From KETV in Dubuque, IA:
Doug Butzier, who was running for U.S. Senate as the Libertarian candidate against Republican Joni Ernst and Democrat Bruce Braley, died in a plane crash Monday near Dubuque Regional Airport.
Butzier’s wife confirmed Tuesday morning to KCRG-TV that it was Butzier who was killed.
Butzier grew up in Cedar Falls and graduated from the University of Iowa. He was an emergency room doctor and medical staff president at Mercy Medicinal Center in Dubuque.
Also see this Reason story.
🙁
http://www.npr.org/2014/10/18/357126933/a-candidate-with-low-poll-numbers-but-high-hopes
Good idea. I know other parties have had candidates who passed away after the ballots were printed but I don’t know off hand whether that has ever happened in the LP. Given that a lot of voters will not be aware that he died, while many others would see a LP vote as purely symbolic anyway (so it would not matter to them whether the candidate could actually serve or not), I don’t think it will make a huge difference in the numbers. Besides, I’d much rather have a dead man than a Democrat or Republican in office.
Yes–very sad news.
Condolences to all who knew him.
Thank you to Doug Butzier for being the Libertarian candidate in Iowa. I am sad to hear of his death. If I voted in Iowa I would vote for him this November.
My Condolences.
Worth voting for him in memorial.
@BAN
http://www.ballot-access.org/2014/10/libertarian-nominee-for-u-s-senate-in-iowa-killed-in-plane-crash/
loss*
A very sad lose of what appears to be a good and decent man.
Peace to his family. I am sorry for your loss.
Statement from Jake Porter, Libertarian for Iowa Secretary of State:
My thoughts and prayers are with Doug’s friends and family during this difficult time.
I am at a real loss for words. Doug was a very good man. I greatly enjoyed the experience of campaigning with him from the time he first called to tell me he wanted to run for U.S. Senate, getting kicked out of Simpson college with me for protesting the debate and just last week when he took time out of his busy schedule and flew to Council Bluffs to take Lee and I campaigning with him in eastern Iowa to save us the driving time. These past few months campaigning with Doug will be something I will always be grateful for.
Doug was a wonderful spokesman for the Libertarian Party and all of his fellow Libertarian candidates are truly shocked and saddened by the tragic news.
Online here: http://jakeporter.org/statement-on-passing-of-u-s-senate-candidate-doug-butzier/
What a terrible shame.
RIP.
Wow! What a tragedy on many levels. My condolences to his family.