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The Third Candidate For Governor - Barbara Howe

Barbara Howe
BarbaraHowe.net

The next governor of North Carolina will almost certainly be Republican Pat McCrory or Democrat Walter Dalton. But there is a third party candidate in the race and on the ballot, Libertarian Barbara Howe.

Millions of dollars have been spent on the major party campaigns of Republican Pat McCrory and Democrat Walter Dalton. Libertarian Barbara Howe is running her campaign on about $120,000. Calling her a long-shot is being optimistic and she knows that. Her ideologies are likely to come across as refreshing, radical or both. Howe believes in social tolerance, fiscal responsibility and government largely getting out of the way.

Barbara Howe: "Creating jobs is not governments business, getting out of the way of job creators is governments business. I'm opposed to tax incentives. North Carolina uses tax incentives with abandon. Walter Dalton says "Well nobody likes tax incentives but everyone does it so we have to too" No we don't. We have to have lox taxes, low regulations, good schools, good roads and then businesses will come here. And tax incentives are really a slap in the face to small business owners who are the true job creators anyway."

Howe supports gay marriage, opposes the death penalty and the war on drugs. She would like to see taxes as close to zero percent as feasible.

Howe: "I'm also in favor of moving toward a free market education system where parents are in charge of how their kids are educated and not the bureaucrats in Raleigh and D.C. Under our current system I'm advocating tuition tax credits for anybody to provide a scholarship for any kid to go to any school."

Howe homeschooled her three children. The life-long North Carolina native is polling at between three and five percent in this race and wasn't invited to participate in any of the three Gubernatorial debates. Her predecessor Mike Munger took part in those events four years ago, but Howe says she's been told she needs 10-percent of the poll to participate. Munger never polled at more than 5-percent. A Libertarian candidate has never been elected as a Governor anywhere in the U.S. and it's unlikely Howe will be the first. She hopes to gain at least two percent of the vote, ensuring that the Libertarian party remains on the ballot in 2014.

Jeff Tiberii is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Jeff joined WUNC in 2011. During his 20 years in public radio, he was Morning Edition Host at WFDD and WUNC’s Greensboro Bureau Chief and later, the Capitol Bureau Chief. Jeff has covered state and federal politics, produced the radio documentary “Right Turn,” launched a podcast, and was named North Carolina Radio Reporter of the Year four times.
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