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Larry Sharpe (political activist) facts for kids

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Larry Sharpe
Larry Sharpe portrait (cropped).jpg
Sharpe in 2018
Born (1968-07-12) July 12, 1968 (age 56)
Education University of Maryland University College (BA)
Occupation Business consultant
Known for
  • 2018 Libertarian Party New York gubernatorial candidate
  • 2016 Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate
Political party Libertarian
Children 2
Military career
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Years of service 1986–1993
Rank Staff sergeant

Larry David Sharpe was born on July 12, 1968. He is an American business expert, entrepreneur, and political activist. He also hosts a podcast. Larry Sharpe is a member of the Libertarian Party. He has run for important political jobs, like Vice President of the United States and Governor of New York.

About Larry Sharpe

Early Life and Work

Larry Sharpe was born in New York City. When he was 17, he joined the United States Marines Corps. He served in the Marines from 1986 to 1993. After his military service, he went to college. He earned a degree in anthropology.

Later, Larry Sharpe became an English teacher. He then started his own trucking and delivery company. He sold this company in 2001. In 2004, he created an online company called Neo-Sage Group, Inc. This company helps people learn about business. He is still the managing director there.

Political Journey

Larry Sharpe is a strong supporter of the Libertarian Party. This party believes in less government involvement in people's lives. He wants to help the party grow. He encourages people to start Libertarian campaigns in their local areas.

Running for Vice President

In 2016, Larry Sharpe wanted to be the Libertarian candidate for Vice President. He ran against other people at the party's meeting. He came in second place in the voting. Another candidate, Bill Weld, won the nomination.

He tried again for Vice President in 2020. He was running with Jim Gray. However, Jim Gray did not win the presidential nomination. So, Larry Sharpe decided to leave the race.

In 2024, he was the running mate for Lars Mapstead. Mapstead was also seeking the Libertarian Party's nomination. When Mapstead was not chosen, Sharpe again withdrew from the race.

Running for Governor of New York

Larry Sharpe has run for Governor of New York two times.

2018 Campaign

In 2017, Larry Sharpe announced he would run for Governor of New York in 2018. He was the first person to challenge the governor at that time, Andrew Cuomo. The Libertarian Party chose him as their candidate.

His campaign raised a lot of money. He visited all 62 counties in New York State. This was a big achievement for his campaign. On Election Day, he received over 95,000 votes. This helped the Libertarian Party get on the ballot automatically for future elections in New York.

After the 2018 election, Larry Sharpe continued to travel and speak. Since 2019, he has hosted his own podcast called The Sharpe Way.

2022 Campaign

In 2021, Larry Sharpe announced he was thinking about running for Governor again. He officially started his campaign in February 2022. He hoped to get support from different political groups.

The Libertarian Party chose him as their candidate again. However, in July 2022, he was not allowed on the official election ballot. This was because he did not meet certain requirements. Even so, he continued his campaign. He ran as a "write-in" candidate, meaning people could write his name on the ballot.

His Ideas and Beliefs

Larry Sharpe has many ideas for New York State.

Economy

Sharpe believes in making fewer rules for businesses. He thinks this will help the economy grow. He wants to stop funding rules that are not needed. He also thinks that some job licenses make it hard for small businesses to start. He calls these "barriers to entry."

To save money for the state, he wants to get rid of "unfunded mandates." These are tasks the state tells local governments to do without giving them money. He also wants to lower property taxes. His ultimate goal is to remove the New York state income tax.

Education

Larry Sharpe wants to change how education works in New York. He believes local communities should have more control over schools. He has suggested a "K-10" model for schools. This would mean high school ends earlier to prepare students for jobs or college.

He also does not like standardized tests until high school. He says students should be able to skip these tests. He believes they can hurt students with special needs or those who don't test well. He would also refuse money from the federal government for education.

Gun Laws

In his 2018 campaign, Larry Sharpe promised to remove the NY SAFE Act. This is a law about gun control. He also said he would pardon people who were found guilty under this law. He supports allowing teachers and school staff to carry guns at school if they choose to.

Personal Life

Larry Sharpe lives in Queens, New York. He lives with his wife, Georgia, and their two children.

Books

Larry Sharpe has helped write a few books:

  • Consorte, D., Sharpe, L., Goulston, M., Hall, T., & Hogan, K. (2023). Back After Burnout: Master your BURNOUT RECOVERY with the MASHPLAY framework. In H. Burdsal & S. Burdsal (Eds.), Amazon. Luminary Tiger, LLC.
  • ter Maat, M., Borders, M., Consorte, D., Mavrakakis, I., Sharpe, L., Sammeroff, A., Paige, R., Jiminez, A. A Gold New Deal: The Government We Will Tolerate. Amazon, Independently published, 30 Dec. 2023, Amazon.

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