Linda Curtis is a co-founder of LIV and a longtime political independent and serves as our Chief Organizer for LIV. We respect and listen to her advice. Sometimes we even follow it! :)
Linda has a 40-year history advocating for non-aligned independent voters. She played an important role in the history-making presidential campaign of Lenora Fulani, the first woman and African American to get on the ballot for President in 50 states (1988). In 1992, Fulani, a progressive, joined forces with some of the leading "militant moderates" in the Ross Perot movement convincing Perot to lead the formation of the National Reform Party in 1994. Fulani also worked alongside conservative, Pat Buchanan, teaching us how to bring about cross-partisan efforts to open up electoral competition. Competition, in her and LIV's view, is the essence of a lasting democratic republic aka the U.S.A., being destroyed by both parties' obsession with their own one-party rule.
Linda said about such cross-partisan efforts:
"We all wanted to see Perot's 19% of the vote turned into a viable third party, not just a pressure group."
Linda became the Texas Reform Party State Organizer serving under State Chair, Paul Truax of Dallas (deceased). In 2000 the Reform Party collapsed. This is a long story that cannot be cut short. Linda threatens to write a book about it someday stating,
"I never regretted this experience -- it was fun, frustrating and made me yearn even more to get out from under two-party rule in America. I have continued to try to do my best to honor and embody Perot's "Texas independent style populism," but we still have much to learn through continued experimentation with independent politics."
Linda is a ballot access expert for new parties, independent candidates, and citizen's petitions in Texas. She is leading LIV's effort to bring together the tools to share with those doing municipal citizen's petitions we call, "Homegrown Petitions."
In 2001, Linda helped form a state political action committee, Independent Texans (IndyTexans.org).
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She ran for State Representative in House District 17 in 2022, garnering just 4%. The experience has provided some important lessons to learn by independent and minor party candidates to improve their game. Note: Linda's 2022 campaign website is parked here at LIV: Linda4Lege.org.
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See the latest Gallup poll. In January 2021, our numbers (50%!) have never been higher.
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