Bob Barr 2008 presidential campaign
The 2008 presidential campaign of Bob Barr, former Congressman of Georgia began on May 12, 2008. He announced his candidacy for the Libertarian Party's president after months of grassroots draft efforts. Barr (who had formerly been a Republican) was criticized by Libertarians who opposed his efforts in Congress, which included sponsorship of the Defense of Marriage Act and votes in favor of the USA PATRIOT Act and authorization of the War in Iraq, but he was supported by others who accepted his regret for those positions. Barr won the party's nomination after six rounds of balloting at the 2008 Libertarian Party National Convention. Former contender Wayne Allyn Root was named as his running mate. Reason magazine senior editor Radley Balko called Barr "the first serious candidate the LP has run since I've been eligible to vote."[2]
Bob Barr 2008
Bob Barr
United States House of Representative from Georgia
(1995–2003)
Defeated on Election Day (November 4, 2008)
Wayne Allyn Root
(Running mate)
Russ Verney
(Campaign Manager)
US$1,405,899 ((2008-12-31)[1])
Liberty for America
In the general election, Barr hoped to portray himself as a conservative alternative to the Republican nominee John McCain. He emphasized his opposition to the Republican Party for its positions on the War in Iraq and the USA PATRIOT Act and stood as an advocate of fiscal constraint, demonstrated by his opposition to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The candidate never made headway in election polls, placing third or fourth when included. Barr's efforts to be invited to presidential debates with the two main candidates also fell short when he failed to meet the 15% polling threshold.
Barr campaigned throughout the nation. He litigated to gain ballot access in several states and to prevent McCain and the Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama from appearing on the Texas ballot for failing to meet the filing deadline. On election day, Barr appeared on the ballot in 44 states; he finished fourth in the general election, behind Ralph Nader, receiving 523,686 votes, or 0.4% of the total, 126,448 more votes than the Badnarik/Campagna ticket four years prior. [3]
Background[edit]
Bob Barr was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 as part of the Republican Revolution.[4] While in office, he was a strong proponent of the War on Drugs,[5] called for further investigations into the Waco Siege,[6] and authored the Defense of Marriage Act. In 1998, he was a central figure in the Lewinsky scandal investigation, being the first congressman to call for President Bill Clinton's resignation after the allegations surfaced.[7] Near the end of his time in Congress, Barr voted in favor of the USA PATRIOT Act[8] and the authorization for use of force against Iraq.[9] After his congressional district was redrawn in 2002, making reelection more difficult, Barr was ousted from the House.[10] After leaving Congress, Barr became critical of the Bush administration, specifically for the administration's use of the USA PATRIOT Act, which Barr now believed to be unconstitutional.[11] He also worked as a privacy consultant for the American Civil Liberties Union.[12] In 2004, he left the Republican Party and endorsed Libertarian Party nominee Michael Badnarik for president, formally joining the party in 2006.[13]
Campaign developments[edit]
Libertarian Party nomination campaign[edit]
Barr publicly announced his candidacy on May 12, 2008. He commented that his run would give the American people a "meaningful choice"[18] to vote for in November, preventing them from having to "hold their nose and pull a lever... for the lesser of two evils."[18] During his speech, Barr cited out of control government growth as the primary reason for his run.[18] In response to the announcement, Republican consultant Christopher Barron countered the claim of George Will on the campaign's potential "spoiler effect." Baron stated that Barr's run "is unlikely to hurt Sen. McCain in any significant way"[19] but would aide the Republican Party "by siphoning off some of the enthusiasm among college voters and antiwar advocates for Obama."[19]
Results[edit]
Barr's campaign ended after receiving 523,686 (0.4%) of the popular vote on Election Day. He finished in fourth place, winning a higher percentage than the 2004 Libertarian nominee Michael Badnarik. 67,582 of his votes were won in California, the nation's most populous state, but Barr won his largest percentage in Indiana with 1.1%.[3] Reason Magazine's Brian Doherty commented that Barr's showing did not meet earlier expectations. He wrote that Barr did not win a significant percentage of the population because he was "not Libertarian enough,"[70] distanced himself too far from Ron Paul, and lacked adequate "communication and coordination."[70]
Aftermath[edit]
Following the campaign, Barr was certified as a mediator to resolve disputes upon request.[71] He currently writes a regular column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution titled "The Barr Code", and is a contributor for CNN.[72] In his column, he discusses privacy issues and often criticizes the Obama administration, disapproving of the effect of its spending on the federal budget.[73] He has become involved in the Tea Party movement, and has left the Libertarian Party, rejoining the Republicans. He supported former running mate Wayne Allyn Root's bid to be chairman of the Party. Root was considered a potential 2012 Libertarian presidential candidate.[74] He did not run, and like Barr, rejoined the Republican Party.[75]
Barr reflected on the campaign in an interview with Reason shortly after the election. He explained that his campaign's inability to gain access to donor lists hindered the campaign's fundraising capacity.[76] In April 2009, he commented that his exclusion from the presidential debates prevented his campaign from gaining significant traction. Barr said he would not run for public office in the future.[77] However, he attempted to regain his seat in Congress in 2014, losing in the Republican Party primary runoff election.[78]
In May 2010, the Barr campaign was sued by libertarian pundit Jim Bovard, who was hired to ghostwrite a book about the campaign. Bovard claims he was never paid the $47,000 he was to receive for his efforts. Campaign manager Russ Verney stated that the campaign hoped to raise enough money to pay Bovard, and asked for donations.[79] The ensuing litigation resulted in a judgment entered for Bovard against the Barr 2008 Presidential Committee, Inc., in the full amount of $47,000.00.[80]