FAQ
The need for LibertySlate.
How are the candidates selected?
How are the candidates scored?
Why only Republican candidates?
What to do if I think there is a mistake?
I have another question.
The Need for LibertySlate
LibertySlate 2010 is you. It’s Tea Party activists. It’s libertarians and constitutionalists. It’s conservatives and former apoliticals. It’s former George W. Bush voters that feel abandoned or mislead. We unite here to elect a LibertySlate to Congress. With your help.
Why LibertySlate?
As a movement, we lack a cohesive strategy to gain Senate and House seats (not to mention seats in state legislatures across the country). Most of the races we have targeted in the past have not been winnable. The result has been fewer liberty Republicans elected than neo-conservatives or RINOs.
This dynamic must change, and the change starts with us.
You — the liberty-loving donor and activist — are limited in resources and time. It is critical that our movement collectively focuses our limited resources — voluntarism and contributions — in a meaningful way that will have an impact. We have to put our best foot forward, and we have a full slate of candidates that can do so for us in Congress.
All of the LibertySlate 2010 candidates are worthy of your support, but we have organized this website in a way that allows you to donate to the candidate that fits your own criteria. Perhaps you’re from the same state as the candidate listed; perhaps you like the candidate’s views on a particular entitlement program that he/she will eliminate; or perhaps you prefer a candidate that can actually win the race.
“If you believe in your principles with all your heart, you must find a way to implement them into policy,” according to Morton Blackwell of the Leadership Institute. It’s time to win elections. One Ron Paul in Congress is simply not enough.
Candidate Selection
Like any project, LibertySlate.com has certain criteria for inclusion in our slate of candidates. The main criteria include:
- familiarity with the candidate (i.e., if the candidate associates in groups that we are involved in, then we’ll be more familiar with the candidate)
- candidate’s ability to make an impact (i.e., we would prefer to list candidates running real campaigns and spreading our platform message)
- candidate’s positions on the issues (i.e., a candidate who takes an interventionist perspective on foreign policy is not going to be selected to participate in LibertySlate)
The candidate selection list is constantly growing and changing. If your candidate is not on our list, you can contact us. We ask for your patience and would prefer that you not harbor anger toward us for not listing your candidate. We have a certain obligation to uphold the LibertySlate 2010 platform, and we have the right to refuse listings to candidates who do not agree with our platform.
Candidate Scoring Methodology
The candidates listed at LibertySlate 2010 are committed to upholding constitutional principles in Congress. These candidates are the best candidates running across the country in 2010. We all should thank each of them for their sacrifices for liberty.
The scoring index is quite simple:
- a rank of 1 to 5 based on issue positions stated at the candidate’s website that correspond with the LibertySlate 2010 platform
- a rank of 1 to 3 based on website design and content
- a rank of 1 to 5 based on likelihood of winning the election
Let’s start with the most controversial scoring piece first: likelihood of winning. To complete this score, three factors were considered and investigated thoroughly:
- the incumbent and other opponents
- district demographics and voting trends
- the LibertySlate candidate’s visibility and campaign organization
The incumbent politicians our slate face are very different; some of them, like Reps. Kagan (D-WI) or Perriello (D-VA), are vulnerable freshmen from conservative districts while others, like Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Lamar Smith (R-TX), are more seasoned career politicians that have spent most of their lives in their district. Obviously the first type of opponent — inexperienced and new to politics — is more vulnerable. The opponents our LibertySlate 2010 endorsed candidates face also impacted the scores. Credible opponents with strong fundraising and name recognition will make it harder for our LibertySlate candidate to succeed. District demographics and voter trends are fairly straightforward. Conservative districts represented by Democrats are more likely to switch over in 2010. Candidates running in these types of districts would be more likely to receive a higher mark on likelihood to win. Finally, we reviewed our own candidates — their backgrounds, issue stances, and campaign organizations. Let’s not pretend: some are more impressive candidates than others.
The website content rank of 1 to 3 is extremely straightforward. Candidates that did not receive a 3 are missing content or have poor quality design. Candidates with a 3 have excellent websites that provide background on the person running and his/her view. Additionally, their websites are visibly appealing and easy to navigate.
Finally, candidates receive a score based on their issues when compared to the LibertySlate 2010 platform. We think our platform is reasonable for just about any Republican Congressional candidate that has a committment to the U.S. Constitution. The platform is simple: less government on both social and economic issues.
Candidates’ websites were reviewed and if sufficient statements were found on one of the LibertySlate 2010 planks, then the candidate received a point for the issue. Since there are five LibertySlate planks, a candidate could receive a maximum score of five. Candidates receiving lower scores are missing one or more of the components that LibertySlate 2010 believes is essential for a Congressional candidate to be “on the record” about.
All of these ranks are subject to change. If a candidate updates his or her website, we reserve the right to change their ranking accordingly.
Why Only Republicans?
We have participated in third party politics before and have not found much success. If you are inclined to support a third party candidate, please do so. This project is only focused on helping liberty-loving donors elect pro-liberty candidates to office. Political reality is that our country is, unfortunately, a two-party system. Therefore — while supportive of some Libertarian and Independent candidates — we are only ranking liberty-oriented Republican candidates.
If I think there might be a mistake, what should I do?
While we try to avoid mistakes, there is always a chance that in entering all the candidate data (and other information) that we might make a mistake. If you think there is an error on our part, please contact the webmaster: webmaster@libertyslate.com
All data for the candidates is kept in two separate data files, so it is very easy to correct any errors or mistakes for candidates once caught.
Have another question?
