Randy Credico, Libertarian Party Candidate For U.S. Senate, Says "I'm Not A Libertarian. I'm A Liberal."

Just hours after the Libertarian Party in New York State filed over 34,000 petition signatures to get Randy Credico on the ballot as its candidate for United States Senate against Charles Schumer, it was reported by Tom Brune of New York Newsday on August 17, 2010 that Mr. Credico recently said, "I just need a #!%^#$& line to be on in the general election. I'm not a libertarian. I'm a liberal."

Gary Popkin, State Representative for the Brooklyn Libertarian Party, said:

Claiming NOT to be a libertarian might be viewed as favorable in some places, such as Manhattan's upper west side, and might get us more votes than it loses, votes against wars, the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, bailouts, and corporate welfare.

Jim Lesczynski, Director of Media Relations for the Manhattan Libertarian Party, disagreed:

I don't see how it can be viewed as favorable by anyone for him to announce to the world that he's a Machiavellian jerk who just used us and told us whatever we wanted to hear in order to get our ballot line. Traditionally, politicians wait until after election day to reveal that they're lying weasels.

Former New York State Libertarian Party Chair Richard Cooper said:

I won't waste my vote on Credico. I will write-in John Cain, who should have been our nominee for governor instead of the two egomaniacs (Warren Redlich & Sam Sloan) who were at the convention.

But Mark Axinn, current New York Libertarian Party Chair, defended Credico saying:

Randy came to the Manhattan Libertarian meeting in New York. He won the nomination in Albany. He petitioned for us. He opposes the drug war, the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, corporate welfare and bailouts. He brings people to the Libertarian Party who never knew of it before. We are not right-wing Republicans and we should not act precipitously based on one rather unfortunate comment in one newspaper one time. I heard him tell people to vote for him on the Libertarian line about a dozen times on Fred Dicker's radio show in Albany two days ago. Does that count? Or, in this age of purifying the Party, do we lop off candidates' heads too?

I am not issuing statements telling people to ignore the choices of the delegates at the Convention. To the contrary, I hope the voters will vote the entire Libertarian line.

If Randy Credico's petition signatures are not successfully challenged, he will be the candidate of both the Anti-Prohibition Party and the Libertarian Party for United States Senate against incumbent Senator Charles Schumer.