Charleston Daily Mail - Third-Party Candidates in W.Va. Fight Mainstream

News Article

By Whitney Burdette

Although most voters could probably recognize at least a couple major party candidates in November's general election, they may not be familiar with some other names on the ballot.

In addition to Democratic and Republican nominees for Congress, three other men representing third parties have thrown their hats in the race. Mountain Party candidate Bob Henry Baber and Libertarian John Buckley are both running for U.S. Senate against Democrat Natalie Tennant and Republican Shelley Moore Capito, while independent Ed Rabel is running for U.S. House in the 2nd Congressional District against Democrat Nick Casey and Republican Alex Mooney.

All three said they are disenchanted with the current state of politics in West Virginia and are running to give voters an alternate choice in November.

"I'm running for the U.S. Senate because I thought it would be a nice idea to have a progressive voice in the race," Baber said. "Somebody who is for (raising) minimum wage, somebody for protecting the environment and the legalization of marijuana."

Baber said the idea that states can make their own laws regarding marijuana is "a joke." Colorado and Washington passed laws legalizing marijuana within the past couple of years and are allowing shops to open and sell the plant in various forms. In Ohio, Baber said, a person in possession of 55 grams of the drug will get a ticket, but in West Virginia, a person with 5 grams will go to jail.

"That's an absurdity," he said.

Although Baber was the only third-party candidate to speak to the legalization of marijuana (the state Legislature has considered bills to allow medical marijuana but those measures have failed) there are some similarities among the candidates. Both Baber and Buckley said they support the legalization of gay marriage and have progressive viewpoints on other social issues. Buckley said he's heard from voters across the state that they just want government to leave them alone.

"They want to be left alone and have the freedom to live their own lives and don't want the government to tell them what to do," Buckley said.

The Libertarian Party, according to its website, supports "a system which encourages all people to choose what they want from life; that lets them live, love, work, play, and dream their own way." Buckley takes a "live and let live approach," something he said voters won't see from Tennant or Capito.

"I got into the race because I don't think either of the major party candidates are representing a point of view I think is an important perspective to solve a lot of problems in the country," Buckley said. "I wanted to give voters the option to choose a small government."

Rabel, who was born and raised in Charleston but left for many years to work as a network news correspondent for CBS and NBC, said he too hears dissatisfaction from voters. A Gallup Poll found many voters across the country wanted more choices in elections, and he said he's finding that to be true in the Mountain State as well. But, he admits, he realizes victory is a long shot.

"I did not enter into this with any illusions," Rabel said. "I again reference the Gallup Poll and conversations with people, voters out there, in gathering these signatures. I sense that people really do want to see an independent on the ballot and that's the reason they signed my petition, to put me on the ballot. I think of all the years independents have been trying to gain some ground, this year is the year."

To earn a position on the general election ballot, Rabel, or any other independent candidate, was required to petition voters and garner enough signatures to equal 1 percent of the vote in the 2012 election for that seat. In Rabel's case, he had to get 2,269 signatures. He got more than that, he said, and the secretary of state's office verified the petition.

Coal has been a big issue in the Senate race, but both Baber and Buckley said they think other issues deserve attention, too, such as education. Baber works full-time as major gifts officer at Glenville State College, so he sees firsthand how student loan debt affects students.

"For one thing, the Pell grant is huge, as is student loan relief," Baber said.

Another national issue is immigration reform. Baber said he and the Mountain Party support a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who want to come to America for education, jobs and economic opportunity.

"I don't think immigration is a big issue in West Virginia but I will say this: My great-great-grandfather was denied entry into Virginia and came into the United States through Cuba illegally," Baber said. "I support and the Mountain Party supports a clear and fair pathway to citizenship for those coming in the U.S. for economic opportunity."

As for foreign policy, Buckley said the U.S. needs to do whatever it takes to keep citizens safe.

"There are tons of issues, war issues, foreign wars, foreign entanglements that have been a mess across the world," he said. "We need to spend whatever it takes for the defense of the United States."

Rabel said he thinks Casey and Mooney are spreading the wrong message about coal. They don't care about miners and their families, he said. They care about corporations.

"I think both the Democrat and the Republican in this race are corporatist candidates," he said. "When they talk about coal, for example, they're not talking about coal miners or coal communities or coal families. They're talking about protecting the interest of the coal companies. I think I offer the people a chance, a choice, for what's going on in our state.

"I think all you have to do is take a look at the poisoning of the tap water of 300,000 of my neighbors and understand they're not being well represented when they can be so cavalierly discounted by politicians and leaders in industry. I offer them a voice and I can make a difference when it comes to the people, not the corporations."

All three candidates are waging grassroots campaigns and can be found on social media. The general election is Nov. 4.

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