John Buckley in Reason magazine

On Civil Rights: Shares home with his same-sex partner

Q: You are one of the few openly gay Senate candidates this year. How might that play into your votes?

A: voters however conservative politically or culturally they are have advanced light years forward on the issue of marriage. For younger voters it's really not an issue at all, gay marriage. To the extent I raise it, I see it as an issue among other issues about limited government, live and let live, bringing economic freedom and personal civil liberties together in a more consistent message.

On Immigration: Create a mechanism to normalize people already here

A: That's a tough issue. To the extent voters perceive that open immigration is going to come at their expense, they are wary of the direction the country is heading with the borders and immigration. As a libertarian I'm kind of caught in the middle, perhaps not as ideological as some of my brethren. Welcoming hard-working immigrants is part and parcel of the character of America, but at the same time figuring out how to afford keeping ourselves a beacon for those across the world and to continue to fight against the welfare society. We have to create a mechanism to normalize people already here in a way that doesn't contravene one of our principles, which is rule of law. That does not set the stage for more in the future to say, get in illegal and stick around long enough, so really there are no laws against illegal immigration. I don't know how to do that.

On Principles & Values: Cousin to William F. Buckley; long background in GOP