Rob Kampia, Libertarian Candidate for Delegate, and
Matthew G. Mercurio, Libertarian Candidate for
At-Large Councilmember in the
November 7, 2000, General Election
Press release, September 22, 2000

CONTACT:

Rob Kampia, candidate for Delegate to U.S. House of Representatives
202-483-2404 (home) ... 202-716-4951 (cell)

Matt Mercurio, Ph.D., candidate for At-Large City Council seat
202-387-9093 (home)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the first time since 1990, not just one, but two local Libertarian candidates will be on the ballot in the District of Columbia.

On September 11, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics found that a sufficient number of signatures were submitted to qualify Rob Kampia and Matt Mercurio for the ballot on November 7.

On August 30, Kampia had submitted signatures from more than 7,200 District residents in support of his candidacy, while Mercurio submitted 6,521 signatures. Each candidate needed only 3,000 valid signatures to guarantee their placement on the general election ballot.

Rob Kampia, founder and executive director of the national Marijuana Policy Project, is challenging Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) as D.C.'s Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. Matt Mercurio, a Ph.D. economist, is running for one of the At-Large City Council seats currently held by Harold Brazil (D) and Carol Schwartz (R). Both Libertarian candidates live and work in the District.

One month ago, Kampia and Mercurio cited their outrage over local and congressional actions against marijuana users as the reason for reviving the beleaguered D.C. affiliate of the Libertarian Party.

"Of course, both of us are playing to win," said Rob Kampia. "But first one of us needs to get 7,500 votes, which would qualify the Libertarian Party as the fifth major party in Washington, D.C. This would guarantee us ballot access in 2002."

"We never want to have to suffer through the signature-gathering process again, which wastes time and resources that we could otherwise spend getting our message out to D.C. residents," he added. The other four major parties in the District are the Democratic, Republican, Umoja, and D.C. Statehood Green Parties.

The two candidates cited the war on drugs as the city's biggest problem. "Half of Black males ages 18 to 35 are either in prison, on parole or probation, or are being sought by the police -- because of the war on drugs," said Matt Mercurio. "If we're serious about promoting 'family values,' then we shouldn't be breaking up families and shipping off thousands of fathers to for-profit prisons in Ohio -- and beyond."

Like Mercurio, if elected, Kampia would introduce legislation to end the war on nonviolent drug users. In addition, Kampia said he believes in what he calls "no taxation without representation." He explains: "I will introduce legislation in Congress to repeal all federal taxes for D.C. residents until we are given a say in determining the very taxes that are imposed on us -- through obtaining one voting House member and two voting Senators."