and he’s going right for Republican votes:

Libertarian Bill Peirce Officially Placed on Ballot

Ohio Economist Running for Governor


(Columbus, Ohio) The Secretary of State’s office reports that Ohio Economist Bill Peirce and his running mate Mark Noble have delivered 9389 valid signatures, almost doubling the official requirement to be placed on the ballot for Governor this fall.

“Ohio will grow and create jobs only when the crafty, connected, and ambitious in this state can no longer get rich by grubbing for favors in the Statehouse. I believe that smart, talented, hard-working, Ohioans; set free from bureaucracy, waste, and fraud; will bring prosperity to Ohio by using their energy to build real businesses throughout this state,” said Bill Peirce.

“Burdened by scandals and a divisive primary, Ohio Republicans are looking for alternatives,” notes Powell Libertarian, Robert Butler. “We are ready to become the real small-government choice for Ohio.”

The Libertarian Party of Ohio was not recognized by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, so Peirce will be listed on the ballot as “Other Party”. Peirce plans to present this “Other Party”‘s ideas and proposals for economic growth as he travels the state.

“I have spent my entire career studying economic development, and that’s what Ohio needs now. I’m well aware of the linkage between low employment and high tax rates,” declares Peirce, “there’s a growing consensus among many economists that economic freedom is closely linked to economic growth. The only way to get more rapid growth is to get more economic freedom.”

For more information about Bill Peirce, please visit http://peirceforohio.com

Something tells me that Blackwell made a mistake not recognizing the Liberatan Party. The “Other Party” may seem very attractive to a lot of Ohio voters these days.

I have to say that I’ve been really dissapointed with the Blackwell campaign so far. I expected a lot more from him. I had propped him up in my head as this diabolical mastermind, but he seems to just be another petty, opportunistic, greedy, hypocritical Republican willing to sell his soul for a taste of power. Sorry Charley, that ship sailed 15 years ago in Ohio. Time to retool, if it’s not too late.

Ohio seems like a state ripe for a Libertarian surge. Hackett’s brand of Democratic Libertarianism worked wonders in rural counties.