California On January 2, 1980, McClarin declared his candidacy for
California's 1st congressional district as a Libertarian, challenging longtime
Democratic incumbent
Bizz Johnson. McClarin ran an atypical campaign, selling his car for additional campaign funds and
hitchhiking throughout the large fourteen-county district. Early in his campaign, in protest of the resumption of
Selective Service System registration, McClarin
burned his draft card as a symbolic gesture. He won the Libertarian Party primary, receiving 495 votes. He also advocated for the deregulation of the energy market, arguing against the
Price–Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act and a recently passed
windfall tax bill on the oil industry. He also held
non-interventionist positions on foreign policy, supporting the closure of American military bases in foreign countries and a transition towards an
all volunteer military. McClarin attempted to unite a broad coalition in his campaign, arguing that the
left-wing would support his stances on foreign policy and
alternative energy, while conservatives would support his advocacy for
civil defense. He was excluded from debates hosted by the Nevada County Board of Realtors. McClarin placed third in the
general election, receiving 17,419 votes (6.5%). The same year, McClarin became the executive director of the
Placer County Libertarian Party. Considered to be an aggressive recruiter by the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, McClarin recruited over 70 Libertarian candidates, with four candidates being elected. An early supporter of releasing political press releases on online news outlets, he was also the editor of the
Libertarian Lines newsletter during this period. McClarin lived in
Hillsborough County's 33rd state house district, a multi-member constituency which elected three representatives and consisted of
Nashua ward 8. In the 1994 election, the Republican Party only ran two candidates in the three-member district. Seeing an opportunity, McClarin announced his candidacy for the district. McClarin was elected in the general election, placing second with 1,033 votes. McClarin's term began on December 7, 1994. He was a member of the Committee on Constitutional and Statutory Revision. During his brief tenure, McClarin co-sponsored three bills: one bill sought to "reaffirm state sovereignty under the
Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution", another proposed a revision to the
state constitution which would add a procedure to repeal all state statutes, while the last would have established a
tax credit for parents who homeschooled their children. On February 3, 1995, McClarin resigned from the state house, citing conflict between the legislative schedule and his business obligations. His resignation left Gorman as the only Libertarian in the state house. Following his resignation, McClarin remained active in party fundraising and organizing. == References ==