Chair (1 seat, 2-year term)

Rebecca Whiting

I have tried in my life to follow the path set before me. To be brave enough to continue on even through the failures and the trials, and to persevere no matter what the cost. And I believe in leaving behind a legacy for our future that we can be proud of. Not because I want the glory, but because I LOVE my children, and I will love my future grandchildren with equal wholeheartedness.

In every area of my life, I have tried to steer our family to live free- from homeschooling to homesteading, to self employment and acquiring skills that allows us to be less reliant on a system designed to keep us dependent. I have promoted being questioned and allowed free discussion as they grow and become the people they are meant to be. And then pass that mentality on to the many small people in my immediate circle of influence.

My friends know me. If it was up to me, I’d be living in a remote cabin in the mountains spending my free time in the garden or reading a book. But there are big things happening now across the country and worldwide that don’t allow us the luxury of doing nothing.

At some point, you have to step up and be who you want others to be. Lead by example and help inspire others to do the same. Because of my involvement, doors have started opening quickly and sometimes most unexpectedly, which is fine as long as we are bold enough to take them.

I don’t want this position to be about me, but about what we can accomplish together. I sincerely believe that the future of politics in the United States MUST revolve around Libertarian values, and if I didn’t I would not be here.
I believe in the big picture- the long term goals- of decentralization and focusing on building us up from the local level.

I believe our priority should be to reach out to the younger generations and help inspire them to embrace liberty for all, that those aren’t just words we say, but a lifestyle we live.
I believe that the NAP applies to everybody.

And most sincerely out of ALL of this- being a constant anti-war voice in a sea of statist war mongering politicians who seem bent on our destruction.

But above all, I believe that for all of this to work, we need to remain unified in the our common goal of limiting the power of an oppressive and over-regulated state. We have many differences, and that’s okay. I’d like to focus on what we have in common as the state relies on our division to keep us from being effective.

Come what may, at the Convention in April I will be there. But no matter what the vote is, we have a lot of work to do and I am dedicated to our cause.

My commitment to the LPMN as Chair:

  • To be a constant voice in support of Liberty.
  • To be a bold voice in opposition to the State.
  • To have a consistent unifying message for all Libertarian party members.
  • To not create division or spread disharmony in the party.
  • To be authentic in every situation.
  • To be a person of integrity no matter what the situation is.
  • To work graciously with people from all walks of life.
  • To lead by example, work hard, and be fair.
  • And to never quit, no matter how hard it gets.

Ballot Access

Goal- To get candidates on the ballot, to help candidates win their political races, and to become a major party in direct competition with the DFL and GOP.

  • Work on bills to liberate ballot access
  • Oppose bills that restrict ballot access
  • Set up a committee to overcome ballot access and petitioning every election cycle.
  • Go into the 2024 election prepared well in advance to get on the ballot and support the Libertarian presidential candidate no matter who it is.
  • Run a candidate for Senate in 2024 as a statewide candidate.
  • Run a candidate for governor and auditor (or secretary of state) on the statewide ballot in 2026.
  • Run local, non-partisan races across the state to build future candidates resumes every election cycle.
    Outreach

Goal- To spread the message of liberty that the Libertarian party has to offer and grow the party/voting base to be recognized as a viable option in opposition to the DFL and GOP.

  • Focus on a well-structured mentorship program in the LPMN to help train and built up leadership internally to take up the torch for future generations.
  • Intentionally work at creating a presence in colleges and universities to spread the message of liberty.
  • Intentionally help establish affiliates in all areas of Minnesota so that Libertarians in all parts of the state can have access to the party and use their energy to support candidates everywhere.
  • Rebuild the website making it easier to communicate and outreach.
  • Intentionally reach out to each new member directly and then help them get plugged in with their nearest group.
  • Help facilitate activism with individual members.

Building Structure

Goal- To create the infrastructure needed to be a competitive party in Minnesota so that the LPMN is not centralized in just the Cities but is in every part of the state to create a presence in all areas of Minnesota.

  • Create a committee specifically for establishing the structure that addresses organization throughout the state and takes into account growth to carry the party forward to make us competitive with the two major parties.
  • Fill all roles in the divisions, and establish an effective team for each division director. (IT, political, outreach, communications, and finance)
  • Establish a more detailed SOP for each division to pass onto every future division director for a seamless transition.
  • Coordinate the divisions to all be working in unison with each other to overcome all the previous goals talked about.

My background

  • Army combat veteran with two deployments to Iraq during pivotal times of the war in ar Ramadi and Baghdad.
  • Senior medic and non-commissioned officer
  • Awarded the Combat Medic Badge for treating casualties under fire.
  • Homeschooling mom
  • Bachelor of Art in English
  • Homeschool co-op teacher (government, history, literature)
  • Small farmer/homesteader in Northern Minnesota
  • Board member for the Bemidji’s Farmer Market for 9 years
  • At-Large member in the LPMN for 1 year
  • Founding member of the Beltrami Affiliate
  • Founding member of the LPMN Podcast, Minnesota Liberty
  • Small business owner, herbal soap business for 10 years, small farm bakery 10 years
  • Currently in the process of renewing my EMT certification.
  • Accustomed to managing a lot and dealing with high stress, intense situations.
Cara Schulz

Cara Schulz lives in Burnsville with her husband and her cat, Mabel, who is also her Chief of Staff and Campaign manager. She prefers red wine to white and is very, very sick of winter.

Relevant Experience
2016 to 2020, reelected in 2020
Burnsville City Council Member
Eliminated licensing requirements, reduced zoning, created a citizens commission to rewrite and reduce our city ordinances, kept our playgrounds and parks open during lockdowns, and pulled our police back from enforcing lockdowns.

2017 to 2022
Traveled across the US training Libertarian Party state and county leaders on the best practices. When state affiliates have faced challenges, met with them to assess the challenges and how to overcome them. Often these involved interpersonal conflict within their board and took months of repeated meetings to resolve.

During the same time period, I recruited and trained candidates and campaign teams. Helped recruit and train Political Directors for State Affiliates and helped them develop a political strategy.

In 2020, I received the Benjamin Franklin award from LP National for best local level campaign.

In 2016 and 2012, I was Chair of the Gary Johnson campaign for Minnesota.

In 2016, I was the first recipient of the LPMN Libertarian of the Year award.

From 2013 to 2016, I was the Chair of the LPMN Convention Committee and took our attendance from below 50 to over 200 voting members.

2010 I Chaired the International Special Events Society and we won Chapter of the Year. I was part of the board for 5 years in the roles of Communications Director, Vice Chair, and Chair. In those roles I cleaned our database, oversaw a new website, changed our communications strategy, created and implemented a new strategic plan for membership growth, and increased membership by over 300%.

Vice Chair (1 seat, 2-year term)

Chip Tangen

Political Experience:
Became a Libertarian in 2016.
Attempted run for Sec. of State 2022
Campaign manager, Welter for Gov 2018
Served on Exec Committee since 2019
At-Large
CD2 Chair
Platform & Bylaws Committee
Lawsuit Steering Committee
Ron Paul Delegate to 2012 State GOP Convention
Set up Rand Paul State Fair Booth in 2015

Campaign staff:
Cal Ludeman for Governor
Jim Ramstad for Congress

Legislative Counsel, Rep. Jim Ramstad (4+ yrs)

Federal lobbyist (9 yrs)

Non-practicing lawyer, JD from U of M

Primary Objectives:

Serve as a utility player for the Chair, Exec. Committee and the party membership.
Unify the party.
Listen.
Ballot Access! Especially petitioning reforms to make it more practical to field more candidates.
Build affiliate structure so the party is ready for the day when we achieve majority party status.

Pat Barnum

Secretary (1 seat, 1-year term)

Justin Jelinek

Hello, My name is Justin Jelinek. I am seeking election to the office of LPMN Secretary. I have been involved in LPMN leadership since 2019 with work on the executive committee. Most recently, I was the LPMN Secretary for 2021-2022 and the chair of the LPMN Platform and Bylaws Committee for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 State Conventions. I also had the honor of serving as a delegate to the national convention in 2020.

But most importantly, I believe good candidates are the top priority for the party’s success. I support and respect all candidates that run for our cause of liberty. I have been able to participate in campaign activities for a few of our candidates, including Burnsville Mayor Candidate Chris Klavetter (2020), Burnsville City Council Candidates Cara Schulz (2020) and Vince Workman (2018), as well as St. Paul City Council Candidate Chris Holbrook (2019).

I also have participated in outreach events at the State Fair as well as gun shows where we have been able to have outreach tables.

As for Executive Committee business, I despise the two privileged parties.and support all initiatives to fight the onerous ballot access requirements imposed on both on the legislative and judicial fronts. I plan to be an advocate on the Executive Committee to continue these initiatives.

I do have experience executing the duties of Secretary, and I believe in raising transparency of Executive Committee activities. (I did start offering real-time minutes on Google Docs for executive committee proceedings during the 2021-22 term.) I am willing to serve regardless of who wins other leadership elections and take whatever direction is needed to improve the Chair’s ability to lead the party.

The Libertarian Party of Minnesota must work together to overcome unfair obstacles and fight this on all fronts possible. We need to be political through candidates, we need to fight for better law at the legislature, and we need to always be willing to impose legal action on the government as well.

Thank you for your consideration,

Justin Jelinek

Treasurer (1 seat, 1-year term)

Joey Gamache

Political Director (1 seat, 2-year term)

Marianne Stebbins

Communications Director (1 seat, 1-year term)

Ashley Corvin
James Jenneman

James Jenneman is a longtime Libertarian in Minneapolis, where he lives with his partner Andrew and their dog Killian. James has been shaped by and helped shape the libertarian culture since Ron Paul’s 2008 campaign. James works in the educational technology industry and as a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant. As copy editor of his college newspaper, James gained valuable experience as an executive in a working newsroom, where he also served as a de facto writing coach for dozens of budding journalists. James published a brief commentary on the ongoing 2000 Florida recounts, at the age of 17. He has since written on diverse topics, including politics, business, and being a culturally non-conforming gay man. A “retired” podcaster, James now produces and occasionally co-hosts the LPMN podcast, Minnesota Liberty. Most importantly, James recognizes the need for a Libertarian rebrand, and his unique talent stack gives him the insight needed to accomplish it. Please visit James’s campaign page at https://comms.jamesjenneman.com for an overview of his plans and vision.

At-Large (6 seats, 1-year term)

Christopher Dollard

I want to announce my intention to run for Excom-At-Large during this year’s convention. Although I am not banking a blanket and hollow call for “unity’ I do hope we can spend more time fighting The State and all its evils and less time fighting each other. I believe our differences can be strengths if we practice basic respect for one another.

Below are the items I plan to champion over the next year:

  • Activism – Issue-based causes at state and local levels. My overall goal is to advance individual freedom and liberty. Even if we do not win any election’s we can still have a direct effect on our communities. Acting helps us build legitimacy in other’s eyes. I am proud of all the members that have taken part in the ballot access and Second Amendment fights. We must build on this and get more visibility.
  • Organization – We need to have better organization and be more data driven. We need to know who our “friends” are. One area we need to improve is at the web and CRM level. I am offering my skills (as a project manager) to help improve these two key pieces. We need an infrastructure that will capture new members, get them to the affiliates, and get them active. There are a lot of “us” out there that are not involved. Let’s find them and have a reason for them to get involved.
  • Organization, part 2 – Working with Anthony, Nate, and others to improve our State Fair presence. A complete review and plan for better outreach and capture. This is the event where we have the most direct contact with others that may be interested in our cause. We need to make sure we convert on a much higher percentage.
  • Affiliates – They are our lifeblood. We need to build them and get them active. Give people a reason to show up and they will. As the new Vice Chair for CD3 I plan to work with Mason to build this affiliate into a model of community and activism. I challenge all other affiliates to beat us to that goal. I hope you do.
  • Elections – Over the next year we need to ensure that we meet our requirements for minor party status. I think 5% or 10% is too much to focus on for the next election cycle. Maintain minor party status and build the infrastructure than can handle growth and activism. We build for the future. Without a solid foundation we will not be able to break through.
    A little bit about me:

  • Grew up in the Madison, WI area and have lived in Bloomington for around 10 years.
  • I was first exposed to libertarianism in 1984. Milton Friedman was the gateway “drug”. Soon I was exposed to Hayek, Rothbard, Nock, and others.
  • I was part of a vibrant Wisconsin libertarian movement in the mid-late 90’s. Spent a couple years as a Vice Chair and Chair of an affiliate. Did some work in Wisconsin for Harry Browne, including setting up a speech at the University of Wisconsin and an appearance on MTV (it was kind of a big deal at that time).
  • My professional career has been in Information Technology. I have been a Network Engineer, Corporate IT Director and Project Manager. I have overseen around 20 Resort developments across the USA and also in the Bahamas. Currently I am a project manager for local MSP/Cloud Provider.
  • I have been a Legacy member of the LPMN for the past year. I have been an affiliate officer, activist and have worked on recruiting & onboarding. I decided to get involved in order to make a difference. I have much hope that 2023-24 can be a much stronger year for us.
    Please reach out if you have any questions, or just feel like having a beer sometime. Thanks for taking the time!
Jim Rongstad

I am running for positions on the Executive Committee, and the Platform and Bylaws Committee. I am very qualified for these positions because of my long-term involvement in the Libertarian Party and many other activities. Below, you will find my experience and qualifications listed. In addition to my experience, I have written many letters to the editor and have had a number of guest opinion columns published. My letters have appeared in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Star Tribune, the Rochester Post Bulletin, Reason Magazine, and the Woodbury Bulletin, among numerous others. My guest opinion columns have appeared in the Rochester Post Bulletin and the Woodbury Bulletin.

Here are links to three of my columns that are available online:

https://www.postbulletin.com/…/follow-the-entire…

https://www.postbulletin.com/…/government-shouldnt-have…

https://www.postbulletin.com/…/both-sides-porn-isnt…

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 – 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻

    Member Libertarian Party (National and Minnesota) since 1998

    Lifetime member National Libertarian Party

    State Executive Committee member and Secretary 1998 – 2003

    State Bylaws Committee Chair 2001 – 03

    Drafted major update of bylaws that were approved in 2002

    LPMN Southeast Affiliate Executive Committee member and Secretary 2010 – 11

    State Judicial Committee 2012 – present (Chair since 2022)

    Attended every state convention since 1998 except for 2004 and 2005

    Delegate to National Convention: 2000, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022

    Advocates for Self-Government Lights of Liberty award 1998 and 2000

    Rochester Ron Paul Meetup member, sign waving, lit drops and delegate to Minnesota GOP state convention 2008

    Petitioning, parades, etc. 1998-2003

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 – 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

    Detail oriented – 40 years of experience as an accountant

    Colby Lake Swim and Tennis Association, Board Member and Treasurer 1992 – 95

    East St. Paul Lutheran School Association, Board Member and Secretary 1999 – 2001

    Van Horn Public Library Board (City of Pine Island), Board Member 2007 – 10

    Girl Scout Council of River Trails Board Member and Treasurer 2007 (Council merged with other Councils beginning in 2008)

Heather Busse

Heather first became involved in politics as an activist in the late 90s erroneously believing herself to be a far left environmentalist. It was in the early 2000s where she started to wake up to various government controls that made no sense having studied the Constitution and seeing government act counter to it in numerous ways.

During her time at North Hennepin Community College, Heather was elected to the student senate as a legislative coordinator and she worked as a student representative with the Minnesota State College Student Association. During this time she started to realize she had ideals that clashed with both Democrats and Republicans. As Heather bitched about the Ds and Rs, her friend Hanns, continued to suggest she might be a Libertarian. Heather did not think so. She considered herself to be opposed to “joining” and a nonconformist.

This led her to join the LPMN around 2011/2012. She soon became involved in CD5 and ran for the LPMN secretary position, which she held until running for U.S. Senate in 2014 against Al Franken and Mike McFadden.

After that, she worked on her career, education and played a smaller role in politics.

In 2022, she was elected to the board of Marcy Holmes to work with the Minneapolis City Council to represent the rights of property owners, small businesses, and to fight local nepotism. She has served on a number of committees including policy and procedures, finance committees, and public safety and security.

Some might consider Heather’s views as radically libertarian but she definitely understands the value of working together to forward libertarian principles particularly the NAP. She brings knowledge of local government, state government and experience in the sphere of libertarianism. While she can be blunt, she definitely holds to the values espoused within the movement.

Judicial Committee (2 seats, 2-year term)

Carrie Loch

Carrie Loch is a solo attorney currently serving in the LPMN both on the Convention Committee and as the Secretary of the Platforms and Bylaws Committee. She is running for a chance to serve on the Judicial Committee and desires to return to the PBC for another year.
Carrie has a background in print journalism and vocal music and has been published in a few different magazines, including Minnesota Trial. During undergrad, she did the things the nerds do—took every available grammar and language history class, edited both the school newspaper and art/literary journal, and took two early courses of Constitutional Law. Things continued in law school: moot court, law journal, clinics, federal externships, and law school choir. Currently, she has a “Tile” tracker on her Bluebook style guide and has been glued to RONR. She also drafts motion documents for other lawyers on a contract-basis because she enjoys the technical analysis, research, and drafting.
Carrie started her own near-virtual law firm during Covid, which provides the flexibility needed to be a great mom to her two Littles as well as be involved in the LPMN. Carrie has don’t the petitioning grunt work, she currently serves on committees, and she is involved in her local affiliate.
Many of us have busy lives and may agree to serve in a role like JC or Platform & Bylaws because it is empty. These are Carrie’s desired committees; she first analyzed her unique skills and then looked for opportunities to use those skills inside the LPMN. Analysis of binding documents, grammatical importance, and neutral advice on proper resolution of a dispute are among those skills. Carrie brought a case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals for a family law client. Family law appeals are notoriously difficult to succeed, but this case was a plain error of statutory interpretation by the district court. The client wasn’t paying attorney fees. Carrie won.
It’s true that most people roll their eyes when discussing comma placements, comma splices, and the relative importance of clauses based upon their placement. Not Carrie. She has a tattoo of her favorite punctuation mark. Serving as the Secretary of the PBC has been a fulfilling and joyful role. In that role, she’s plunged into the finer points of not only the Platforms & Bylaws as a whole but also the SOPs and other documents guiding various portions of the LPMN. Carrie asks for your vote to use her expertise on the Judicial Committee as well as continue her service on the Platform & Bylaws Committee.
Carrie Loch
carriealoch[at]gmail[dot]com

Platform and Bylaw Committee (5 seats, 1-year term)

Kevin Bradley

I am running for the Bylaws and Platform Committee of the LPMN. Below is a brief outline of my experience and intent.
I spent my childhood in southern Minnesota and attended Concordia University in St. Paul and St. Olaf College with plans to teach music. Those plans got derailed when my dad died from cancer when I was 21. I got an entry-level job in the computer business, eventually becoming a technical writing and training consultant, which I’ve done for most of the last 30 years.
I’ve written or edited policies, procedures, and training materials for organizations of all sizes, from start-up businesses to international Fortune 500 corporations such as AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, IBM, UPS, and the Weather Channel, among others. I’ve also worked directly with government agencies and for private businesses on projects subject to government regulations. I am currently the lead editor for the internal auditing department of U.S. Bank, where I write, edit, and help implement policies and procedures that ensure bankers follow ethical business practices.
I discovered I was a libertarian shortly after moving to Atlanta in 1989 and hearing radio talk show host Neal Boortz explain how everything done by government is enforced by violence or the threat of violence.
In 2005, I moved from Atlanta to Denver, where my response to having a midlife crisis was to enroll in graduate school of theology full time. I thought I was going to become a Unity pastor but after earning my Master of Divinity degree I ended up as a hospital chaplain specializing in mental health, addiction, trauma, and palliative care. I chose to focus on mental health because my son was diagnosed with PTSD after returning from deployment in Afghanistan. I worked at the VA hospital and Sanford hospital in Sioux Falls, Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, and for Heartland Home Hospice in Roseville. I currently offer holistic (drug-free) counseling for stress management, PTSD, and addiction treatment.
I moved to St. Paul in 2015 and was asked by LPMN leadership to consider running for St. Paul City Council. The idea was to just be a name on the ballot, so the deeply entrenched incumbent would be forced to at least go through the motions of a campaign. I spent evenings and weekends knocking on doors and handing out flyers at Lake Phalen and various community events. I was interviewed by the Star-Tribune and participated in several debates. My mother’s declining health forced me to skip some key events the last two weeks before the election. In spite of missing those events and the fact that nobody in the area had a clue who I was just three months earlier, I still got 11% of the vote, which was more than any previous libertarian candidate. That accomplishment was noticed, and I soon became the LPMN’s Executive Director, where my job was focused on increasing the levels of membership and supporting LPMN activities state-wide. It was definitely a team effort, but when I was Executive Director the LPMN had a caucus in every congressional district of the state for the first time, and convention attendance set a new record (170 vs. 150 the prior year).
I left the LPMN and the national LP because I didn’t agree with their alignments with the social justice movement in general and with the black lives matter movement in particular. As a libertarian, I believe all justice is individual justice. It was also clear to me that BLM was fundamentally a Marxist organization. As a chaplain and mental health professional, I cannot support efforts to turn victim consciousness into a virtue. I also cannot support open borders or defunding the police until castle doctrine is universal, the welfare system has been dissolved, and there is no longer a threat to the 2nd amendment.
In my opinion, the only thing worse than a far-right Republican politician is a Democrat politician. I joined the GOP and became a delegate in order to have a voice in the state GOP convention, which was an eye-opening experience on several levels. Being in a major party also allowed me to become an election judge.
I am a strong supporter of the Death with Dignity movement for two reasons: 1) It was not uncommon for one of my hospice patients to ask me if there was something I could do to speed things along; 2) as a libertarian, I believe every person facing an intolerable quality of life has the right to end life on their own terms without interference from government, churches, or other so-called “authority”. I testified on behalf of Death with Dignity legislation at the Minnesota Senate, cofounded Interfaith Clergy for End-of-Life Options, and currently volunteer with Final Exit Network, which is a non-profit organization that provides educational resources and support for anyone of sound mind who is facing an intolerable quality of life due to physical illness and wants to peacefully and painlessly end life on their own terms.
I have institutional knowledge of the LPMN and a successful track record of leadership and activism. I have recent, first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of the GOP nominations process. I’ve seen what works at that level and what doesn’t. I’ve been an election judge. I’m a professional writer and editor with over 30 years’ experience developing corporate and government policies and procedures. I’m running for the Bylaws and Platform Committee because I believe my knowledge and experience can help the LPMN play a more substantial role in giving Minnesotans more options than the current duopoly.
I welcome your support and would be happy to answer any questions. I look forward to seeing everyone in Bloomington.

Carrie Loch

See bio above

Jim Rongstad

See bio above