The Libertarian Party of Indiana has selected TV celebrity Rupert Boneham as the party’s nominee for governor.

Boneham, who gained national attention in 2003 for competing on CBS’ “Survivor,” has been active in libertarian politics and protests in the state for years.

“We have a governor’s candidate in Rupert Boneham that can reach out to the 70 percent of the population that does not vote and bring them in the process,” State Chair Sam Goldstein said in a prepared statement.

The Libertarian Party is guaranteed a spot on the November ballot in Indiana based on its showing of 6 percent of the popular vote in the 2010 Secretary of State race. Parties must receive between 2 and 9 percent of the vote to gather for nomination conventions.

Also on the ticket for the Libertarian Party is Lt. Governor candidate Brad Klopfenstein and U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Horning.

Jobs
Boneham’s job creation ideals are based on empowering those on welfare to enter the workforce. He plans to launch a “welfare-to-work” program that gets people out of the system and into jobs.

Spending
On his campaign website, Boneham said he will “fight to eliminate all wasteful spending.”
“My budgets will be as thoughtful with your money as I am with my own,” Boneham said on his website.
He plans to create a merit-based pay scale for state employees and cut spending across the board.

Constitutional Protections
Boneham entered the political stage in 2011 to protest court rulings allowing for unwarranted search and seizure. The issue remains one of the main components of his platform.
“As Governor, I will support and defend each Indiana citizen’s Fourth Amendment rights vigorously,”
Boneham said.

Election Reform
As a third-party candidate, Boneham is very interested in reforming the two-party system. Boneham calls for an end to gerrymandering by legislators and an addition of printed receipts to electronic voting machines.
“We don’t let Coke and Pepsi write anti-trust laws, so why do we let Republicans and Democrats design our election code?” Boneham said. “It should be those outside the existing system to get on the ballot.”

Education
Boneham has said that he is in favor of ending ISTEP testing and believes that competition in the educational system is beneficial for students and a community.
“A parent knows an individual child’s needs better than a set of guidelines will. A group of parents and teachers in a community will almost always know what’s best for that community’s students, than that state board of education,” Boneham said.

Criminal Justice Reform
Boneham hopes to reform the Indiana correctional system to account for more rehabilitation of prisoners and less punishment.
“We can’t stand by while people commit violence against other Hoosiers and their property,” Boneham said. “It’s time to close the revolving door that has been created in the criminal justice system.”

Abortion
On his campaign website, Boneham said he wants abortion to be “safe, legal, rare and privately funded” but also made clear that he didn’t want to confront it head-on.
“We ought to stop dividing over the issue, and declare a cease-fire,” Boneham said. “We have important economic hurdles, and these times require us working together on the big issues of our day.”