Krawchuk blasted the traditional primary system. “Most Pennsylvanians are not Democrat. Most Pennsylvanians are not Republican. Yet those two old parties repeatedly milk the taxpayers to fund their beauty contests. Why can’t they pay for it themselves, like we Libertarians do, like the Greens do, like even the Communists do? Because they can. Because they’re just another tax-sucking special interest filling their pork barrel pockets with other people’s money, that’s why.”

LAHASKA, PA – Ken Krawchuk, the Pennsylvania Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, called for an immediate end to government funding of primary elections in Pennsylvania.

Speaking at an educational seminar about the Pennsylvania Constitution, Krawchuk blasted the traditional primary system. “Most Pennsylvanians are not Democrat. Most Pennsylvanians are not Republican. Yet those two old parties repeatedly milk the taxpayers to fund their beauty contests. Why can’t they pay for it themselves, like we Libertarians do, like the Greens do, like even the Communists do? Because they can. Because they’re just another tax-sucking special interest filling their pork barrel pockets with other people’s money, that’s why.”

“What a waste of taxpayer money!” Krawchuk added. “More than HALF the state senate, state rep, and congressional candidates are unopposed, not to mention both governor candidates. It’s obvious our elections are demanding we institute immediate, badly-needed reform. And we Libertarians are just the ones to answer that call.”

Rather than tax-funded primaries, Krawchuk is supporting the Political Party Equality Act (http://PoliticalPartyEquality.org). The Act calls for every political party to nominate their own candidates at their own expense according to their own party rules. The names of the winners would then automatically be placed on the November ballot, thereby eliminating the need for collecting signatures in the dead of winter. And rather than encouraging financially-ruining signature challenges by individuals with an axe to grind, the Pennsylvania Department of State would validate all signatures instead.

Further, the Act eliminates the various flavors of political parties in the current law in favor of a single definition. To be a party, 1/20 of one percent of voters would need to be registered in that party. Currently, that would work out to almost 4,300 voters. Under that definition, the political landscape of Pennsylvania would not change. Only the Democrats, Greens, Libertarians, and Republicans would qualify.

“And there’s a darker side to holding primaries that few ever mention,” Krawchuk warned. “The two old parties like to sneak in important ballot questions, knowing most people will never know of them—critical questions too, such as approving constitutional amendments. Defunding the primaries slams that back door firmly shut.”

Typically only about a third of all voters turn out for the primaries, and Independents generally do not participate except for ballot questions—when they know of them.

“I hear some people are calling for open primaries, but I stand dead-set against that,” Krawchuk asserted. “Think of it this way: Should Ford shareholders vote for GM’s Board of Directors? Should atheists vote for the next pope? Of course not. Open or closed, the days for tax-funded primaries must end. And when I’m governor, I’ll use the line-item veto to eliminate all funding for their tax heist. Let them pay for their own follies.”

Ken Krawchuk of Abington is an Information Technology entrepreneur, a patented inventor, a Philadelphia talk show host, an award-winning Toastmaster, and an author. He has previously appeared on the gubernatorial ballot three times, facing Tom Ridge in 1998, Ed Rendell in 2002, and Tom Wolf in 2018, setting consecutive Libertarian Party records for vote totals in each race.

John Thomas is a Cyber School educator. He was the Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024, placing third in a field of five, and receiving more than enough votes to qualify the Libertarians as a political party in Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the state and the nation, with over 200 elected and appointed officials currently serving in office in Pennsylvania alone, and many more nationwide. Libertarians believe that you have the inalienable right to conduct your life as you see fit, without interference, so long as you respect the rights and property of others. It’s the Golden Rule on a political level.

For more information about the Libertarian Party, the public is invited to contact the Krawchuk/Thomas campaign at KenK4Pa.com, Campaign@KenK4Pa.com, or (224) Krawchuk (224-572-9248), the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania at LpPa.org or (800) R-RIGHTS, or the National Libertarian Party at Lp.org or (202) 333-0008.

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