'02 BALLOTS TO HAVE A LOT MORE LIBERTARIANS

James Coakley Jr. will take his best shot at a Central Florida state House
race this fall, knowing he'll likely walk away a loser. That's the brutal
reality of running as a candidate with offbeat ideas under the banner of
the minor-league Libertarian Party.

"I think the biggest problem that we have is that not enough people know
that we exist or what we stand for, for that matter," said Coakley, 33, of
Winter Springs.

Libertarians are out to change that by targeting Tallahassee like never
before. They're taking advantage of a once-a-decade loophole in the
elections law by mounting a campaign called "Operation Full Slate."

As of this week, Libertarians had used petitions to enter 85 state House
races this fall, more House races than Democrats have entered so far.
However the Democrats have fielded more candidates.

It's more than just the largest single showing by minor-party candidates in
Florida's history; it's a push for legitimacy and acceptance by a fringe
group whose unconventional ideas include legalizing prostitution and drugs
that are now illegal.

"I think what it should say, especially to the other two parties, is we are
much more organized than you think we are," said Orlando Libertarian Mark
Eckert, 42, coordinator of the party's statewide strategy and a candidate
for a state House seat in the Miami area.

It also means voters across Florida will see ballots packed with unfamiliar
names with the party label LIB, for Libertarian.

The wave of candidates is a hodgepodge of political unknowns who rarely get
mainstream attention for a philosophy that, in essence, says people should
be free to do whatever they want as long as they aren't hurting anyone else
or infringing on someone else's personal freedoms.

Their state headquarters is a post office box in Winter Park. But where
they lack money, experience and numbers, their efforts hinge more on a
package of ideas and quirky personalities that's putting an unusual twist
on this year's elections.

Unusual ideas

Coakley, for example, wants to eliminate property taxes because he says
they are a "condemnation" of landowners' rights. Timothy Moriarty, 46, an
Altamonte Springs "naturopath" who sells homegrown wheat-grass drinks to
health-food cafes, wants some government investments sold to raise money
for public schools.

Orlando security-company owner John F. Kennedy, 53, who came from Gabon,
took the name of the 35th U.S. president when he became a citizen about 40
years ago. A supporter of tax cuts, Kennedy shortened a famous quote from
his namesake to form this campaign slogan: "Ask Not . . ."

Libertarian John Wayne Smith, however, is too way out for some party
leaders. They told the 56-year-old Leesburg laborer who dreams of "living
free and living in space" not to run for governor this year under the
Libertarian banner.

He's running anyway, but as a no-party candidate.

"I'm still trying to live free, and I'm still trying to live in space," he
said, "preferably Mars."

Want to expand

Libertarians say they're serious about expanding a party founded in 1971
out of frustration with the two major parties. In Florida they number about
11,000, an increase from about 1,500 a dozen years ago.

Their goals to drastically limit government, promote a free-market economy
and support school vouchers fit squarely into GOP thinking.

But Libertarians take freedom to a level that might cause many Republicans
to view them as the philosophical equivalent of a crazy cousin.

Libertarians see laws against drug use, prostitution and gambling as
infringements on individual rights. They want to legalize all drugs and use
the money for the "war on drugs" to battle violent crime.

They support last week's widely criticized decision by a federal appeals
court in San Francisco that declared the Pledge of Allegiance
unconstitutional because it contains the phrase "under God."

Candidates realize these views cost them support. But they say the goal of
crashing this year's election is part of a long-term growth strategy to
draw attention.

"When we did this it wasn't to win races," said Eckert. "We want to educate
the public about the party so it's more of a household name, like the
Republicans and Democrats."

Democrats not worried

Florida Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe doesn't see that happening
anytime soon.

"It's one thing to have candidates. It's another thing for them to be
viable," Poe said. "We are going after what we can win, and you build your
party on victories. You don't build on defeats."

So far, 94 Democrats are running for 66 of the 120 House seats that are
open. Libertarians are putting up one candidate for 85 House seats.
Republicans have 149 candidates in 93 House races. Candidates who are
getting on the ballot through petitions had to submit signatures to
elections officials by July 1. Candidates who are willing to pay a fee to
get on the ballot have until July 26.

Al Cardenas, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said he has heard
Libertarians are putting up a "big bunch" of candidates, and his party
plans to keep a close eye on them.

He acknowledged that a Libertarian could sway the outcome of close race
between a Republican and Democratic if some of the GOP faithful swing
toward a Libertarian candidate. Still, he said, it seems the minor party
hasn't done much other than line up candidates.

Few active campaigns

In fact, only about a dozen Libertarian candidates actually plan to run
active campaigns.

The rest are "trademark" candidates who won't even open campaign accounts.
These candidates are mainly promoting their "brand," that is, getting LIB
all over the ballot.

They will take advantage of the freebies, such as media interviews and
candidate forums, to get their names out and spread the party's philosophy.

At least one GOP candidate acknowledges being concerned about the possible
presence of Libertarians in the Democrat-leaning District 14 state Senate
race, which also has three Democratic contenders.

Tony Suarez, a former Democrat who switched to the Republican Party after a
stint in the state House, said Libertarian candidate David Dyer may benefit
from having the same last name as state Sen. Buddy Dyer, a Democrat running
for Florida attorney general this year. Suarez would rather have the minor
party's support.

"I'm still hoping that I can get their endorsement," Suarez said. Party
officials say they are considering Suarez's request.

Reforms helped

This year's deluge of Libertarian candidates was made possible largely by a
reform Florida voters approved in 1998 that made it easier for third-party
candidates to get on the ballot.

The party also is taking advantage of a little-known quirk in state
election laws that, during redistricting years, requires fewer petition
signatures and allows prospective candidate to gather them anywhere in the
state rather than in the district they want to represent. Candidates who
get on the ballot through petitions don't pay qualifying fees.

State House candidates this year need 445 petition signatures. Two years
ago, a House candidate may have needed as many as 1,700 names.

That helps a small but close-knit group like the Libertarians. "I think
it's a unique strategy," said Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the
University of South Florida. She said the party faces an uphill battle,
though, to win even one seat.

"Strange things happen in politics," she said. "It's possible, but not
probable."