For Immediate Release April 10, 2018
Davenport, Fla. – Brandon Kneeld is the latest Libertarian elected into office in the state, taking 68 percent of the vote in the non-partisan election for City Commission Seat 2 here last week. Kneeld, 32, also becomes the first openly-gay candidate elected to office in this small Central Florida town.
“I’m just incredibly humbled they’re putting their trust in me,” Kneeld told The Ledger. “I’m just excited to try to do my part to keep Davenport a wonderful place to be.”
Kneeld, 32, becomes the 16th LPF member holding office in the state.
“It is admirable and motivational to hear Brandon Kneeld won this election,” said LPF Chairman Marcos Miralles. “I look forward to seeing Brandon grow in his community, personally and professionally, to encourage and create an environment for us everyday people to thrive in. Let us celebrate this success.”
Kneeld said after shifting between the two major parties over the past several years, he found only the Libertarian Party represented his true values.
“I’m actually relatively new as a member of the LP,” Kneeld said to the LPF News. “I’ve long believed in personal liberty and responsibility but was content to find that within the two-party system. During the 2016 election it became clear to me that neither party had any real interest in these core values and so I moved to the LP as the party with the platform that most closely aligned with my personal beliefs.”
Kneeld’s campaign slogan “Kneeld Knows” focused on issues he knew were most important to Davenport residents: Infrastructure, managed growth and business development. Kneeld said small towns offer terrific opportunities for introducing the LP principals of greater personal freedom with lesser government intrusion to a wider voting audience.
“It just happened to be that this year presented the best opportunity for me to get involved in government here in Davenport,” Kneeld said. “Being a still small town of just 5000 people I was able to run the campaign primarily on my own and focused my efforts on voters who had requested absentee ballots or were known to have voted in recent municipal elections.
“Although the race was nonpartisan, I maintained a message of liberty and smart government that was well received. Davenport is going through a lot of changes, it’s the fastest growing city in Polk County and is slated to double its population in the next few years, and the residents recognize that those ideals are the best way to move forward with that growth.”
– Author: J Mark Barfield
