Why I'm Running

For a long time, I considered myself a “small L libertarian,” which is another way of saying that I believed that Americans, when left alone and free, could solve their problems better than the government could. The best thing the government could do for people was to get out of the way! As a small L libertarian, I wasn’t directly involved in party politics, or governing people. Getting directly involved in politics was the opposite of what I wanted to do.

In 2020, the lockdowns convinced me that sitting back and hoping for the government to leave people alone was unrealistic. I became more involved with the Libertarian Party, mainly at the local level.

During the 2024 Pennslyvania Libertarian Convention, several people asked me to consider running for Senate. The first question I had for them is why they wouldn’t do it themselves. This group of twenty-some-year-olds had a convincing answer. They were not old enough. The Constitution requires that a Senator be at least thirty years old.

I found it amusing that the two dinosaur parties (my pet name for the Republicans and Democrats, because they are enormous beasts, which should have been extinct a long time ago,) struggle to find someone under the age of 80 to run. The Libertarians were seeking someone over 30!

My next objection was that I could not make such a decision without consulting my wife, Sara. These young, digital natives, reminded me that I had a phone, as did she. After checking with Sara, who gave her blessing, I told these young men that I would not object to them nominating me.

I am an educator at heart. Winning a Senate race as a Libertarian is a long shot. But, I can use this race as a platform to educate people across our commonwealth about how principles of freedom can lead to a more peaceful and prosperous Pennsylvania.

I look forward to this opportunity and welcome you to join me.