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Patrick McKnight
From Ballotpedia
Patrick McKnight was a 2013 Libertarian candidate for District 16 of the New Jersey General Assembly.
Elections
2013
McKnight ran in the 2013 election for New Jersey General Assembly District 16. He was defeated by incumbent Jack M. Ciattarelli (R) and incumbent Donna M. Simon (R) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.[1][2][3][4]
| New Jersey General Assembly, District 16 General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jack Ciattarelli Incumbent |
28.3% | 32,125 | |
| Republican | Donna Simon Incumbent |
27.8% | 31,543 | |
| Democratic | Marie Corfield | 22.1% | 25,112 | |
| Democratic | Ida Ochoteco | 20.8% | 23,682 | |
| Libertarian | Patrick McKnight | 1.1% | 1,202 | |
| Total Votes | 113,664 | |||
2012
McKnight ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 7th District. McKnight faced Upendra Chivukula, Leonard Lance, and Dennis Breen in the general election on November 6.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Upendra Chivukula | 40% | 123,057 | |
| Republican | Leonard Lance Incumbent |
57.2% | 175,662 | |
| Libertarian | Patrick McKnight | 1.3% | 4,078 | |
| Independent | Dennis Breen | 1.5% | 4,518 | |
| Total Votes | 307,315 | |||
| Source: New Jersey Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Campaign themes
2013
McKnight's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[5]
- Ban red-light cameras:
- Excerpt: "These Orwellian revenue generation mechanisms have been statistically shown to increase accidents. Law-abiding Citizens should not be monitored like prisoners."
- Improve public education while decreasing spending. Eliminate the standardized testing that stifles critical thinking:
- Excerpt: "Make literacy, history and economics the focus of the public curriculum. Encourage competition through school choice. As a former Camden, NJ high school history teacher I understand how badly our current system fails our students while bankrupting taxpayers. Throwing money at failing schools does not solve our education problems, it subsidizes them."
- Nullify the Anti-Constitutional tyranny of the NDAA and PATRIOT ACT:
- Excerpt: "Introduce the Liberty Preservation Act to restore due process. Since the NDAA was passed in 2011 the federal government has assumed the dangerous, illegal authority to indefinitely detain any US Citizen without judge, jury, trial, lawyer or any due process of law. In a free society individuals are innocent until proven guilty."
- Label Genetically-Modified “Foods”:
- Excerpt: "These “food products” have not been adequately tested and have been linked to food allergies and cancer. Empower consumers to make informed choices about the food they and their families put into their bodies. Legalize raw milk."
- I support the Travel Freedom Act:
- Excerpt: "Our families should be able to travel freely without illegal harassment from the TSA. The TSA is invasive and indecent, it has no Constitutional jurisdiction."
- Restore our 2nd Amendment Rights:
- Excerpt: "Peaceful, law-abiding American Citizens have the right to own firearms and not be persecuted like criminals. An armed Citizenry reduces crime and limits tyranny."
- Repudiate unconstitutional State debts:
- Excerpt: "Today the state government debt is $240 billion ($90,000 per family). It’s time to stop spending money we don’t have. So far NJ voters have only approved $4 billion of NJ’s $240 billion of debt."
- Restore Constitutional Money: The Federal Reserve is taxation without representation:
- Excerpt: "I will introduce Constitutional Tender legislation to give New Jersey citizens the choice of using competing gold and silver money as mandated in Section 1 Article 10 of the US Constitution: No state shall…make anything but silver and gold coin a tender in payment of debts."
- Solidify the banking system:
- Excerpt: "Push Congress to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act and repeal Dodd-Frank. This will end “too big to fail” bailouts. Prosecute white-collar criminals like Jon Corzine who commit fraud."
- Legalize marijuana in New Jersey:
- Excerpt: "The unconstitutional prohibition of this plant puts Citizens in jail who have harmed no one but themselves. It costs US taxpayers $42 Billion a year to imprison these non-criminals. In a free society there is no such thing as a victimless crime."
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Patrick + McKnight + New Jersey + Assembly"
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Jersey Department of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "Official 2013 General Assembly general election candidates," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Jersey - Summary Vote Results," November 6, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "2013 Official General Election results," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ McKnight for Assembly, "10 Steps to Fix New Jersey," archived September 10, 2013
Current members of the New Jersey General Assembly
Leadership
Representatives
Democratic Party (52)
Republican Party (28)
