HAGERSTOWN, Ind. - Rupert Boneham draws a crowd.
Saturday was a great example. Boneham, the Libertarian Party candidate for governor of Indiana, wowed the 40 or so Libertarians who attended the party's Wayne County nominating convention at Willie & Red's in downtown Hagerstown.
And he brought curiosity-seeking and well-wishing diners who snuck away from their tables to get a glimpse of the "Survivor" star as he delivered his political message with his famed gravelly voice that filled every corner of the dining room.
"Come on in," he shouted as families peeked in the door. "We'd love to have you."
But Boneham, 48, who was born in Detroit, raised in Kokomo and now lives in Indianapolis, wasn't there to model celebrity. He was there to support Libertarian candidates and rally support for his gubernatorial run.
"I'm not a career politician, and I don't want to be," he told the crowd. "I'm here to support what you have built. And I'm here to ask if it would be acceptable to the Libertarian Party if I actually ran."
He also waited and applauded politely as Wayne County party chairman Rex Bell introduced county candidates and those seeking the state nomination when the state convention convenes Friday through March 25 in Indianapolis.
Bell announced Mark Hoelscher of western Wayne County will be the Libertarian candidate for a Wayne County Council at-large seat in November.
Bell is seeking the party's nomination for the Sixth District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Also attending were Jeremiah Morrell of Rush County, who is seeking the Libertarian nod to run for the District 54 seat in the Indiana House of Representatives, and Mark Brim of Richmond, who hopes to run as a Libertarian for Indiana House District 56.
Bell said the party is rapidly becoming Wayne County's "second party."
"We are getting our message out, and we're raising the issues that need to be raised," Bell said. "A Libertarian running is always an uphill battle, but we've had a lot of success in Wayne County, at least more than in other counties."
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