Bob Barr 2008 presidential campaign
Bob Barr 2008 | |
---|---|
Atlanta, Georgia | |
Key people | Wayne Allyn Root (Running mate) Russ Verney (Campaign Manager) |
Receipts | US$1,405,899 ((2008-12-31)[1]) |
Slogan | Liberty for America |
Website | |
Bob Barr 2008 |
The 2008 presidential campaign of
In the general election, Barr hoped to portray himself as a conservative alternative to the Republican nominee John McCain. He emphasized his opposition to the Republican Party for its positions on the War in Iraq and the USA PATRIOT Act and stood as an advocate of fiscal constraint, demonstrated by his opposition to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The candidate never made headway in election polls, placing third or fourth when included. Barr's efforts to be invited to presidential debates with the two main candidates also fell short when he failed to meet the 15% polling threshold.
Barr campaigned throughout the nation. He litigated to gain ballot access in several states and to prevent McCain and the Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama from appearing on the Texas ballot for failing to meet the filing deadline. On election day, Barr appeared on the ballot in 44 states; he finished fourth in the general election, behind Ralph Nader, receiving 523,686 votes, or 0.4% of the total, 126,448 more votes than the Badnarik/Campagna ticket four years prior. [3]
Background
Bob Barr was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 as part of the
Early stages
On March 19, 2008, Barr confirmed his interest in running for president. This coincided with the media acknowledging a movement on Facebook encouraging the former Congressman to begin a campaign. Barr talked about a widespread "dissatisfaction with the candidates for the two major parties"[14] but complimented presidential candidate and Republican Congressman Ron Paul for "advocat[ing] libertarian and true conservative principles".[14] Pollster John Zogby commented that a possible Barr candidacy would be potentially upsetting for Republicans, and described his possible supporters as individuals who saw him "as a consistent libertarian who opposed the PATRIOT Act, budget deficits and gun control."[14] Later in the month, Barr stated that he was "looking very seriously at"[15] a presidential run.[15]
Barr launched an
Campaign developments
Libertarian Party nomination campaign
Barr publicly announced his candidacy on May 12, 2008. He commented that his run would give the American people a "meaningful choice"
During an interview with Newsweek following his entrance into the race, Barr was asked why he had announced his candidacy only two weeks before the Libertarian Party convention. He remarked that he had not "seriously consider[ed] [running] until about five or six weeks"[20] prior to his official announcement. When asked about the "spoiler effect",[20] he stated that "the votes [Barr would receive] are not going to come from people that are committed to voting for McCain."[20] Also during the interview, Barr articulated that his campaign would make use of the internet with methods similar to those employed by Ron Paul and Barack Obama to mobilize young voters.[20] Barr attempted to tap into Ron Paul's resources and supporters to raise funds, and used the same company that Paul used, Terra Eclipse, to design his campaign website.[21] Stephen P. Gordon, who worked for Paul, was hired as the e-Campaign manager,[22] and Doug Bandow, who previously worked as an advisor for both Ron Paul and Ronald Reagan,[23] was hired as the Senior Policy Advisor.[24]
Barr's campaign manager Russ Verney sent a fundraising memorandum on May 19 that included his projections for the campaign, and compared Barr favorably to Ross Perot. His predictions included participation in the nationally televised debates in October 2008 and a popular vote total of 19%. The manager commented that this was "no ordinary presidential campaign"
Barr participated in the Libertarian Party presidential debate, an event sponsored by
Libertarian Party presidential nomination
As the
General election campaign
As the nominee of the Libertarian Party, Barr promised to "travel the width and breadth of this great land"
Campaign exposure
Barr received some media exposure a few days after his nomination by visiting New York City to appear on both the
Although the campaign garnered $300,000 in donations by June 28, Barr had yet to hold a campaign fundraiser or film television advertisements.[39]
On June 30, Barr appeared on
Full-time escalation
Barr launched his "full-time" campaign at
The next week, Barr appeared on
During a visit to Austin for a fundraiser, Barr made a surprise appearance at the July 19 Netroots Nation convention. The candidate remarked at the meeting of progressive bloggers that "there are a lot of libertarians here, [and] a lot of [Barr] supporters."[43] His presence was acknowledged by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who observed that "Bob Barr – even Bob Barr – opposed" the domestic spying bill that she was discussing.[43] On July 23, CNN polling placed Barr at 3% in a four-way race, while Zogby placed Barr at 6%.[35] He polled at 8% in Georgia, Colorado, Iowa, and Minnesota, and at 9% in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Nevada. Surveys in New Hampshire put Barr at 10%.[44]
In August, Barr spoke at the
Final stages
As September began, commentator Greg Pierce of
Endorsements
|
It was announced at a press conference on September 10, 2008 that former Republican Presidential candidate
On the dawn of the final month of campaigning, Barr appeared on
Ballot access
Barr achieved
Lawsuits were filed against Barr by GOP members in
On September 26, 2008, the
Results
Barr's campaign ended after receiving 523,686 (0.4%) of the popular vote on Election Day. He finished in fourth place, winning a higher percentage than the
Aftermath
Following the campaign, Barr was certified as a
Barr reflected on the campaign in an interview with Reason shortly after the election. He explained that his campaign's inability to gain access to donor lists hindered the campaign's fundraising capacity.[76] In April 2009, he commented that his exclusion from the presidential debates prevented his campaign from gaining significant traction. Barr said he would not run for public office in the future.[77] However, he attempted to regain his seat in Congress in 2014, losing in the Republican Party primary runoff election.[78]
In May 2010, the Barr campaign was sued by libertarian pundit
See also
- Comparison of United States presidential candidates, 2008
- Electoral history of Bob Barr
- List of candidates in the United States presidential election, 2008
- Political positions of Bob Barr
- United States third party and independent presidential candidates, 2008
References
- ^ "Candidate (P80005580) Summary Reports – 2007–2008 Cycle". Federal Election Commission. December 31, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- Reason.
- ^ a b "2008 Official Presidential General Election Results" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. November 4, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ^ Amer, Mildred (June 16, 2005). "Freshmen in the House of Representatives and Senate by Political Party: 1913–2005" (PDF). CRS Report for Congress. Library of Congress: 1–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Twomey, Steve (November 23, 1998). "On the Hill, Barring Democracy". The Washington Post. p. B01. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- ^ Bovard, James (March 1998). "The Fires of Waco Are Still Burning". Future of Freedom Foundation. Archived from the original on August 18, 2002. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ^ McCaffrey, Shannon (June 22, 2008). "Will Bob Barr Be The Ralph Nader Of '08?". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "US House Roll Call Vote 398". Library of Congress. October 24, 2001. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "US House Roll Call Vote 455". Library of Congress. October 10, 2002. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Khatchadourian, Raffi (October 27, 2008). "The Third Man". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Milbank, Dana (February 11, 2006). "Bob Barr, Bane of the Right?". The Washington Post. p. A02. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "ACLU Announces Collaboration With Rep. Bob Barr; Says Conservative Congressman Will Consult on Privacy Issues". American Civil Liberties Union. November 25, 2002. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ Weigel, David (November 2008). "Bob Barr Talks". Reason. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Libertarians seek Barr candidacy". The Washington Times. March 20, 2008. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "Bob Barr thinking 'very serious' thoughts about a presidential race, Iraq, and torture". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. March 26, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Jill Vejnoska (April 26, 2008). "Barr's campaign for White House taking shape". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b George Will (April 21, 2008). "A Libertarian Surge?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ CBS Interactive Inc. May 12, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ a b Johanna Neuman (May 13, 2008). "Bob Barr, a former GOP congressman, is running for president as a Libertarian". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Daniel Stone (May 13, 2008). "Belly Up to the Barr". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Lai Stirland, Sarah (May 12, 2008). "Libertarian Bob Barr Hopes to Scoop Up Ron Paul's Internet-Driven Support". Wired. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ^ "Letter from the chair" (PDF). Alabama Liberty. Alabama Libertarian Party. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ^ Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action (July 13, 2008). "Key People-Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)". George Washington University. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ^ a b c Mark Ambinder (May 19, 2008). "Update From The Barr Campaign". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ^ "Will Third Party Candidates Tip the Presidential Race?". Rasmussen Reports. May 18, 2008. Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ "InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Survey: Barr Could Create Presidential Toss-Up in his Home State". Southern Political Report. May 20, 2008. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c Sarah Elkins (May 21, 2008). "Playing the Spoiler Role?". Newsweek. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ The Washington Examiner. May 21, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ a b Robert McCain (May 23, 2008). "Fear and Loathing in Denver". The American Spectator. Archived from the original on May 26, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Aaron Sheinin (May 24, 2008). "That didn't take long". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ "Libertarian Party picks Barr as presidential candidate". Agence France-Presse. May 25, 2008. Archived from the original on October 2, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b Shenin, Aaron Gould (May 28, 2008). "For Barr, third-party status, media are challenges". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ^ "Bob Barr Welcomes Election Contest with Barack Obama and John McCain, Urges Weekly Debates". BobBarr.org. June 4, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Doug Daniels (July 13, 2008). "Barr Set to Make Debate Push". Open Debates. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b George Dance (July 9, 2008). "Barrwatch – Barr hits 6% in a national poll". Advocates for Self Government. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ a b c Aaron Sheinn (June 8, 2008). "'Colbert' booking gives Barr exposure". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ "Bob Barr Does What Ron Paul Should Have". The Liberty Papers. June 2, 2008.
- ^ David Weigel (June 2, 2008). "Bob Barr to Stormfront: Drop Dead". Reason. Archived from the original on August 10, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ Bosman, Julie (June 28, 2008). "A Candidate Runs to a G.O.P. Chorus of 'Don't'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Transcript: Bob Barr on 'FOX News Sunday'". Fox News. June 30, 2008. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ Auchmutey, Jim (July 5, 2008). "Fourth of July: New city arch opens". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Barr: Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Bailout Unfair to Taxpayers". Fox News. July 15, 2008. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ a b Susan Davis (July 19, 2008). "Surprise Visit by Bob Barr at Netroots Conference". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- Zogby International. Archived from the originalon July 22, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
- ^ "Anti-immigrant rally fizzles as DNC opens". Daily News. New York. Associated Press. August 26, 2008. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ a b Moscoso, Eunice (August 19, 2008). "Immigration foes frustrated with presidential choices". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ "Zogby Poll: Majority Want Libertarian Bob Barr Included in Presidential Debates". Zogby International. August 15, 2008. Archived from the original on November 7, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Pierce, Greg (September 22, 2008). "Inside Politics". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ Deirdre McCloskey (November 1, 2008). "Is There Any Hope For This Man?". Reason. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Palazzolo, Joe (July 2, 2008). "Young Lawyer Takes Victory Lap After Supreme Court Gun Case Win". Law.com. ALM Media Properties, LLC. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ "Penn Jillette Backs Bob Barr". National Journal Group Inc. August 12, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Weigel, David (May 26, 2008). "Citizen Bob". Reason. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Who's Getting Your Vote?". October 29, 2008.
- ^ Shafer, Jack (October 28, 2008). "Slate Votes". Slate. Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
- ^ Preston, Mark (September 9, 2008). "Ron Paul to announce presidential endorsement plans". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "We Agree". Campaign For Liberty. September 10, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b Sheinin, Aaron Gould (September 10, 2008). "Barr asks Ron Paul to be his running mate". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Brad Haynes (September 24, 2008). "Dismissing Bob Barr, Ron Paul Endorses Constitution Party Candidate". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ "Report of Receipts and Disbursements" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. December 8, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ "Receipts and Disbursements" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. September 19, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ National Public Radio. October 4, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ McCaffrey, Shannon (October 22, 2008). "Libertarian Barr says McCain can't win presidency". Fox News. Associated Press. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ "Barr Submits Oklahoma Petition in Person, Announces Lawsuit". Ballot Access News. Richard Winger. July 15, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ "Judge tosses Barr's W.Va. ballot access lawsuit". USA Today. September 7, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ "Judge: Barr will be on Pa.'s presidential ballot". Fox News. Associated Press. September 15, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Christy Hoppe (September 17, 2008). "Bob Barr Busts Ballot". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Selby, W. Gardner (September 23, 2008). "Texas Supreme Court rejects Barr's ballot challenge". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ "Today on the presidential campaign trail". Fox News. October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Balko, Radley (November 3, 2008). "The Two-Party Monopoly". Fox News. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ a b Doherty, Brian (November 17, 2008). "Where Did the Libertarian Party Go Wrong?". Reason. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ "Bob Barr's next life: Let him get his feet wet, then send him to the Middle East". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 11, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "The Barr Code About Bob Barr". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 2010. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ Barr, Bob (February 25, 2009). "Bob Barr: Obama's deficit plans belong in Never-Never Land". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Wayne Allyn Root Introduced for Interview as "The Lead Presidential Candidate for the Libertarian Party in 2012"". Ballot Access News. Richard Winger. June 28, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Quinn, Garrett (September 14, 2012). "An Exit Interview With Wayne Allyn Root". Reason. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ Weigel, David (November 24, 2008). "Bob Barr Looks Back". Reason. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ^ Grossman, Nathan (April 16, 2009). "Barr reflects on campaign". George Washington University Hatchet. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- ^ Sullivan, Sean (July 22, 2014). "Former congressman Bob Barr loses in Georgia runoff". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ Weigel, David. "Right Now – Bob Barr sued by ghostwriter". The Washington Post. 2010-05-07. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^ Maryland Circuit Court, Case 330488V
External links
- Official
- Documentaries, topic pages and databases
- Bob Barr 2008 presidential campaign at Curlie
- Candidate profile at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at OnTheIssues.org
- Campaign contributions of The Bob Barr Leadership Fund from the FEC
- Presidential campaign FEC disclosure report
- Biographical
- Business