Fwd: News Release - Libertarian Ken Krawchuk to Seek Gubernatorial Nomination This Weekend

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ken Krawchuk
Subject: News Release - Libertarian Ken Krawchuk to Seek Gubernatorial Nomination This Weekend


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2014
For more information, please contact:
Ken Krawchuk at Campaign@KenK.org or 224-Krawchuk (224-572-9248)


LIBERTARIAN KEN KRAWCHUK TO SEEK GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION THIS WEEKEND

        Ken Krawchuk, the Libertarian Party candidate for Pennsylvania
Governor in 1998 and 2002, will be seeking the party's 2014 gubernatorial
nomination this Saturday, February 22, 2014, at their annual convention
being held at the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel & Conference Center, 300
Gateway Drive, Bethlehem, PA (www.lehighvalleyhotel.com).  Detailed
information about the convention schedule, speakers, and complimentary media
admission is available at www.LpPaConvention.org.

        Krawchuk believes his chances of receiving the nomination are
excellent.  "I've been campaigning around the state since early November
when I announced my intent to form an exploratory committee, and the
response among Libertarians has been overwhelmingly supportive.  The
long-time party members recall my performance in the debates and on the
campaign trail in 2002, and would love to see an encore.  The newer members
are excited by the idea of a Libertarian Governor candidate, which is
something most of them have never known."  Because of Pennsylvania's onerous
ballot access laws and the anticompetitive antics of the two old parties,
Krawchuk stands as the last third party or independent gubernatorial
candidate to appear on the ballot for more than a decade.

        Krawchuk notes how the political landscape has tilted strongly
toward Libertarian principles since his last campaign.  "When I talked in
2002 about decriminalizing marijuana, legalizing gay marriage, or nullifying
bad federal laws, it was all cutting edge politics.  But today these are all
mainstream ideas that have gained broad public acceptance.  I'm eagerly
looking forward to continuing the discussion of other cutting-edge issues,
including defusing the abortion debate, eliminating the state's monopoly on
public education, and reforming over-regulation and welfare through the
Separation of Society and State, among many other issues.  It's becoming a
very Libertarian world out there, and it's my goal to accelerate that trend,
just as I did in 2002"

        Krawchuk is upbeat about his chances for victory in 2014.
"Historically, voter turnout for gubernatorial elections is less than 40%.
So when you crunch the numbers, you'll find that in a competitive 3-way
race--which it's definitely going to be this year--all it would take for a
Libertarian victory is for us to attract the vote of one out of eight voting
age Pennsylvanians.  One out of eight is all it takes."

        Among the challenges facing not only Krawchuk's campaign, but also
that of any independent or third party candidate, are Pennsylvania's onerous
ballot access laws.  Where the two old parties only need 1,000 or 2,000
signatures to get their candidates on the statewide ballot, Krawchuk
calculates that the Libertarian gubernatorial ticket will need a minimum of
16,639 signatures - eight to sixteen times as many - even though the
Pennsylvania Constitution mandates that "All elections shall be free and
equal."  Adding to that signature burden, in every one of the last five
statewide elections some or all independent and third party candidates have
had their petitions challenged in court, and most candidates were either
intimidated into dropping out of the race or were thrown off the ballot for
specious reasons  Two candidates were also fined over $80,000 each.
"Experience is a harsh schoolmistress," Krawchuk noted, "but we've learned
quite a lot about the system.  We emerged victorious after the Republican's
2012 challenge, and I fully expect we'll weather any challenge in 2014.  But
for the longer term, we're lobbying to have the Voters Choice Act (SB 195)
passed, and that will level the playing field for challenger candidates
across the board regardless of party, and lead to greater competition at the
ballot box and more choices for Pennsylvanians."

        Ken Krawchuk, 60, has been a registered Libertarian since 1993.  He
was born and raised in the Feltonville section of Philadelphia, graduated
with honors from Cardinal Dougherty High School in 1971, and in 1975
received a B.S. in Physics from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.  He
and his wife Roberta have lived in Abington since 1981, a Philadelphia
suburb, and have three daughters and two grandchildren (with a third on the
way).  Mr. Krawchuk is also an avid whitewater canoeist, year-round
backpacker, and railroad enthusiast.

        Professionally, Mr. Krawchuk is an information technology
entrepreneur serving as a business architect for the pharmaceutical,
insurance, and financial markets.  He is also the lead inventor of three
U.S. Patents related to database theory.

        Mr. Krawchuk is an award-winning Distinguished Toastmaster and a
professional public speaker.  He is also a freelance writer and author of
Atlas Snubbed, a pastiche parody sequel to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.  He
refers to Atlas Snubbed as his "platform novel" because it describes as
fiction many of the issues highlighted in his campaign, most notably the
Separation of Society and State.

        Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party is the third largest
political party in the state and the nation, with over 150 elected and
appointed officials currently serving in office nationwide, and 40 in
Pennsylvania.  Like the Founding Fathers, Libertarians believe that you have
the inalienable right to conduct your life as you see fit, without
interference, so long as you respect the rights and property of others.  As
a result, Libertarians favor a small, responsible government.

        For more information about the Libertarian Party, the public is
invited to contact the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania at www.LpPa.org or
(800) R-RIGHTS, or the National Libertarian Party at Lp.org or (202)
333-0008.

        For more information about the Krawchuk campaign, please visit the
campaign website at www.KenK.org.  The campaign can be contacted at
Campaign@KenK.org, or 224-Krawchuk (224-572-9248).





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