Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.

Scott Soffen

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Scott Soffen
Image of Scott Soffen

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 4, 2014

Contact

Personal website

Scott Soffen was a 2016 Libertarian candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 7th Congressional District of Maryland. Soffen did not make it onto the general election ballot.[1]

Soffen was a 2014 Libertarian candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 7th Congressional District of Maryland.[2] He was defeated by incumbent Elijah Cummings (D) in the general election on November 4, 2014.[3]

He was a 2012 Libertarian candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 4th Congressional District of Maryland. He was defeated by Democratic incumbent Donna Edwards on November 6, 2012.[4]

Elections

2016

See also: Maryland's 7th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. In Maryland's 7th Congressional District, Democratic incumbent Elijah Cummings (D) defeated Corrogan Vaughn (R), Myles Hoenig (G) and William T. Newton (R write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Cummings defeated Adrian Petrus in the Democratic primary. Vaughn defeated Ray Bly and William T. Newton in the Republican primary, which remained uncalled until the official primary canvass. The primary elections took place on April 26, 2016. [5][6]

U.S. House, Maryland District 7 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngElijah Cummings Incumbent 74.9% 238,838
     Republican Corrogan Vaughn 21.8% 69,556
     Green Myles Hoenig 3% 9,715
     N/A Write-in 0.3% 803
Total Votes 318,912
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections


U.S. House, Maryland District 7 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngElijah Cummings Incumbent 92.1% 130,555
Adrian Petrus 7.9% 11,272
Total Votes 141,827
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections
U.S. House, Maryland District 7 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngCorrogan Vaughn 41.6% 10,645
William Newton 41.4% 10,599
Ray Bly 17% 4,351
Total Votes 25,595
Source: Maryland Secretary of State

Soffen did not make it onto the general election ballot.

2014

See also: Maryland's 7th Congressional District elections, 2014

Soffen ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Maryland's 7th District.[2] Schlakman ran as a Libertarian Party candidate. Scott Soffen lost the general election on November 4, 2014.

U.S. House, Maryland District 7 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngElijah Cummings Incumbent 69.9% 144,639
     Republican Corrogan Vaughn 27% 55,860
     Libertarian Scott Soffen 3% 6,103
     Write-in Others 0.1% 207
Total Votes 206,809
Source: Maryland Secretary of State Official Results

2012

See also: Maryland's 4th Congressional District elections, 2012

Soffen ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Maryland's 4th District. Soffen ran as a Libertarian. He faced incumbent Donna Edwards and Faith Loudon (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[7]

U.S. House, Maryland District 4 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDonna Edwards Incumbent 77.2% 240,385
     Republican Faith Loudon 20.7% 64,560
     Libertarian Scott Soffen 2% 6,204
     N/A Other Write-ins 0.1% 363
Total Votes 311,512
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections "Representative in Congress"

Campaign themes

2016

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

“
  • The War on Drugs: However well-intended, the war on drugs has been a catastrophe for our nation. The illegal trade of drugs is the source of gang violence, single parent households (because the father has been incarcerated) high drug prices that turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into thieves to support their addiction, and racial profiling throughout the justice system. Legalization of recreational marijuana, regulated in a manner similar to alcohol and cigarettes, would be a significant step in the right direction.
  • Tort Reform: A fundamental function of government is to impose restitution when one individual harms another. A person is harmed when they are sued, and must pay for legal defense and costs associated with discovery, even when they ultimately win the case. The U.S. should adopt the "loser pays" system used in Great Britain, which discourages lawyers from filing frivolous lawsuits in the hope that the person being sued will settle rather than absorb the costs of fighting and winning the lawsuit.
  • Public Education Alternatives: Many believe that our local public schools are failing us. That's no surprise -- there are many businesses that disappoint their customers. The frustration is that only the wealthiest families have the resources to both support their local school through taxes and pay for private school. Greater competition, with some schools succeeding and other schools failing, should ultimately lead to a better "product".
  • Gay Rights: The First Amendment that references free speech and freedom of religion implies a freedom of beliefs. As such, the government should not impose the ethics of the majority upon the minority. To the extent that no one else is harmed, people should be free to think and behave as they choose. The government should not have one set of marriage, tax, and inheritance rules for heterosexuals, and a different set of marriage, tax, and inheritance rules for homosexuals. All people should be treated equally.
  • Policing the World: The purpose of the U.S. military is to protect the liberties of U.S. citizens. Yet mission creep has been so abundant that not only is the U.S. engaged in active combat in Iraq, but it also has over 10,000 troops in Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Germany, and Italy. For both altruistic and security reasons, the U.S. has allowed itself to get drawn into civil wars and regional skirmishes that do not pose an immediate threat the the U.S. The military's attempt to impose democracy on other nations has generally failed.

[8]

”
—Scott Soffen's campaign website, http://www.whyvotelibertarian.com/#!issues/cn4k

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential Primary Election State Candidates List," accessed February 5, 2016
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Maryland Elections, "Candidate List 2014," accessed December 10, 2013
  3. ↑ Politico, "House Elections Results," accessed November 11, 2014
  4. ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Maryland"
  5. ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential Primary Election State Candidates List," accessed February 5, 2016
  6. ↑ The New York Times, "Maryland Primary Results," April 26, 2016
  7. ↑ Maryland general election candidates
  8. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.


Maryland's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Angela Alsobrooks (D)
Chris Hollen (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
Democratic Party (9)
Republican Party (1)


Flag of Maryland
v • e
State of Maryland
Annapolis (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy


Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Scott_Soffen&oldid=9863771"