Amid the clamor surrounding Ralph Nader’s struggle to get on the Wisconsin ballot last week, a little-known fact was lost in the scuffle: Nader did not become the third candidate to earn a spot on the ballot, but the seventh.

One of the other candidates, Libertarian Party nominee Michael Badnarik, has a plan with which students should become acquainted, according to Campaign Communications Director Stephen Gordon.

“College students should be concerned with the restoration of individual liberty,” Gordon said. “Some people say the Republican Party is everybody’s daddy and the Democratic Party is everybody’s mommy. Well, we want kids to move out of the house.”

Of particular interest to students, Gordon said, is Badnarik’s complete opposition to restoring the military draft. Badnarik also opposes the war in Iraq and would hasten efforts to remove American forces from the Middle East.

But it is freedom lying at the core of the Libertarian philosophy that Badnarik promotes. The Texan vows to abandon the War on Drugs, repeal restrictions on gun control and destroy barriers to free trade. On the hot-button issue of prescription drugs, Badnarik offers a radical solution: the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.

While some may interpret the Libertarian philosophy as reckless and lawless, it harkens back to the days of the Founding Fathers, according to John Gatewood, Badnarik’s Wisconsin communications director.

“We’re not just gun-toting pot-smokers,” Gatewood said. “The Constitution is a libertarian document. I’m not sure America is ready for that kind of thinking, because most people think government solutions are a good thing, but to me, that message showed how wrong we are today in this country.”

Although he secured a spot on the ballot before Nader, Badnarik has not enjoyed the same level of exposure as the famed consumer activist. Gordon blames the mainstream media for the snub, saying the press is “a little afraid” of the Libertarian, thus confining Badnarik’s message to the Internet.

Despite the lack of hype, Badnarik does have a leg up on Nader in the race for ballot access: the Libertarian appears on ballots in 48 states, 15 more than Nader.

But Gatewood acknowledges the realities facing the Badnarik campaign. Libertarians rarely win seats on city councils, much less the White House, and interest in the campaign in Wisconsin has been tepid. A visit to the state earlier this year attracted few attendees, while most polls fail to mention Badnarik’s name.

Also seemingly working against Badnarik is a lack of political experience — the Texan has never held public office. However, Gordon thinks that may not be such a bad thing.

“We absolutely need to get as many votes as possible, because it will send a message to both Kerry and Bush that Americans demand their freedom back,” Gordon said. “Perhaps what we need [is] to return to the time of the founding fathers and get rid of the professional politician.”