Gabe Guo
Disclaimer: The author is currently volunteering for Duane Whitmer’s campaign.
Background for the NY-27 Special Election
On June 23, New York’s 27th Congressional District will be holding a special election to fill the U.S. House seat formerly held by the now-disgraced Chris Collins. This will be the last federal election before the general election on November 3.
According to the Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voter Index, NY-27 has a rating of R+11, which means that the district is heavily gerrymandered in favor of the Republican Party.
So of course we know that there’s a Republican candidate, State Senator Chris Jacobs. We also know that there’s a Democratic candidate, former Town of Grand Island Supervisor Nate McMurray. (We should note that Nate McMurray came within 0.3% of winning this heavily gerrymandered district in 2018, due to Chris Collins’s criminal charges which have since landed him an upcoming prison sentence.)
But did you know that there’s a Libertarian candidate too? [Insert googly eyes as reader exclaims, ‘Whaaat???’] That’s right. There’s a Libertarian candidate, and he goes by the name of Duane Whitmer.
Who is Duane Whitmer?
Duane Whitmer is the founder and owner of Whitmer Accounting and Tax, an accounting firm in Lake View. He is also the Chair of the Erie County Libertarian Party.
What does Duane Whitmer stand for?
According to his campaign website, “Liberty is the highest political value which is the basis of all my positions. Liberty is the ability to do what you want with what you own, your life, liberty and property.”
One of his major motivations for running for Congress is his experience working with small businesses and middle class people, and seeing how burdensome the tax code is on them. He wishes to greatly simplify the tax code (using his great knowledge of accounting, of course). He also wants to “repeal pointless regulations on business firms”, calling regulations “tax[es] on your life, your time and your energy.”
On social issues, he believes that “People should be free to live as they choose so long as they are peaceful and respect the rights of others.” Among his other priorities are ending foreign wars and corporate bailouts.
Why does Duane Whitmer think he’s the best choice for NY-27?
Whitmer sees the two-party system as the cause of many of America’s problems. He points out that despite the endless bickering between Republicans and Democrats, both parties have been aligned in the common goal of bringing our country into $24,000,000,000,000 of debt, endless foreign wars, and massive corporate bailouts.
He also feels that a government run by career politicians beholden to the interests of large corporations and wealthy donors will only produce suboptimal outcomes for our nation. He believes that as a small business owner, political outsider, and regular American(!), he is the best representative of the working people of his district.
Additionally, with Justin Amash having recently become the first Libertarian member of Congress, Whitmer believes that this may be the start of a “Libertarian revolution” in Congress.
Where can we learn more about Duane Whitmer?
You can visit his campaign website at duanewhitmer.com, his Twitter @WhitmerForNY27, and his Facebook @DuaneForNY27.
