Daniel Peter Gordon Jr. (April 12, 1969 – March 25, 2017) was an American politician and construction contractor. Gordon was a

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

. Gordon was elected as a Republican Representative in November 2010 for the 71st District, defeating Democratic candidate George S. Alzaibak. In September 2011 he was expelled from the Republican

caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...

for allegedly making derogatory comments about other Republicans online. Gordon changed his party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian, becoming the only Libertarian Party member in any United States legislature during that time.

Background

Gordon was born in

Bristol, Pennsylvania Bristol is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northeast of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City in Philadelphia opposite Burlington, New Jersey, on the Delaware River. Bristol was s ...

. He served in the

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Rhode Island House of Representatives

2010 Election

Gordon decided to run as a Republican for Rhode Island's 71st house district, based in Jamestown,

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, and Little Compton; when Republican State Representative John J. Loughlin, Jr. retired from that position to run for

Rhode Island's 1st congressional district Rhode Island's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It includes all of Bristol County, Rhode Island, Bristol and Newport County, Rhode Island, Newport counties, along with parts of Providence ...

, which had been vacated by retiring Democrat

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man Patrick J. Kennedy. Gordon became the Republican nominee and narrowly defeated Democratic nominee George Alzaibak 50.4–49.6%, a difference of just 47 votes.

Controversies

In March 2011, he made a controversial comment in an online article reporting that Tiverton High School started the school's first Gay-Straight Alliance.

2012 Election

Gordon ran for re-election in the November 6, 2012 election as a Libertarian, but failed to get enough signatures to get on the ballot.
Richard Winger, Winger, Richard. "Incumbent Legislator Tries to Run for Re-election as a Libertarian"] ''

Ballot Access News ''Ballot Access News'' is a United States–based website and monthly online and print newsletter edited and published by Bill Redpath and Richard Winger. History Richard Winger, an expert on ballot access law in the United States, started t ...

'' November 29, 2012 (Volume 28, Number 6) He ran as a write-in candidate and lost the election to Democrat Dennis Canario by a wide margin, thus leaving no Libertarians in any state legislature in the country.

Death

Gordon died on March 25, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Daniel P. 1969 births 2017 deaths Republican Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Bristol, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania Rhode Island Libertarians Libertarian Party (United States) officeholders 21st-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly