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Rob Lapham was a 2016 Libertarian candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 2nd Congressional District of Florida.[1]
Lapham was a 2014 Libertarian candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 22nd Congressional District of Texas.[2] Rob Lapham lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
Elections
2016
- See also: Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2016
 
Due to redistricting, this district flipped from safely Democratic to safely Republican. Incumbent Gwen Graham (D) did not seek re-election in 2016. Neal Dunn (R) defeated Walter Dartland (D), Rob Lapham (L), and Antoine Edward Roberts (Write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Dunn defeated Mary Thomas and Ken Sukhia to win the Republican nomination, while Dartland defeated Steve Crapps in the Democratic primary. The primary elections took place on August 30, 2016.[1][3]
U.S. House, Florida District 2 General Election, 2016 
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | 
|  | Republican |  Neal Dunn | 67.3% | 231,163 | 
|  | Democratic | Walter Dartland | 29.9% | 102,801 | 
|  | Libertarian | Rob Lapham | 2.7% | 9,395 | 
|  | N/A | Write-in | 0% | 3 | 
| Total Votes | 343,362 | 
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | 
U.S. House, Florida District 2 Republican  Primary, 2016
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | 
|  Neal Dunn | 41.4% | 33,886 | 
| Mary Thomas | 39.3% | 32,178 | 
| Ken Sukhia | 19.3% | 15,826 | 
| Total Votes | 81,890 | 
| Source: Florida Division of Elections 
 | 
U.S. House, Florida District 2 Democratic  Primary, 2016
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | 
|  Walter Dartland | 50.1% | 30,115 | 
| Steve Crapps | 49.9% | 29,982 | 
| Total Votes | 60,097 | 
| Source: Florida Division of Elections 
 | 
2014
- See also: Texas' 22nd Congressional District elections, 2014
 
Lapham ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Texas' 22nd District. Lapham won the Libertarian Party nomination at the state convention in April 2014.[4] He was defeated by incumbent Pete Olson (R) in the general election on November 4, 2014.[5]
U.S. House, Texas District 22 General Election, 2014 
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | 
|  | Republican |  Pete Olson  Incumbent | 66.5% | 100,861 | 
|  | Democratic | Frank Briscoe | 31.6% | 47,844 | 
|  | Libertarian | Rob Lapham | 1.9% | 2,861 | 
| Total Votes | 151,566 | 
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | 
2016
The following issues were listed on Lapham's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.
| “ | Never expand big government: If elected, I will never vote to expand government authority or to increase government spending from today's high level.  If new funding were to be needed for an essential function of government, I will vote to reduce government overspending elsewhere rather than raise taxes or add to the nation's debt.
 Downsize the U.S. military. Specifically: If elected, I will sponsor and work tirelessly to pass legislation to cut military spending by 60% or more and and cut taxes by the amount saved; close all foreign U.S. military bases; withdraw completely from the Middle East; and bring our troops home.
 Shut down NSA, TSA, and end mass surveillance: If elected, I will sponsor and work tirelessly to pass legislation to reduce and consolidate our 18 spy agencies, abolish the NSA and the TSA, grant clemency and full whistleblower protection to Edward Snowden, repeal all laws that violate the Fourth Amendment right to privacy, and cut taxes by the amount saved.
 End Drug Prohibition: If elected, I will sponsor and work tirelessly to pass legislation to immediately end the insane War on Drugs; pardon, release from prison, and expunge the records of all non-violent drug 'offenders', end arrests and SWAT raids on suspected drug 'offenders,' abolish the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and cut taxes by the amount saved.
 Eliminate the federal income tax: If elected, I will sponsor and work tirelessly to pass legislation to eliminate the federal income tax, cut federal spending to the 1998 level ($1.65 trillion), balance the budget, and get the IRS off the backs of taxpayers."  (Note:  Even under the existing tax code, if government spending were held to $1.65 trillion, each taxpayer would receive, each year, an estimated average reduction of taxes of $11,525.)
 [6]
 | ” | 
| —Rob Lapham's campaign website, http://www.robforcongress.org/if-elected--i-will--15-pledges.html | 
2014
Lapham's campaign website listed the following issues:[7]
| “ | Abortion: " I recognize that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on both sides.  I believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for her conscientious consideration."
 Border Security: "The United States, like all sovereign nations, has an absolute right to secure its borders and forbid any foreign national to enter this country.  We should not tolerate anyone refusing to obey our laws regarding proper entry into this county."
 Business and Economy: "Except for courts to sort out the protection of lives and property, governments should keep their hands out of business.  Voluntary economic exchange is the only way; government intervention is not justified.  Further, government interference in business on behalf of some citizens at the expense of others is inherently unjust."
 Consumer Protection: " Federal safety regulation can and should be abolished in favor of market institutions analogous to Underwriters Laboratory certification. Food and Drug Administration oversight should be limited to safety, leaving efficacy up to the marketplace."
 Criminal Justice: " In a free society crimes are, and ought to be, be limited to aggression against persons and property, including fraud.  So-called “victimless crime” laws are incompatible with liberty. Drug laws today are among the most destructive, counter-productive and anti-freedom laws on the books."
 [6]
 | ” | 
| —Rob Lapham's campaign website, https://web.archive.org/web/2/http://roblapham.com/plain-language/ | 
Recent news
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See also
External links
	
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed June 25, 2016
- ↑ Texas Tribune, "U.S. House elections brackets," accessed January 7, 2014
- ↑ Politico, " Florida House Races Results," August 30, 2016
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Federal Candidates," accessed May 8, 2014
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Election 2014," November 4, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Campaign website, "Issues," accessed August 4, 2014
 
					
		
		
		
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