big parties. We were able to do that relatively successfully, grow our ranks and increase our visibility.”
Anderson says the party is being seen more frequently on the ballot.
“Not because the ballot access laws have changed, that’s the unfortunate part, but we’re getting better organized and people are more willing to have more choices on the ballot. As I was campaining for U.S. Senate, there were a lot people who identified as Republicans and Democrats but were happy to sign my petition because they felt that regardless of how they voted, they wanted more choices for everybody on the ballot.”
Anderson says they will be electing new state officers and representatives this weekend for the state’s Congressional districts. The convention is Friday evening through Sunday.
