Libertarian Redpath eyes Senate seat

By Tyler Whitley
Media General News Service

Published: November 3, 2008

If you’re for limited government, a flat tax and getting the military out of Iraq, then William Redpath is your man.

The Leesburg accountant and financial analyst is the Libertarian Party’s candidate for the U.S. Senate.

In an interview, he acknowledged that few people know this. In a low-budget campaign, he has been driving his own car, relying on an unpaid campaign manager and getting free publicity when he can.

Although the Libertarian Party has run candidates for statewide office in Virginia before, this is the party’s first Senate campaign.

Redpath hopes to do better tomorrow than he did in 2001, when he won 0.77 percent of the vote in the race for governor. Mark R. Warner, now the Democratic candidate for Senate, won that race. Still, Redpath thinks he may be in a position to get more votes this time because so little attention has been paid to the Senate campaign.

He thinks he may get some votes from Libertarian-leaning Republicans who think Republican Jim Gilmore is going to lose and will transfer their votes to him.

Redpath describes himself as conservative on economic issues and tolerant on social issues. Thus the party favors an end to federal prosecution of consensual crimes, such as drugs and gambling.

He is opposed to the federal bailout of the financial industry.

Redpath tried unsuccessfully to get himself into the three senatorial debates, but the sponsors said he would have to reach 10 percent in the polls before being allowed to participate.

“It’s a chicken-and-egg sort of thing,” Redpath. “I’m not picked because I can’t get 10 percent, and I don’t get 10 percent because people can’t see me.”

The 51-year-old Redpath, who also serves as national chairman of the Libertarian Party, said, “We would like to see a multiparty democracy. The people need an alternative to Republicans and Democrats.”

A native of Findlay, Ohio, Redpath is a graduate of Indiana University and has an MBA degree from the University of Chicago. He has lived in Virginia since 1985.

Redpath supports Social Security reform by allowing workers to opt out of the system and contribute their portion of the Social Security tax to their own accounts. He favors free trade and a noninterventionist foreign policy.