Interview with Lisa Wilber, Libertarian Candidate for NH State House

I remember when I first became interested in the Libertarian Party, back in the early 1990s. The LP had just elected four members to the New Hampshire state house. Representatives Andy Borsa, Don Gorman, Finlay Rothaus and Cal Warburton formed an officially recognized Libertarian Caucus, with Don Gorman serving as the Libertarian Minority Leader.

Now, to be fair, New Hampshire is a bit of a strange state. With a 400 member state house, it’s one of the easier places in the country to win access to state government. But Libertarians were finally gaining a foothold in legislative politics and it seemed like this might be the first of many such success stories.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

It has now been more than a decade since a Libertarian has won a state house race anywhere in the country. This year, the brightest spot appears to be Chad Monnin, who seems like he might actually have a chance in Ohio.

Recently, I was shocked to learn that only ONE Libertarian candidate would even be on the ballot for NH state house in 2014. That candidate is Lisa Wilber, who has run unsuccessfully in the last 8 cycles, but remains hopeful that she will eventually breakthrough.  She is an extremely successful Avon salesperson.

Ms. Wilber was kind enough to take a few moments to share a bit about her campaign…

AUSTIN CASSIDY: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. First off, can you tell us a bit about your personal background?

LISA WILBER: I’m a 51 year old single parent to a 9 year old daughter and the number five money earner in the country with Avon! As you can probably tell from just that, we aren’t the typical family. We travel a lot, we get to meet lots of people and I know what it’s like to run a successful business over a long period of time. I’ve been in the top 10 with Avon for two decades. I believe my experiences have brought me a perspective that can help solve problems.

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AUSTIN CASSIDY: What got you interested in the Libertarian Party? Who was the first Libertarian candidate that you remember voting for?

LISA WILBER: I went to a county fair and set up a booth for my Avon business. The Libertarian booth was a couple booths over. They had a questionnaire that showed you which party you most likely had values similar to.

After I took the questionnaire, I researched the other parties to see if I truly was more Libertarian than Democrat and Republican, and found that my values were a better match with the Libertarians than anyone else. The first Libertarian candidate that I remember voting for was Harry Browne for President.

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AUSTIN CASSIDY: Tell us about your campaign this year. How much money have you raised? What kind of campaigning is involved in a race like this?

LISA WILBER: I am running for the New Hampshire House of Representatives District 2, which is comprised of two rather small, rural towns: Weare and Deering. I have not raised any money and have not spent any money. This is my eighth time running for this particular office, so I have about 100 signs and a couple of the large signs, buttons and flyers from past campaigns. My strategy is to run so many times that my name recognition gets me elected.

I also write Letters to the Editor often with information about my positions and have a Facebook page where I can gather and interact with supporters.

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AUSTIN CASSIDY: What does your race look like? Do you think there’s a chance of victory this time around?

LISA WILBER: Historically this District has sent Republicans to the House of Representatives on their behalf. Last campaign they sent one Democrat because she had a high profile and name recognition: she was a long serving Town Clerk. She is running in another District this year, so it would likely be the three Republicans that get elected.

Why I believe I have a better chance than usual is because of the two towns in the District, Weare is the largest by far. I live in Weare and I have the most name recognition in Weare. Of the three Republicans running, two are from Weare and the other is from Deering and not well known in Weare. Deering is small enough that if I can take Weare, I could get elected.

AUSTIN CASSIDY: As you know, the Libertarian Party was successful at electing several state legislators in Alaska during the 1980s. During most of the 1990s, there were at least 2 — and at one point 4 — Libertarians serving in the New Hampshire state house. But it has now been more than a decade since the party has elected anyone to any state’s legislature. You are the only Libertarian running for state house in New Hampshire this year. What has happened and why do you think Libertarians aren’t winning these races?

LISA WILBER: Truthfully, I am not focusing on what other people have or have not done. I’m focused on getting myself elected and setting a new trend.

My values are so close to the Libertarian values: freedom and personal responsibility and “who I am” as a person. To me, running as a Libertarian is just being true to who I am. I have been told that running as a Republican would get me elected in my District, but I am unwilling to even say that I am a Republican because I know I am not. It would be like me going in to a bank and tell them I’m a man in order to make it easier to get a car loan.

Being true to myself is something I must do. When I get elected, I can start a new trend! No one thought I would be able to make it to the top at Avon, either! Especially because I live in rural New Hampshire. But I did. And I will get elected, too. It’s just a matter of time.

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AUSTIN CASSIDY: What are your feelings about Ron Paul and his son Rand? Are they helping to introduce people to the concept of libertarianism, or are they stunting the Libertarian Party’s growth by keeping liberty-minded voters trapped within the GOP?

LISA WILBER: Truthfully, I’m glad that they have devoted themselves to the cause of Liberty — they have both made a tremendous difference. As I said, however, I do not believe in running under another party’s banner for expediency purposes. I have been called naive for thinking that way, so be it.

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AUSTIN CASSIDY: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. If any of our readers want to learn more about your campaign or donate, what’s the best way for them to connect with you?

LISA WILBER: I can be reached on my Facebook campaign page or by e-mail: LWilber@aol.com