posted by BoatShoes
How in your opinion was Cordray's platform better/closer to the libertarian platform than Mike Dewine?
Cordray's Platform: https://secure.cordrayforohio.com/page/content/on-the-issues/
included things that are typically the bane of libertarians such as firearm restrictions, universal pre-k and free community college.
DeWine's answer to the opiate problem was to sue the pharmaceutical companies. Cordray supported more rehab and treatment facilities (which is about the only policy that works).
Cordray was more "small business" and economic freedom for small businesses (tax incentives, etc).
DeWine's stances on education was just as "big government" as Cordray's. His were just more up a the HS and college level rather than pre-k. They both wanted to expand things at Pre-K, HS, and college/community college level. This aspect they where 6 in one hand and half a dozen in the other.
DeWine's health care was basically the same as Cordray's, neither of which I agreed with much.
Cordray wanted to remove regulations on "renewable" energies, specifically wind (I thought I saw him say nuclear once as well but it's not currently on his page). De-regulation is always a libertarian happy place.
About his gun restrictions he proposed, only one restriction I disagreed with...
Bump stock bans-these add ons took semi-automatic weapons and effectively made them automatic. Just like it is currently illegal to buy/change out a firing pin to change a semi-auto to a full auto rifle, bump stocks should have been in the same category.
High capacity magazines-this is where I think he went off his rocker.
Universal Background Checks-dog whistle phrase for democrats, but background checks already happen when buying a firearm. This "restriction" already happens, so he was just pandering and this wasn't really a restriction.
Changing Ohio laws to 21 years old to buy a firearm-Ohio law is already 21 for hand guns but not for rifles. Federal law was/is 21 for all guns. I see no reason why the Ohio restriction and federal restriction shouldn't be aligned. I believe it should be/could be 18 across the US just like the drinking age but no real issue with Ohio lining up their age requirement with the current federal law. I would "like" it to be 18, but it doesn't bother me to align them up (especially since drinking age is 21 as well).
To finalize, neither DeWine nor Cordray were "small government" candidates, so in my mind I went with the "lesser of two evils".
Also, to be clear, libertarians are more for limited FEDERAL government, not necesarily limited state/local government. This is how the Constitution was originally written and designed our government anyway, and libertarians love their Constitution.