Former 2016 Oklahoma House of Rep. Libertarian candidate Erin Adams, talks 2017 Projects, Advice for Candidates and 2018 LNC

Erin Adams speaking before the 2016 Libertarian National Convention

DM:  LCI is welcoming back Erin Adams, former candidate for House of Representatives of Oklahoma in 2016.  Erin, it's a pleasure to speak with you again.  How did the ending run of your campaign trail turn out?  What was the support and feedback like from voters?

EA:  Thanks so much for having me back! I was blessed with an incredible campaign team and because of their help, in my three way race, I pulled in 5.7% of the vote. We achieved that with less than 4k in a district with 14 registered libertarians.

DM:  It was a great effort in a very tough race.  Many do not understand the amount of financing that goes into running a campaign and to get such results on a small budget is positive news.  What do you feel could have changed the outcome to a higher number in your area?  Advice that you can both use yourself for future runs and other Liberty candidates?

EA:  I think that part of the equation was that Libertarians had just received ballot access, We went 16 years without it, so there were many people who had no Idea what we were about. I hope to see higher numbers here for our candidates moving forward. Another issue that seemed to be prevalent here was the exclusion of Libertarian candidates from public forums and debates and changing that may mean we need to file a few law suits. In my race, I feel like I could have maybe pulled higher numbers if I had devoted ALL of my time to my campaign. I was Filling a rather large role with the Johnson campaign at the same time and I do not regret that at all.

Advice? Start early, get comfortable asking for help and money. Learn to listen. I think it is really important to be fair, honest and timely in your message. Knock on EVERY door. Build a team. Without my team I would have gone nowhere. I built my team partially by reaching out to universities and getting some internships set up, And I had some amazing Volunteers! Once you get that team built, get out of their way, let them do what they do, the right team will make you better.  I know for myself, Public speaking is not my strong point so because of that I founded the Oklahoma Libertarian Toastmasters Group. Toastmasters is a wonderful organization who offer a lot of value to Candidates not only in increasing our public speaking skills but also in growing in our leadership abilities.


DM:  What plans do you have for 2017 and going forward? Oklahoma Libertarian Toastmasters Group, for example. What website and social media links can you provide for this and other projects you may have going or will be working on?

EA:  I am very excited about my work at The Feldman Foundation. Our candidate training's are just a small part of what we do but they are my favorite part of what we do as well. Our web page is https://feldman.nationbuilder.com. Our Toastmasters group is growing and you can check it out on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1903435239935207/.
I was Fortunate to be Included on the LNC convention oversight Committee and I am really excited about the 2018 convention. I would encourage Everyone to start planning to attend now as there are some really good workshops and seminars included. 2017 is going to be a very busy year. I am also involved with several caucuses and hold positions on several state level caucuses. I am always doing something, I average about 14 hours a day, 7 days a week and I feel so fortunate that that is the case. I do what I love, what I believe in, every single day! What could be better? If there is anyone out there looking to take a more active role in the party or the movement, Please reach out!


DM:   If you could tell Libertarian Party National one piece of advice going into the 2018 convention, what would it be?

EA:   Wow. That is a BIG question! I think it would be that we must stop communicating in our own little "echo chamber" . We desperately need to increase outreach and work harder at how we craft our message. The message of Liberty is compelling and it always will be, but when we fail to articulate that, everyone suffers. Our Principles are clear, Our message must be as well.


DM:  Erin, it's been great having you back with LCI. We certainly look forward to speaking again. One last question, will you be seeking the 2020 Libertarian Party Presidential or Vice-Presidential nomination?

EA:  I most certainly will not ;)
 

Erin Adams, former 2016 House of Representative Libertarian candidate for Oklahoma

This contribution is from Seattle-based independent journalist, David Malekar, Editor in Chief for the Liberty Chronicle Independent; and publishes content to other online publications.