(INDIANAPOLIS) — Indiana’s Libertarian Party didn’t come close to winning the governorship, but the real prize is two years away.
Don Rainwater’s 12% of the vote is more than double the party’s previous high in a race for governor, and the second-best ever for any third-party candidate. The Westfield software engineer outpolled Democrat Woody Myers in 22 counties, peaking at 23% of the vote in four of them.
But cracking double digits is more than a trivia footnote. Under Indiana law, hitting 10% in a race for secretary of state classifies you as a major party. That means the party can start holding primaries, instead of nominating candidates at a convention.
Party chairman Tim Maguire notes primary voting records are public — you can see which party’s ballot a voter took. He says a Libertarian primary would give the party a ready-made list of its supporters, an advantage Republicans and Democrats already enjoy.
Just because Rainwater was able to top 10% doesn’t mean a secretary of state candidate will.
The party’s five candidates for Congress this year all got 3% or 4%. Maguire acknowledges some of Rainwater’s support came from resentment of restrictions Republican Governor Eric Holcomb has imposed to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check. But he says he believes Rainwater showed there’s a Libertarian constituency beyond that issue among strict-constructionist conservatives and civil-liberties liberals. He says the contacts Rainwater made during the campaign will help lay a foundation for the party’s secretary of state campaign in 2022.
