Name: Harris County Libertarians campaign to get Jorgenson on debate stage against Trump
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Harris County Libertarians campaign to get Jorgenson on debate stage against Trump

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The Harris County Libertarian Party is hosting an event that attempts to get Jo Jorgensen on the debate stage against President Donald Trump and democratic challenger Joe Biden.On Saturday, Aug. 8, at 11:30 a.m., protesters meet for Let Her Speak at 2706 White Oak Drive, Houston. The group will decorate their cars, “go live” on social media and drive through the Heights and Montrose areas in a bid to get Jorgensen to Cleveland on Sept. 29 for the next presidential debate.Election 2020:Current restrictions set by the Commission on Presidential Debates limit participation to candidates that are polling at 15 percent or higher in at least five national polls. Even though Jorgensen is on the ballot in 36 states, including Texas, according to the Libertarian Party’s official website, she doesn’t meet the threshold to join the debate.“The idea is to have a socially distanced and peaceful protest in order to bring attention to the fact that the Libertarian Party candidate for president, Dr. Jo Jorgensen, is being ignored by the Commission on Presidential Debates,” said Elliot Scheirman, who is one of the protest’s hosts. He is also running for United States Congress in Houston’s second congressional district, which is currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw.With 107 confirmed protests happening across the country on Aug. 8, the Libertarian Party is hoping to get CPD’s attention.“The catch?”, the Harris County Libertarian Party’s press release notes, “Most of these polls do not even mention a third-party candidate... Voters are being left in the dark...”However, Jorgensen and Libertarian officials said they believe Americans want a viable third option.According to a 2017 Gallup poll, 77 of independent voters favor having a third major party. And according to a 2020 Gallup poll conducted this summer, 40 of Americans identify as independent.“There’s an appetite here,” said Scheirman. “People are walking away from the duopoly of the Republicans and Democrats when they see that we have offerings of people who are qualified, articulate, are able to communicate a message that shows how we can solve problems that we have in society without resorting to government force, rather working on voluntary solutions.”Jorgensen, who received her Ph. D. in Organizational Psychology from Clemson University where she is also a senior lecturer in psychology, hopes she can capture this sentiment. The top issues on her presidential platform include goals to end foreign wars, eliminate the federal debt and deficit, lower high healthcare costs and lower incarceration rates.ELECTION 2020:“Government is too big, too bossy, too nosy, and, worst of all, often hurts the very people it intends to help. The government doesn’t work; liberty and freedom do,” said Jorgensen in a press release.Scheirman said he also wants to challenge the stereotype that Libertarians are, “just Republicans who like weed." He said the Libertarian party draws in Republicans and Democrats, as well as, “people who never wanted to be either.”He believes Libertarian policy positions are rooted in individual choice, individual consent, and individual rights. According to Scheirman, people should be able to live their lives however they want, free from persecution, with dignity, as long as they’re not harming others in the process.“That’s something that appeals to a lot of people,” said Scheirman. “At the end of the day, our motto is: Live and Let Live.”ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com

The Harris County Libertarian Party is hosting an event that attempts to get Jo Jorgensen on the debate stage against President Donald Trump and democratic challenger Joe Biden.On Saturday, Aug. 8, at 11:30 a.m., protesters meet for Let Her Speak at 2706 White Oak Drive, Houston. The group will decorate their cars, “go live” on social media and drive through the Heights and Montrose areas in a bid to get Jorgensen to Cleveland on Sept. 29 for the next presidential debate.Election 2020:Current restrictions set by the Commission on Presidential Debates limit participation to candidates that...

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Ryan Nickerson

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Harris County Libertarians campaign to get Jorgenson on debate stage against Trump

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