By Caitlyn Meisner | Staff Writer
Mark Tippetts, the Libertarian candidate for Texas governor, is fighting for votes in the upcoming November election.
Tippetts was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. He is a lawyer and an international legal and business consultant. He is also a father of six and a grandfather of seven.
In an interview with The Baylor Lariat, Tippetts explained his views on some of the contentious issues in the upcoming election, including immigration, gun control and abortion.
Immigration
“We need comprehensive immigration reform,” Tippetts said. “We need to be able to make it easier for honest, hardworking people to come to the United States legally. Anybody you look at are here because of immigration; we all immigrated here. Immigration has proven time and time again it’s a plus-positive effect to the community.”
Gun control
“I would support any gun legislation that does not violate the Second Amendment,” Tippetts said.
Abortion
“Like I said, I am a father of six and grandfather of seven,” Tippetts said. “To me personally, there is absolutely nothing more precious than life. But four of my kids are girls, and no government has a right to tell them what to do. No government has a right to legislate morality. That’s something that’s left to the conscience. It’s left to their religion. That’s left to whatever drives them.”
Legalizing marijuana
“Our prisons are overflowing with people that are locked up for smoking a joint or possessing marijuana,” Tippetts said. “We’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars on ruining lives. It is ruining the minorities lives because it’s all focused on Blacks and Latinos.”
School safety
“With school choice, schools will be safer, because that will be part of what the schools themselves will implement to attract students,” Tippetts said.
Tippetts said he and the Libertarian Party should be considered when casting a vote because he wants to give rights back to voters.
“Bottom line is, in a state with smaller government, it just makes room for bigger citizens and people taking responsibility for themselves,” Tippetts said. “What I want is to be a government once again by the people. A lot of people ask me, ‘How are you going to fix this?’ I say, ‘How can we fix this?'”
There are six candidates on the Texas ballot this November; incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R), former El Paso Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D), Delilah Barrios (Green Party), Mark Tippetts (L), Jacqueline Abernathy (I) and Mark Goloby (I). Election Day is Nov. 8, and the last day to register to vote is Oct. 11.
“If you’re on the ballot, you should be allowed in a debate,” Tippetts said.
Tippetts said many criteria have to be met to be able to get on the debate stage. Specific criteria he mentioned were polling numbers and media coverage; he said he needs to capture 5% of the poll to be eligible for a debate.
“Here’s how a poll goes: ‘If the gubernatorial election was to be held today, would you vote for Greg Abbott, Beto O’Rourke or someone else?'” Tippetts said. “How can I get 5% of the polls if I’m not included in the poll?”
For this election cycle, Tippetts said he did not contact NEXSTAR — the media company that held the debate last Friday — because he “didn’t want the headache.”
“Even if they did allow us on the debate, Greg Abbott will not show up,” Tippetts said. “Greg Abbott would not show up to a debate with a Libertarian in it. If he wishes to change that, I do challenge him to a debate. I challenge both [Beto O’Rourke] and Greg Abbott to a debate in both English or Spanish.”
Dr. Pat Flavin, professor of political science, said third parties have major challenges in being heard by the greater public.
“This past Friday, we had our one — and probably only — governor debate, and there was only two people on the stage,” Flavin said. “You might have influence in bringing up new ideas or new issues, but it’s hard to do that in a race that’s dominated by the two major party candidates.”
Tippetts said he hopes to gain something other than a win this November.
“What I really, really hope to gain, more than anything, is inspiring young people, planting the seeds of liberty and freedom,” Tippetts said. “I know it sounds like a cliche, but they have been taken away from us so much.”
San Jose, Calif., junior Derek Williams said that he is a Libertarian and that the goal of the Libertarian Party isn’t to have people in Congress or the White House.
“The main goal is to have people in state and local bodies of government,” Williams said. “By being on the presidential ballot, we get to have a lot of people see the party. It’s not so much as to actually change the government, [but] if you convince the people that liberty is important, then the government will get smaller.”
In a word to voters, Tippetts said people should vote with their conscience.
“At the end of the day, when you’re in the voting booth, there’s only you, your conscience and the voting machine,” Tippetts said. “Vote your conscience.”
