Although Republican Alan Keyes and Democrat Barack Obama have attracted most of the attention in the race to become the next U.S. senator from Illinois, Libertarian candidate and Northwestern alumnus Jerry Kohn, Education ’83, wants voters to understand that they have another option.
But gaining support from NU students has been difficult. Many students said they simply are not interested in voting for a third-party candidate like Kohn.
“I definitely support all libertarians, but (voting for the libertarian candidate) is not going to make any difference in the election,” said Tom Johnson, a Weinberg senior who adheres to Libertarian ideology but is not yet sure who he will vote for in the Illinois Senate race. “But being (a member of) a third party is hard, especially in local politics.”
Kohn, a full-time economics and government teacher at Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Ill., believes voting for a third-party is a way students can have their voices heard.
“(A vote for the third-party) can be a very effective protest vote,” Kohn said. “It is a shot across the bow of both power parties, and it is a vote (voters) will feel good about and will not regret when the machine candidates betray them. In the end, the only wasted vote is an uninformed vote.”
Staying true to Libertarian ideology, Kohn is running on a platform that calls for limited government and an end to all military and economic aid to Israel and surrounding areas.
“If elected, I plan to leave (voters) alone and try very hard to get the rest of the government to do the same,” Kohn said. “I would let (voters) keep their hard-earned income and let them live their life as they please.”
Kohn, who ran for 28th District representative in the Illinois State House of Representatives in 2002, said he realizes that victory will not be easily attained in this election, but that he is willing to campaign because to him, every vote matters.
Northwestern’s College Libertarians, revived by Weinberg junior Ilya Lipkind last spring, is not planning to mobilize any effort to help Kohn win the election.
“We do not want to support any libertarian candidate that is bound to lose,” said Lipkind, president of NU’s College Libertarians. “I want to make sure my vote counts, which is the same reason I’m voting for Kerry in the national election.”
Lipkind also said his group, which has about 30 members, currently is more concerned about receiving recognition as a student group from Associated Student Government and educating others about their philosophy.
“Our main goal is to spread libertarian philosophy through our grassroots,” Lipkind said. “We are more of an educational organization, not a political one.”
Members of the Kohn for Senate Campaign said they are aware of the difficulties that come with being a third-party candidate, but they are willing to fight to have Kohn participate in the U.S. Senate debates between Obama and Keyes.
“Jerry Kohn and the Libertarian Party of Illinois are doing all they can with limited resources to make Illinois voters aware they have another choice for U.S. Senate this year,” said Jeff Trigg, campaign manager for Kohn for Senate.
Reach Allan Madrid at [email protected].
