The Moffat County Libertarians came together Saturday night to meet with candidates running for state and federal office.

Craig resident Sacha Mero is running for House Representative District 57, and her husband, Travis Mero, is running for Congressional District 3. The two are campaigning for smaller government and broader personal liberty.

Mero quoted from the Declaration of Independence, citing it as the basis for the values the country should follow.

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“There was no left and no right,” she said about the time the declaration was written. “Now, all I see are partisan lines drawn in the sand.”

The U.S. should take a step away from partisan politics, she said.

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“The solution is the Libertarian Party,” Sacha Mero said.

The Meros hosted the first Moffat County Libertarian meeting to raise awareness about Libertarianism and about who would be running in the 2014 election.

Travis Mero stressed that he would cut spending if he was elected.

“The federal government needs to be downsized,” he said.

The Libertarian gubernatorial, state attorney general and U.S. Senate candidates also spoke at the event.

Gaylon Kent, running for U.S. Senate, said he primarily was concerned about the tax code, health care and foreign relations.

“We’re entitled to better,” he said about the tax code. “I support a flat tax.”

A 10 percent flat tax to individuals and businesses would stimulate the economy while clearing up tax confusion, Kent said.

He came out against the Affordable Care Act.

“We are entitled to have a free market to provide health care,” Kent said.

He also condemned the U.S.’s foreign policy practices, referring to a recent drone strike in Yemen that killed several civilians.

“We are nothing but a big bully on the world stage,” he said. “I would not support anything that condoned drone strikes.”

Matthew Hess, running for governor, spoke briefly and highlighted his stance on limited government involvement.

“My platform is one of non-involvement. I came here to say, I want to leave you alone,” he said. “We don’t need to be involved in every aspect of your life. We should be scaling back government instead of growing it.”

David Williams, running for Colorado attorney general, also talked about scaling back government.

“I’m against the death penalty because I don’t trust the government, period,” he said.

Williams also said that the state should have more power than the federal government in determining legality when it comes to retail marijuana.

“The state of Colorado, among other things, needs to stand up to the federal government,” he said. “I am the only candidate that is reaching out to the (cannabis) industry.”

It is important for voters to vote on the issues and not with the party they think they are supposed to support, Williams said.

“The notion that your vote belongs to someone else symbolizes the arrogance of the two parties,” he said.

Contact Erin Fenner at 970-875-1794 or efenner@CraigDailyPress.com.