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Larry Sharpe (political activist)

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Larry Sharpe
Sharpe in 2018
Born (1968-07-12) July 12, 1968 (age 56)
New York City, New York, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Maryland University College (BA)
OccupationBusiness consultant
Known for
Political partyLibertarian
Children2
Military career
Service / branchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1986–1993
RankStaff sergeant
Websitelarrysharpe.com

Larry David Sharpe (born July 12, 1968) is an American business consultant, entrepreneur, political activist, and podcaster. He was a candidate for the Libertarian Party nomination for vice president of the United States in 2016, losing to former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld. Sharpe was the Libertarian nominee for Governor of New York in the 2018 gubernatorial election. He again received that party's gubernatorial nomination for the 2022 New York gubernatorial election, but did not meet the qualifications to be listed on the general election ballot and consequently ran as a write-in candidate.

Early life and career

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Sharpe was born on July 12, 1968, in Manhattan, New York, and was adopted as an infant. He joined the United States Marines Corps at age 17, serving from 1986 to 1993.[1] He received a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Maryland University College.[2] After working as an English teacher, Sharpe founded Prime Distribution Inc., a trucking and distribution company which he later sold, in 2001.[3] In 2004, Sharpe built an online business training company called Neo-Sage Group, Inc.,[4][5] for which he serves as managing director.[1][2]

Political career

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As a Libertarian Party activist, Sharpe has outlined a vision to grow the party by encouraging grassroots Libertarian Party campaigns across the country.[6] Sharpe served on the Libertarian National Committee as the Alternate for Region 8, until his resignation in February 2018 because of an internal LNC vote that failed to oust the party's then-vice chair, Arvin Vohra, following public controversial comments made by Vohra.[7]

2016 vice presidential campaign

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Main article: 2016 Libertarian National Convention § Vice presidential delegate count

Sharpe was a candidate for the 2016 Libertarian vice presidential nomination. During the 2016 Libertarian National Convention, he placed second on the first ballot with 30.4% of the vote. Because no one received a majority on that ballot, a second ballot vote was held.[8] Sharpe received 46.9% of the vote on the second ballot, finishing second to former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld.[9][10]

2018 New York gubernatorial campaign

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Main article: 2018 New York gubernatorial election

On July 12, 2017, Sharpe announced his 2018 candidacy for Governor of New York, making him the first person to formally mount a challenge to incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo in that election race.[11] Sharpe received the Libertarian nomination on April 21, 2018, and Andrew Hollister was selected as the Lieutenant Governor nominee for the ticket.[12]

Sharpe's campaign raised $102,596 prior to the first filing deadline, which was second to Andrew Cuomo's re-election campaign.[13] As of October 10, 2018, Sharpe had raised $449,515 for his campaign, the highest amount ever raised by a Libertarian gubernatorial candidate in New York. Sharpe in addition was the only candidate in the race to have visited all 62 counties on the campaign trail.[14]

On Election Day, Sharpe received 95,033 votes (1.6%) and came in fourth place behind Cuomo, Republican challenger Marc Molinaro, and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins. Sharpe's vote total achieved automatic ballot access for the Libertarian Party of New York for the first time in the party's history.[15]

Post-campaign activities

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Following the 2018 election, Sharpe continued speaking tours across New York State.[15][16] Since 2019, he has hosted the podcast The Sharpe Way.[17]

2020 vice presidential campaign

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On April 13, 2020, it was announced that Sharpe would again seek the Libertarian Party's nomination for vice president, as the running mate of 2012 Libertarian vice presidential nominee Judge Jim Gray.[18] After Gray was eliminated during convention presidential balloting, Sharpe withdrew from the race.

2022 New York gubernatorial campaign

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Main article: 2022 New York gubernatorial election

On October 5, 2021, it was reported that Sharpe announced the formation of an exploratory committee to run for Governor of New York in the 2022 election.[19]

On February 16, 2022, Sharpe officially announced his campaign to run for Governor of New York on Kennedy.[20] During the announcement, he stated that he was seeking three lines: Libertarian Party, Forward Party, and Unite Party. Subsequently, the Forward Party endorsed Sharpe following his announcement.[21][22]

Sharpe received the Libertarian gubernatorial nomination on February 19, 2022.[23][24] Andrew Hollister, Sharpe's running mate in 2018, was again selected as the lieutenant governor nominee.[24]

In July 2022, the New York State Board of Elections disqualified Sharpe from the election ballot for not meeting the qualifications for ballot access.[25] Sharpe subsequently continued his gubernatorial campaign as a write-in candidate.[26]

2024 vice presidential campaign

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Main article: 2024 Libertarian National Convention

In 2024, Sharpe was the running mate for Lars Mapstead, who sought the Libertarian Party nomination. At the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, Mapstead placed fourth and was dropped. Chase Oliver was chosen the nominee. Sharpe withdrew from the Vice Presidential nomination following Mapstead's dropping from the ballot.

Political positions

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Sharpe supports reducing regulations such as occupational licensing as well as legalizing marijuana and decriminalizing other drugs.[27] Sharpe has advocated for raising revenue for New York by selling naming rights to bridges and highways.[28]

Abortion

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Sharpe considers himself "pro-choice" as well as "anti-abortion". While running for governor, he vowed to reduce the number of abortions in New York state by increasing availability of other options instead of establishing regulations on abortion.[29]

Criminal justice and drugs

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Sharpe favors marijuana legalization, calling for hemp and marijuana to be "regulated like onions".[30] Sharpe has said he would pardon those convicted of victimless crimes or otherwise non-violent offenses.[27]

Economy

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Sharpe has supported deregulation to stimulate economic growth, ending the funding of enforcement of unnecessary regulations. In particular, Sharpe has cited occupational licensing as a hurdle to small business, describing mandatory licensing for jobs such as barbers and dog walkers as "barriers to entry and a tax on the poor."[31] Additionally, to reduce the state deficit, Sharpe has called for eliminating unfunded mandates.[32] He has vowed to follow this reduction in state spending with a reduction in property taxes and the ultimate repeal of the New York state income tax.[33][34]

Education

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Sharpe has called for the decentralization of education in New York State and has proposed a "K-10" model, reducing the span of high school to ready students for the workforce and/or college.[30][35] Sharpe has also rejected standardized testing until high school.[35] He stated, "everyone should be able to opt out of testing at any time....it puts kids who have special needs at a huge disadvantage. Kids who do not test well are labeled as dumb."[36]

Additionally, Sharpe stated he would refuse federal grants for education. He would also abolish the Board of Regents.[37]

Gun laws

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In his 2018 gubernatorial bid Sharpe vowed, if elected, to repeal the NY SAFE Act by 2020 and pardon those convicted under its provisions.[31] Sharpe supports allowing school teachers and staff to carry firearms on school grounds, on a voluntary basis.[38]

Personal life

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Sharpe lives with his wife Georgia and their two children in Queens, New York.[3][39]

Books

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  • Barsouk, Adam; Van Staden, Martin (2019). Igniting Liberty: Voices for Freedom Around the World. Sharpe, Larry (foreword). Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 978-1793165039.[40]
  • Consorte, D., Sharpe, L., Goulston, M., Hall, T., & Hogan, K. (2023). Back After Burnout: Master your BURNOUT RECOVERY with the MASHPLAY framework. In H. Burdsal & S. Burdsal (Eds.), Amazon. Luminary Tiger, LLC. [41]
  • ter Maat, M., Borders, M., Consorte, D., Mavrakakis, I., Sharpe, L., Sammeroff, A., Paige, R., Jiminez, A. A Gold New Deal: The Government We Will Tolerate. Amazon, Independently published, 30 Dec. 2023, Amazon.[42]

Electoral history

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2018 New York gubernatorial election[43]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Andrew Cuomo 3,424,416 56.2% +8.6%
Working Families Andrew Cuomo 114,478 1.9% −1.4%
Independence Andrew Cuomo 68,713 1.1% −0.9%
Women's Equality Andrew Cuomo 27,733 0.5% −1.0%
Total Andrew Cuomo (incumbent) 3,635,340 59.6% +5.4%
Republican Marc Molinaro 1,926,485 31.6% −0.8%
Conservative Marc Molinaro 253,624 4.2% −2.4%
Reform Marc Molinaro 27,493 0.5% N/A
Total Marc Molinaro 2,207,602 36.2% −4.1%
Green Howie Hawkins 103,946 1.7% −3.1%
Libertarian Larry Sharpe 95,033 1.6% +1.1%
SAM Stephanie Miner 55,441 0.9% N/A
Total votes '6,097,362' '100%' N/A
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ a b Doherty, Brian ""Meet the Libertarian Party's VP Candidates"", Reason, May 28, 2016, retrieved December 3, 2016
  2. ^ a b Libertarian Party, Larry Sharpe, Libertarian Party, archived from the original on December 20, 2016, retrieved December 3, 2016
  3. ^ a b Meet Larry Sharpe, Larry Sharpe for Governor, retrieved August 13, 2018
  4. ^ Sharpe, Larry. "Issues". Sharpe4VP.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  5. ^ "Neo-Sage Forum". Neo-sage-forum.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Welch, Matt "Selling Liberty", Reason, February 2018, retrieved January 19, 2018
  7. ^ Doherty, Brian (February 7, 2018), ""Larry Sharpe, Libertarian Candidate for Governor of New York, Quits the Party's National Committee"", Reason, retrieved February 20, 2018
  8. ^ "Will Coley drops out and endorses Sharpe for LP VP". C-SPAN. May 29, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  9. ^ "Here's What Happened at the Libertarian National Convention".
  10. ^ Lyman, Andy (June 4, 2016). "Naked candidates, frosty delegates and choosing a candidate: The quest for the White House". NM Political Report. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  11. ^ Spector, Joseph (December 12, 2017). "Kolb becomes first Republican to officially announce run against Cuomo". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  12. ^ "LPNY Holds 46th Annual Convention; Larry Sharpe Nominated for Governor – Libertarian Party of New York". Lpnewyork.org. April 22, 2018. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  13. ^ Mahoney, Bill (January 25, 2018). "A New York rarity: A serious Libertarian candidate". Politico. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  14. ^ Welch, Matt (October 31, 2018). "Libertarian Larry Sharpe Has Raised a Record $450,000 in New York Governor's Race". Reason. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Summerson, Mia (April 22, 2019). "Larry Sharpe still working to spread Libertarian message". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  16. ^ Larry Sharpe, Libertarian – Events
  17. ^ The Sharpe Way
  18. ^ Welch, Matt (April 13, 2020). "Judge Jim Gray To Seek Libertarian Presidential Nomination". Reason. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  19. ^ McKay, Morgan (October 5, 2021). "Libertarian Larry Sharpe launches exploratory committee for potential New York governor run". Spectrum News NY1. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  20. ^ @LarrySharpe (February 17, 2022). "Twitter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Gronewold, Anna; Spector, Joseph (February 17, 2022) "At the convention: The message is unity" Paragraph 12: "The Campaign Trail:Sharpe Is Back...", Politico. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  22. ^ @Fwd_Party (February 17, 2022). "Twitter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Ehmke, Jim (February 22, 2022). "Larry Sharpe gets Gubernatorial nomination". Binghamton Homepage. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Larry Sharpe Nominated for Governor of NY at Libertarian Party Convention". EIN News. February 22, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  25. ^ Lewis, Rebecca (July 7, 2022). "New York's true two-person race for governor". City & State. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  26. ^ Reisman, Nick (October 20, 2022) "Independent candidates seek voice in New York race for governor", Spectrum News 1 Central New York.
  27. ^ a b McMonagle, Liam (February 19, 2018). "Libertarian Candidate for Gov: I have Solutions to Problems that Two Party System Can't Solve". WAER. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  28. ^ "Larry Sharpe expected to receive Libertarian Party endorsement for Governor". Binghamton Homepage. March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  29. ^ Mack, Megan; Dawson, Evan (September 14, 2018). "Coming up on Connections: Friday, September 14". WXXI News. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  30. ^ a b Reynolds, Nick (July 6, 2018). "Libertarian candidate for Governor Larry Sharpe visits Tompkins County". Ithaca.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  31. ^ a b Crowley, Peter (July 7, 2018). "Sharpe seeks a less paternal government". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  32. ^ Mooney, Cody (August 12, 2018). "Larry Sharpe Makes a Stop in Little Falls". WKTV. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  33. ^ Kendrick, Jim (May 8, 2018). "Governor candidate Larry Sharpe shares appeal in area visit". Livingston County News. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  34. ^ Harding, Robert (June 17, 2018). "Eye on NY: Larry Sharpe, Libertarian candidate for NY governor, brings message to Auburn". auburnpub.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  35. ^ a b Mahan, Lori (August 23, 2018). "Let Teachers Teach with New York State Governor Candidate Larry Sharpe". Saratoga Today. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  36. ^ Silberstein, Rachel (May 2, 2018). "3 third-party candidates for governor to watch". Albany Times Union. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  37. ^ Baker, Chris (September 17, 2018). "Legal weed and decentralized education: Can a Libertarian win NY's gov race?". Syracuse.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  38. ^ Wallace, Lexie (June 13, 2018). "NY Gov long shot Larry Sharpe visits Oswego". Oswego County News Now. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  39. ^ "Sharpe mounts campaign to challenge Cuomo". Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  40. ^ Barsouk, Adam; Dorsch, Jake; Henderson, Luke W.; Flor, Mamela Fiallo; Keller, Donald J.; Jackson, Bryce; Staden, Martin van; Sharpe, Larry (February 2, 2019). Igniting Liberty: Voices for Freedom Around the World. Champion Books.
  41. ^ Consorte, Dennis; Goulston, Mark; Hall, Troy; Hogan, Kevin; Sharpe, Larry (June 19, 2023). Burdsal, Heather; Burdsal, Seth (eds.). Back After Burnout: Master your BURNOUT RECOVERY with the MASHPLAY framework. Independently published. ISBN 979-8-3988-6020-7.
  42. ^ Maat, Mike ter; Borders, Max; Consorte, Dennis; Mavrakakis, Irene; Sharpe, Larry; Sammeroff, Antony; Paige, Russell O.; Jiminez, Adolfo (December 30, 2023). A Gold New Deal: The Government We Will Tolerate. Independently published. ISBN 979-8-8726-2349-6.
  43. ^ "Certified Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election for Governor and Lt. Governor" (PDF). New York State Board of Elections.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Libertarian nominee for Governor of New York
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