Paul Stanton

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Paul Stanton

Libertarian Party of Florida Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2016

Contact

Personal website

Paul Stanton was a 2016 Libertarian candidate who sought election to the U.S. Senate from Florida.

Elections

2016

See also: United States Senate election in Florida, 2016

The race for Florida's U.S. Senate seat was one of nine competitive battleground races in 2016 that that helped Republicans maintain control of the Senate. Incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R) defeated U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D), Iraq war veteran Paul Stanton (L), and nine independent and write-in candidates in the general election, which took place on November 8, 2016. According to Politico, Rubio was “the first Republican senator from the Sunshine State ever to win reelection in a presidential election year.”

Rubio called Murphy "hyper-partisan," "a rubber stamp for, God forbid, a Clinton presidency," and accused him of fabricating his qualifications. Murphy criticized Rubio, saying, "Sen. Rubio has the worst vote attendance record of any Florida senator in nearly 50 years." Murphy's spokeswoman Galia Slayen said, "Marco Rubio is willing to abandon his responsibility to Floridians and hand over our country's national security to Donald Trump, as long as it advances his own political career."

In his victory speech, Rubio said, “[I] hope that I and my colleagues as we return to work in Washington D.C. can set a better example how political discourse should exist in this country. And I know people feel betrayed and you have a right to. Every major institution in our society has failed us — the media, the government, big business, Wall Street, academia — they have all failed us. So people are so frustrated and angry. But we must channel that anger and frustration into something positive. Let it move us forward as energy to confront and solve our challenges and our problems.”

U.S. Senate, Florida General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Marco Rubio Incumbent	52%	4,835,191
	Democratic	Patrick Murphy	44.3%	4,122,088
	Libertarian	Paul Stanton	2.1%	196,956
	Independent	Bruce Nathan	0.6%	52,451
	Independent	Tony Khoury	0.5%	45,820
	Independent	Steven Machat	0.3%	26,918
	Independent	Basil Dalack	0.2%	22,236
	N/A	Write-in	0%	160
Total Votes				9,301,820
Source: Florida Division of Elections

U.S. Senate, Florida Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Marco Rubio Incumbent	72%	1,029,830
Carlos Beruff	18.5%	264,427
Dwight Young	6.4%	91,082
Ernie Rivera	3.2%	45,153
Total Votes		1,430,492
Source: Florida Division of Elections

U.S. Senate, Florida Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Patrick Murphy	58.9%	665,985
Alan Grayson	17.7%	199,929
Pam Keith	15.4%	173,919
Roque De La Fuente	5.4%	60,810
Reginald Luster	2.6%	29,138
Total Votes		1,129,781
Source: Florida Division of Elections

U.S. Senate, Florida Libertarian Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Paul Stanton	73.5%	2,946
Augustus Invictus Sol	26.5%	1,063
Total Votes		4,009
Source: Florida Division of Elections

Campaign themes

2016

The following issues were listed on Stanton's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Business Taxation: Businesses leave the United States for a multitude of reasons, one of which, is corporate taxation. While corporate taxation can contribute to stifling business and job growth, this is especially true for small businesseses. Large corporations are actually in a much better position to handle taxation because of their ability to pay it and/or move operations offshore as to avoid the taxation. Small businesses that are incorporated and looking to grow are not awarded those same privileges. Drug Reform: The “War On Drugs,” has become a device through which those in power have taken our liberties from us, and provide only fear and oppression in return. By bringing this war to an end, we will be able to remove the roadblocks that prevent addicts from getting help, and end the pattern of selectively-enforced felony convictions created by the “War on Drugs” that oppress minorities, the poor, and those not well connected, and that encourage drug users to retreat in fear from their families, their aspirations. While we Libertarians support the right to do anything peaceful and honest, ending the drug war must be a top priority. Poverty: While many politicians pay lip service to helping the poor and disadvantaged, the policies they have put in place actually look more like a war on the poor than a war on poverty. Creating opportunities for all Americans, especially the most marginalized in society, must be a priority. Instead, the focus of policymakers has been on creating a system by which the rich are able to socialize their losses across society at the expense of the poor and working class. We must have a strong economy that provides opportunities for Americans from every walk of life, not just the corporate elite. Crony Capitalism: The market is not what is wrong with the United States economy, but the perversion of the market in favor of a government owned by big business in a symbiotic relationship between the two. Large corporations lobby government and contribute large sums of money to campaigns in order to have their bills passed through congress. Many regulations are made not to protect the consumer, but to protect big business from competition. Monetary Policy: There is a long history within the United States of strong opposition to the establishment of a national bank, and that battle lives on today. The Federal Reserve has devalued our currency through quantitative easing and low interest rate policies, erasing the savings of many hardworking Americans. Loose monetary policy has been an aid to a growing federal government, using the funds for wars and bailouts. I advocate a complete and full audit of the Federal Reserve as a first step to bring transparency to an organization that largely operates in the shadows.	”
—Paul Stanton's campaign website, http://stanton2016.com/solutions.html

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Paul Stanton Florida Senate. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Paul Stanton - Google News

See also

• United States Senate
• United States Senate election in Florida, 2016

External links

Suggest a link

• Campaign website
• Facebook page
• The Libertarian Identity Q&A with Paul Stanton
• Palm Beach Post - Florida's first Libertarian U.S. Senate primary

Footnotes

[show]

Florida's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ashley Moody (R)

Rick Scott (R)

Representatives

District 1

Jimmy Patronis (R)

District 2

Neal Dunn (R)

District 3

Kat Cammack (R)

District 4

Aaron Bean (R)

District 5

John Rutherford (R)

District 6

Randy Fine (R)

District 7

Cory Mills (R)

District 8

Mike Haridopolos (R)

District 9

Darren Soto (D)

District 10

Maxwell Frost (D)

District 11

Daniel Webster (R)

District 12

Gus Bilirakis (R)

District 13

Anna Luna (R)

District 14

Kathy Castor (D)

District 15

Laurel Lee (R)

District 16

Vern Buchanan (R)

District 17

Greg Steube (R)

District 18

Scott Franklin (R)

District 19

Byron Donalds (R)

District 20

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D)

District 21

Brian Mast (R)

District 22

Lois Frankel (D)

District 23

Jared Moskowitz (D)

District 24

Frederica Wilson (D)

District 25

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D)

District 26

Mario Diaz-Balart (R)

District 27

Maria Elvira Salazar (R)

District 28

Carlos Gimenez (R)

Republican Party (22)

Democratic Party (8)