Larry David Sharpe (born July 12, 1968) is an American business consultant, entrepreneur, political activist, and podcaster. He was a candidate for the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

nomination for vice-president of the United States in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, losing to former Massachusetts governor

Bill Weld William Floyd Weld (born July 31, 1945) is an American attorney, businessman, author, and politician who served as the 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, Weld began his career as legal counsel to ...

. Sharpe was the Libertarian nominee for

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

in the 2018 gubernatorial election. He again received that party's gubernatorial nomination for the

2022 New York gubernatorial election The 2022 New York gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of New York. Incumbent Democratic governor Kathy Hochul won a full term in office, defeating Republican Congressman Lee Ze ...

, but did not meet the qualifications to be listed on the general election ballot. Consequently, he ran as a

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

Early life and career

Sharpe was born on July 12, 1968, in Manhattan, New York, and was adopted as an infant. He joined the

United States Marines Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

at age 17, serving from 1986 to 1993. He received a Bachelor's Degree in

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

from the

University of Maryland University College The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC, formerly University of Maryland University College) is a public university in Adelphi, Maryland. It is the largest of the University System of Maryland campuses. Established in 1947, UMGC focuses on ...

. After working as an English teacher, Sharpe founded Prime Distribution Inc., a trucking and distribution company which he later sold, in 2001. In 2004, Sharpe built an online business training company called Neo-Sage Group, Inc., for which he serves as managing director. Doherty, Brian

Political career

As a Libertarian Party activist, Sharpe has outlined a vision to grow the party by encouraging

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

Libertarian Party campaigns across the country. Welch, Matt Sharpe served on the

Libertarian National Committee The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) controls and manages the affairs, properties, and funds of the United States Libertarian Party. It is composed of the party officers, five at-large representatives elected every two years at the national c ...

as the Alternate for Region 8, until his resignation in February 2018 because of an internal LNC vote that failed to oust the party's then-vice chair, Arvin Vohra, following public controversial comments made by Vohra.

2016 vice presidential campaign

Sharpe was a candidate for the

Libertarian vice presidential nomination. During the

2016 Libertarian National Convention The 2016 Libertarian National Convention was the gathering at which delegates of the Libertarian Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 national election. The party selected Gary Johnson, a former Governor o ...

, he placed second on the first ballot with 30.4% of the vote. Because no one received a majority on that ballot, a second ballot vote was held. Sharpe received 46.9% of the vote on the second ballot, finishing second to former

Massachusetts governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

2018 New York gubernatorial campaign

On July 12, 2017, Sharpe announced his 2018 candidacy for Governor of New York, making him the first person to formally mount a challenge to incumbent Governor

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...

in that election race. Sharpe received the Libertarian nomination on April 21, 2018, and Andrew Hollister was selected as the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

nominee for the ticket. Sharpe's campaign raised $102,596 prior to the first filing deadline, which was second to Andrew Cuomo's re-election campaign. As of October 10, 2018, Sharpe had raised $449,515 for his campaign, the highest amount ever raised by a Libertarian gubernatorial candidate in New York. Sharpe in addition was the only candidate in the race to have visited all 62 counties on the campaign trail. On Election Day, Sharpe received 95,033 votes (1.6%) and came in fourth place behind Cuomo, Republican challenger

Marc Molinaro Marcus J. Molinaro (born October 8, 1975) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, Molinaro is the U.S. representative-elect for New York's 19th congressional district, and is currently serving his third term as county execut ...

, and

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

candidate

Howie Hawkins } Howard Gresham Hawkins III (born December 8, 1952) is an American trade unionist, environmental activist, and perennial candidate from New York. A co-founder of the Green Party of the United States, Hawkins was the party's presidential nominee ...

. Sharpe's vote total achieved automatic ballot access for the

Libertarian Party of New York The Libertarian Party of New York (LPNY) (also known as the Free Libertarian Party of New York), is the affiliate of the Libertarian Party in the U.S. state of New York. Due to changes in New York State election law in 2020, the Libertarian Party ...

for the first time in the party's history.

Post-campaign activities

Following the 2018 election, Sharpe continued speaking tours across New York State. Since 2019, he has hosted the

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

''The Sharpe Way''.

2020 vice-presidential campaign

On April 13, 2020, it was announced that Sharpe would again seek the Libertarian Party's nomination for Vice President, as the running mate of 2012 Libertarian vice-presidential nominee Judge Jim Gray. After Gray was eliminated during convention presidential balloting, Sharpe withdrew from the race.

2022 New York gubernatorial campaign

On October 5, 2021, it was reported that Sharpe announced the formation of an

exploratory committee In the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to candidates for pre ...

to run for Governor of New York in the 2022 election. On February 16, 2022, Sharpe officially announced his campaign to run for Governor of New York on ''

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...

''. During the announcement, he stated that he was seeking three lines:

, Forward Party, and Unite Party. Subsequently, the Forward Party endorsed Sharpe following his announcement.Gronewold, Anna; Spector, Joseph (February 17, 2022
"At the convention: The message is unity" Paragraph 12: "The Campaign Trail:Sharpe Is Back..."
''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...

''. Retrieved February 18, 2022. Sharpe received the Libertarian gubernatorial nomination on February 19, 2022. Andrew Hollister, Sharpe's running mate in 2018, was again selected as the Lieutenant Governor nominee. In July 2022, the

New York State Board of Elections The New York State Board of Elections is a bipartisan agency of the New York state government within the New York State Executive Department responsible for enforcement and administration of election-related laws. It also regulates campaign fina ...

disqualified Sharpe from the election ballot for not meeting the qualifications for ballot access. Sharpe subsequently continued his gubernatorial campaign as a write-in candidate.

Political positions

Sharpe supports reducing regulations such as

occupational licensing Occupational licensing, also called occupational licensure, is a form of government regulation requiring a license to pursue a particular profession or vocation for compensation. It is related to occupational closure. Professions that can have a ...

as well as legalizing marijuana and decriminalizing other drugs. Sharpe has advocated for raising revenue for New York by selling naming rights to bridges and highways.

Abortion

Sharpe considers himself "

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

" as well as "anti-abortion". While running for Governor, he vowed to reduce the number of abortions in New York state by increasing availability of other options instead of establishing regulations on abortion.

Criminal justice and drugs

Sharpe favors

marijuana legalization The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...

, calling for

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

and marijuana to be "regulated like onions". Sharpe has said he would

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

those convicted of

victimless crime A victimless crime is an illegal act that typically either directly involves only the perpetrator or occurs between consenting adults. Because it is consensual in nature, whether there involves a victim is a matter of debate. Definitions of vic ...

s or otherwise non-violent offenses.

Economy

Sharpe has supported

deregulation Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...

to stimulate economic growth, ending the funding of enforcement of unnecessary regulations. In particular, Sharpe has cited

as a hurdle to small business, describing mandatory licensing for jobs such as barbers and dog walkers as "barriers to entry and a tax on the poor." Additionally, to reduce the state deficit, Sharpe has called for eliminating unfunded mandates. He has vowed to follow this reduction in state spending with a reduction in

property taxes A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inheri ...

and the ultimate repeal of the New York state

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

Education

Sharpe has called for the

decentralization Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...

of education in New York State and has proposed a "K-10" model, reducing the span of high school to ready students for the workforce and/or college. Sharpe has also rejected

standardized testing A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predete ...

until high school. He stated, "everyone should be able to opt out of testing at any time....it puts kids who have

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

at a huge disadvantage. Kids who do not test well are labeled as dumb." Additionally, Sharpe stated he would refuse federal grants for education. He would also abolish the

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual col ...

Gun laws

In his 2018 gubernatorial bid Sharpe vowed, if elected, to repeal the

NY SAFE Act The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, commonly known as the NY SAFE Act, is a gun regulation statute, law in the state of New York (state), New York. The law was passed by the New York State Legislature and was sig ...

by 2020 and pardon those convicted under its provisions. Sharpe supports allowing school teachers and staff to carry firearms on school grounds, on a voluntary basis.

Personal life

Sharpe lives with his wife Georgia and their two children in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York.

Contributions

Electoral history

References

External links

Larry Sharpe for Governor
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpe, Larry 1968 births Living people 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American educators 21st-century American politicians 2016 United States vice-presidential candidates 2020 United States vice-presidential candidates African-American company founders American company founders African-American educators African-American United States Navy personnel African-American people in New York (state) politics American adoptees American cannabis activists American gun rights activists American podcasters Businesspeople from New York City Candidates in the 2018 United States elections Candidates in the 2022 United States elections Educators from New York City New York (state) Libertarians Non-interventionism Politicians from the Bronx United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers University of Maryland Global Campus alumni