Former Senator Dean Barkley ran for US Senate in Minnesota as an Independence Party candidate. He was able to run TV ads, and even get former Governor Jesse Ventura to record radio ads on behalf of his campaign. Ballot Access News‘ latest issue contains a table which tabulates the total number of votes for US Senatorial candidates in various parties. The Green Party scored 436,600 votes nationally, in six states–with nearly half of that number coming from a two-way race in Arkansas. Dean Barkley, running as an Independence Party candidate in Minnesota, was able to trump that number with 437,404 votes in just one state.
To the Green’s credit, they scored roughly 100,000 more votes in 2008 than they did in 2002 (the last time these same seats were up for election). Also to the Green’s credit, they did outpoll the Constitution Party’s senatorial candidates, though if one removes that two-way race in Arkansas the two parties are roughly equal. Both vastly increased their shares since 2002, regardless of whether two-way races are included. The Libertarians, nationally, raked in 807,520 votes.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Libertarian Joseph // Feb 5, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Dean Barkley sucked. Oh man, did you watch him in the debates? Horrible. I could’ve did better than he did.
2 Trent Hill // Feb 5, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Yea, well he got more votes in MN than half of all the Libertarian US senate candidates did.
3 paulie cannoli // Feb 5, 2009 at 3:35 pm
How many votes (or signatures, or anything else besides troll comments) did LJ get?
4 Ross Levin // Feb 5, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Trent – why didn’t you include the Constitution Party in the headline? That just seems a bit unfair to the GP.
5 Gene Berkman // Feb 5, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Dean Barkley stood for ending the Iraq War, cutting government spending, balancing the budget, decriminalizing marijuana, and against helmut laws and gun laws. His vote total is a vote for freedom.
Bravo Dean Barkley!
6 Trent Hill // Feb 5, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Ross,
I used the GP because they were close to the same number.
7 Ross Levin // Feb 5, 2009 at 7:13 pm
OK.
8 Trent Hill // Feb 5, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Honestly Ross, I considered including the CP in the headline…but then it would read that Barkley outpolled the GP and CP–which could me misconstrued to mean he outpolled them combined.
9 paulie cannoli // Feb 5, 2009 at 7:50 pm
How about:
Neither the Constitution nor Green Parties received as many votes for US Senate nationwide as Dean Barkley did?
Too wordy?
10 Trent Hill // Feb 5, 2009 at 7:58 pm
WAY too wordy,lol. I think the post says it all *shrug*
11 Trent Hill // Feb 5, 2009 at 7:59 pm
“Barkley outpolls national Green Party and Constitution Party, respectively.”?
12 Ross Levin // Feb 5, 2009 at 8:01 pm
“Dean Barkley takes crap on two nationally organized parties”
13 Ross Levin // Feb 5, 2009 at 8:01 pm
That might be too wordy to use, though. Other than that, I think it’s fine.
14 jack grogan // Feb 6, 2009 at 10:29 am
Dean Barkley has contributed to the current stalemate in the U.S. Senate, struggling with the porky stimulus package put together by Obama and those tax fuzzy Demo camp followers.
There is no evidence that another big shot of mineral water will affect the national and world economic crisis. Obama seems unsure about how his big bailout package will guarantee a positive response to job and housing areas. He only creates a deeper hole for our heirs to dig out of. If small business creates eighty percent of jobs, where is Mondale’s “beef” for small business.?
jaxfax
15 paulie cannoli // Feb 6, 2009 at 10:53 am
Dean Barkley has contributed to the current stalemate in the U.S. Senate, struggling with the porky stimulus package put together by Obama and those tax fuzzy Demo camp followers.
How has he contributed? He didn’t get elected.
There is no evidence that another big shot of mineral water will affect the national and world economic crisis. Obama seems unsure about how his big bailout package will guarantee a positive response to job and housing areas. He only creates a deeper hole for our heirs to dig out of.
There, we agree.
If small business creates eighty percent of jobs, where is Mondale’s “beef” for small business.?
Best thing government can do for small businesses is get out of the way of all businesses.
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