Editing Carla Howell (section)

==Political career==
In 1994, Howell joined the [[Libertarian Party of Massachusetts]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Libertarian to Run Against Kennedy for Seat in Senate |work=[[Boston Globe]] |date=6 November 1999}}</ref> and she was elected chair of the state party in 1997.<ref name="Schweitzer 2002"/> In 1998, she ran for [[Massachusetts State Auditor]] on the Libertarian Party ticket,<ref name="Schweitzer 2002"/> and was endorsed by the ''[[Boston Herald]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Editorial |title=Endorsement; Carla Howell for auditor |work=[[Boston Herald]] |date=29 Oct 1998}}</ref> She received 102,198 votes, 5.3 percent of the total,<ref name="MacQuarrie 2000">{{cite news |last1=MacQuarrie |first1=Brian |title=Quiet Libertarian Foe to Kennedy Wins Backers |work=[[Boston Globe]] |date=1 Oct 2000 |page=A1}}</ref> which according to the ''[[Associated Press]]'', "guarantee[d] the party's official status."<ref name="AP 2000"/>

In 2000, Howell was the Libertarian candidate for [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] in Massachusetts against [[Edward M. Kennedy]].<ref name="MacQuarrie 2000"/><ref name="AP 2000">{{cite news |title=Libertarian likely to be Kennedy's major foe |work=[[Telegram & Gazette]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=17 May 2000}}</ref><ref name="Hill 2004"/> She ran with a "Small government is beautiful" campaign slogan,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Cathy |title=Are Libertarian Ideas Catching On? |work=[[Boston Globe]] |date=29 October 2000}}</ref><ref name="Luttrell 2002">{{cite news |last1=Luttrell |first1=Martin |title=Howell's message is 'small is beautiful' |work=[[Telegram & Gazette]] |date=11 October 2002}}</ref> and by October, had raised almost $700,000, while the Republican candidate had raised about $20,000.<ref name="MacQuarrie 2000" /> She placed third, with more than 308,000 votes, which was 12 percent of the total and one percent behind the Republican candidate.<ref name="Hill 2004">{{cite book |last1=Hill |first1=Steven |title=Fixing Elections: The Failure of America's Winner Take All Politics |date=2004 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=9781135954741 |page=170 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ukt9JA6pLmQC&q=Carla%20Howell |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="Schweitzer 2002"/><ref name="Klein 2001">{{cite news |last1=Klein |first1=Rick |title=Libertarians Talk Boldly - Of Winning; Senate Race Showing Buoys Convention |work=[[Boston Globe]] |date=25 February 2001}}</ref><ref name="TG 2002"/> In 2001, while reporting on the Massachusetts Libertarian Party convention, Rick Klein of the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' wrote the 2000 election "made Howell the state party's standard-bearer - and something of a hero to Bay State Libertarians" and reported she received standing ovations before and after her speech to the attendees.<ref name="Klein 2001"/>

In 2002, Howell was the Libertarian candidate for [[Massachusetts Governor]].<ref name="Schweitzer 2002" /><ref name="TG 2002">{{cite news |title=Libertarians pick Howell for governor |work=[[Telegram & Gazette]] |date=7 April 2002}}</ref> At the time of her campaign, she was the chair of the Committee For Small Government.<ref name="TG 2002"/> Her campaign platform included a plan to reduce the state budget by half, support for gun rights, and a repeal of the state income tax.<ref name="Mehren 2002">{{cite news |last1=Mehren |first1=Elizabeth |title=The Nation; Voters Get Chance to Take 'Tax' Out of 'Taxachusetts'; Ballot: Initiative would repeal the state's levy on income. It isn't expected to pass, but foes warn if it does it will devastate government and schools |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=29 September 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Libertarian Seeks Governor's Post |work=[[Boston Globe]] |date=30 Jan 2002}}</ref><ref name="TG 2002"/><ref name="Echegaray 2002">{{cite news |last1=Echegaray |first1=Chris |title=Howell would cut government and OK guns |work=[[Telegram & Gazette]] |date=4 October 2002}}</ref> She was excluded along with other minor candidates from a gubernatorial candidate debate, and their requests for an injunction were denied.<ref name="Echegaray 2002"/> She received 23,044 votes, more than 1 percent of the total.<ref name="Sutner 2007">{{cite news |last1=Sutner |first1=Shaun |title=Professor eyes presidency; WPI's George Phillies a Libertarian candidate |work=[[Telegram & Gazette]] |date=22 October 2007}}</ref><ref name="DeMarco 2003">{{cite news |last1=DeMarco |first1=Peter |title=Praise, Concern Expressed for Party; Libertarian Ranks Down at Convention |work=[[Boston Globe]] |date=13 April 2003}}</ref>

By 2012, Howell was the executive director of the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|U.S. Libertarian Party]].<ref name="DeBonis 2012">{{cite news |last1=DeBonis |first1=Mike |title=Libertarians' election victory: Ballot access |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=11 November 2012}}</ref><ref name="Mistler 2012">{{cite news |last1=Mistler |first1=Steve |title=Taking the liberty vote?: Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson appeals to some fiscal conservatives and supporters of limited government, and may draw some voters from Mitt Romney |work=[[Portland Press Herald]] |date=19 August 2012}}</ref> In 2016, she worked as the political director for the national party.<ref>{{cite news |title=Libertarian Convention |work=[[NPR]] |date=May 29, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Watkins 2016">{{cite news |last1=Watkins |first1=Eli |title=What is Libertarianism? |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/27/politics/libertarianism-libertarian-party/index.html |access-date=2 August 2022 |work=[[CNN]] |date=June 22, 2016}}</ref>

She was a staff member in the [[Libertarian National Committee]] from December 2011 until June 2017.<ref>[http://www.lp.org/staff Libertarian National Committee staff listing on national Libertarian Party website]</ref>