Libertarian Party (The More Things Changed)

Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party Logo
Chairperson	Whitney Bilyeu (TX)
Founded	December 11, 1971 (1971-12-11)
Headquarters	1940 Duke St. Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Student wing	College Libertarians
Membership (May 2022)	▲ 6,746,168
Ideology	Majority Libertarianism Non-interventionism Fiscal conservatism Cultural liberalism Laissez-faire Factions Radical centrism Ordoliberalism Liberal conservatism Minarchism
Political position	Big tent
International affiliation	International Alliance of Libertarian Parties Interlibertarians Liberal International (Observer)
Colors	Gold
Seats in the Senate	4 / 100
Seats in the House	20 / 435
State Governorships	1 / 50
State Upper House Seats	141 / 1,972
State Lower House Seats	423 / 5,411
Territorial Governorships	0 / 6
Territorial Upper Chamber Seats	0 / 97
Territorial Lower Chamber Seats	0 / 91
Local elected offices	3,235 (2022)

The Libertarian Party (LP) is a libertarian political party in the United States that promotes civil liberties, non-interventionism, and laissez-faire capitalism. With over six million registered members, 20 members of the House of Representatives, and four United States Senators, it is the third largest political party in the United States, behind the Democratic and Republican parties.

The party generally promotes a classical liberal platform, in contrast to modern liberalism, progressivism, or modern conservatism. Gary Johnson, the party's presidential nominee in 2012 and 2016, has stated that the party is more culturally liberal than the Democrats, but more fiscally conservative than Republicans.

The party made significant gains in the 2016 elections, with several officeholders leaving the Republican Party to protest the nomination of Donald Trump. These gains were further compounded in the 2018 midterms, where the party expanded its representation in Congress and elected its first state Governor.

In the 2020 presidential election, nominees Larry Sharpe and Martha Rainville won the highest-ever result for the party, winning nearly 21 million votes - approximately 15.73% of all ballots cast - as well as carrying three states and Nebraska's 2nd congressional district.

History

The first Libertarian National Convention was held in June 1972. In 1978, Dick Randolph of Alaska became the first elected Libertarian state legislator. Following the 1980 federal elections, the Libertarian Party assumed the title of being the third-largest party for the first time after the American Independent Party and the Conservative Party of New York, which were the other largest minor parties at the time, continued to decline.

The party continued growing throughout the 1990's and early 2000's, securing its place as the third-largest party in the country.

Tonie Nathan, running as the Libertarian Party's vice-presidential candidate in the 1972 presidential election with John Hospers as the presidential candidate, was the first female candidate in the United States to receive an electoral vote.

The 2012 election Libertarian Party presidential candidate, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, received the highest number of votes — more than 1.2 million — of any Libertarian presidential candidate at the time. He was renominated for president in 2016, this time choosing former Massachusetts Governor William Weld as his running mate. Johnson/Weld shattered the Libertarian record for a presidential ticket, earning over eight million votes. Johnson received significantly more news coverage in 2016 than third-party candidates usually get, with polls showing increasing support for his candidacy over the previous election, especially among younger voters.

Platform

The preamble outlines the party's goals:

"As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others" and "Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands."

The Statement of Principles, foundational to the ideology of the party, states:

"Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval."

Current policy positions include: lowering taxes, abolishing the IRS, decreasing the national debt, allowing people to opt out of Social Security, eliminating the welfare state, ending the prohibition of illegal drugs, supporting same-sex marriage, ending capital punishment, and supporting gun ownership rights.

Recent Electoral History

2016

In the 2016 Presidential election the Libertarian ticket of Gary Johnson and William Weld received 8,004,811 votes, or 5.86% of the vote, earning the best third-party showing since Ross Perot's 1996 campaign.

Representative Jim Kolbe of Arizona, Representative Danny Jones of West Virginia, and Joe Miller of Alaska became the party's first elected officials in the House and Senate to be elected as a member of the Libertarian Party, respectively, without first being an incumbent. Until 2018, Miller served as the party's sole member of the Senate, until he switched affiliation to the Republican Party for an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid.

2017

In the wake of U.S. Representative Peter Welch's resignation to accept the role of Secretary of Agriculture in President Hillary Clinton's administration, a special election to fill the state's at-large congressional district was held on April 16th, 2017. Libertarian Martha Rainville, former state Adjutant General, defeated the Democratic nominee, state senator Michael Sirotkin, and was sworn in by House Speaker Charlie Dent (R-PA) the following week.

On November 7th, 2017, twelve new Libertarian state legislators were elected; seven from New Jersey, three from Virginia and one each from Michigan and Washington.

2018

The 2018 elections were be held on Tuesday, November 6th, 2018. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate, and 39 state and territorial governorships were contested, alongside numerous other state and local elections.

The Libertarian Party contested its largest share of elections since the party's founding, and subsequently won its largest share of the popular vote and elected offices in the election. Among the party's notable wins was the election of Representative Kerry Bentivolio as Governor of Michigan, the election of United States Senators in New Jersey and Minnesota, and the election of seventeen members of the House of Representatives. Despite leading some polls and heavy investment of the party, however, victories in gubernatorial races in Oklahoma, New Mexico, New Hampshire, and New York as well as Senate elections in New Mexico and Texas remained out of reach.

2020

See Also: Libertarian Party Presidential Primaries, 2020 (The More Things Changed)

Main Article: United States Presidential Election, 2020 (The More Things Changed)

The Libertarian ticket received more raw votes than any other third party candidacy in United States history, although they received a smaller percentage of the vote cast than Teddy Roosevelt's 1912 campaign, Bob La Follette's 1924 campaign, or Ross Perot's 1992 campaign. Nominees Larry Sharpe and Martha Rainville carried three states - Alaska, Vermont, and Maine - and received eleven electoral votes, including one from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district.

International Affiliation

The Libertarian Party is a founding member of the International Alliance of Libertarian Parties (IALP) - chaired by former LNC Chairman Geoff Neale - as well as InterLibertarians. In 2019, the party became an observer member of Liberal International, with controversy among party members preventing full membership.

Leadership

Whitney Bilyeu
Chair of the LNC

Justin Amash
LP House Leader

Mark Madsen
Chair of the LLLC

At the 2016 Libertarian National Convention, held in Orlando, Professor Deirdre McCloskey of Illinois was elected to be the Chairwoman of the National Committee. She was the first transgender woman to hold such a position in the party's history, or in any political party in the United States that has held Congressional seats. She was succeeded by Whitney Bilyeu, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas, on January 1st 2021.

Representative Justin Amash of Michigan's 3rd District leads the Libertarian Caucus in the House of Representatives, additionally serving as Second Minority Leader. Utah State Senator Mark Madsen serves as the Chair of the Libertarian Legislative Leadership Committee (LLLC or 3LC), which serves to raise funds for and promote downballot races across the country, with an emphasis on state legislative seats. In the LLLC's first major electoral test since 2016, twelve LP state legislators were successfully elected across the country. By 2021, the number was over four hundred.

Elected and Appointed Officials

United States Congress (116th Congress)

United States Senate

• Senator Jack Ciatarelli of New Jersey
• Senator Richard Painter of Minnesota

House of Representatives

• Representative Justin Amash - MI, 3rd District - House Leader
• Representative Scott Rigell - VA, 2nd District - Caucus Chair
• Representative Jim Kolbe - AZ, 2nd District - Whip
• Representative Gary Johnson - NM, 3rd District - Caucus Spokesperson
• Representative Scott Jones - CA, 7th District
• Representative Dana Rohrbacher - CA, 48th District
• Representative Martha Rainville - VT, At-Large
• Representative Danny Jones - WV, 2nd District
• Representative Ross LaJeunesse - ME, 2nd District
• Representative Austin Petersen - MO, 6th District
• Representative Michael Malik, Sr. - MI, 11th District
• Representative Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff - NJ, 12th District
• Representative Denver Riggleman - VA, 5th District

United States Congress (117th Congress)

United States Senate

• Senator Jack Ciatarelli of New Jersey
• Senator Richard Painter of Minnesota
• Senator Rosa Scarcelli of Maine
• Senator Mark Hackel of Michigan

House of Representatives

Rep. Martha Rainville, VT, the first woman elected to Congress as a Libertarian; 2020 vice presidential nominee.

• Representative Justin Amash - MI, 3rd District - House Leader
• Representative Scott Rigell - VA, 2nd District - Caucus Chair
• Representative Gary Johnson – NM 3rd district - Caucus Whip
• Representative Austin Petersen - MO, 6th District - Caucus Spokesperson
• Representative Meghan McCain – AZ, 3rd district
• Representative Steve May – AZ, 5th district
• Representative Alan Gura – CA, 3rd district
• Representative Scott Jones – CA, 7th district
• Representative Ammar Campa-Najjar – CA, 50th district
• Representative Doug Anderson – CO, 7th district
• Representative Paul Stanton – FL, 6th district
• Representative Charles Djou – HI, 1st district
• Representative Paul Mitchell - MI, 11th District^I
• Representative Michael Malik, Sr. - MI, 11th District
• Representative Ross LaJeunesse - ME, 2nd District
• Representative Coleen Rowley – MN, 2nd district
• Representative Kurt Bills – MN, 7th district
• Representative Gene Siadek - NE, 2nd District
• Representative Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff – NJ, 12th district
• Representative Denver Riggleman - VA, 5th District
• Representative Martha Rainville - VT, At-Large

^IIndependent, caucusing with the Libertarian Party

Executive Branch Officials

• Daniel Ikenson - Special Envoy for United Kingdom Trade Negotiations
• John Mackey - Chair of the President’s Council on Entrepreneurship
• Walter Block - Member, Council of Economic Advisers

United States Governors

• Shri Thanedar - Governor of Michigan

Statewide Elected Officials

• Mike Fellows - Attorney General of Montana
• Sara Chambers - Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
• Angelique Thomas - Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
• Richard McLellan - Attorney General of Michigan
• Steve Poizner - Insurance Commissioner of California
• Michael Lucero - New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands
• Thomas Salmon - State Auditor of Vermont

Mayors of Cities with over 100,000 Residents

• Francis X. Suarez - Mayor of Miami, FL
• Clint Oliver - Mayor of Fresno, CA
• John Giles - Mayor of Mesa, AZ
• Doug Burlison - Mayor of Springfield, MO
• Nicholas Sarwark - Mayor of Phoenix, AZ
• Doug Anderson – Mayor of Lakewood, CO

State Legislators (115th Congress)

Position	Name
Alaska	Representative Jason Grenn
Florida	Senator Juan-Carlos Planas
Idaho	Representative Vito Barbieri
Iowa	Representative David Johnson
Illinois	Representative Allen Skillicorn
Maine	Senator Eric Brakey Representative Matthew Lauzon Representative Norman Higgins Representative Kent Ackley
Massachusetts	Representative Daniel Winslow Representative Solomon Goldstein Rose
Michigan	Representative Triston Cole Representative Andy LaCureaux Representative Rich Rossway
Missouri	Representative David Carr Representative Steven Robnak Representative Keith English Representative Mark Matthiesen
Montana	Senator Michael Schoenike Representative Daniel Zolnikov Representative Nicholas Schwaderer
Nebraska	Representative Laura Ebke Representative Bob Krist
Nevada	Senator John Moore Representative Patricia Farley
New Hampshire	Representative Max Abramson Representative Caleb Dyer Representative J.R. Hoell Representative Joe Sweeny Representative David Luneau Representative Brandon Phinney
New Jersey	Senator James Tosone Senator Ben Zimmer Representative Jack M. Ciattarelli Representative Eveline Brownstein Representative Karese Laguerre Representative Anthony Storrow Representative Valerio Bruscianelli Representative Daniel Heitkamp Representative Michael Habib
New Mexico	Senator Lisa Torraco
Ohio	Representative Charlie Earl
Pennsylvania	Representative Dan Truitt
Rhode Island	Senator Dawson Hodgson
Texas	Representative Joe Pickett Representative Joe Spencer
Utah	Senator Mark Madsen Representative Marc Roberts
Vermont	Representative Tom Burditt Representative Patti Komline Representative John MacGovern Representative Heidi Scheuermann Representative Varpilah Chase Representative Laura Sibilia Representative Oliver Olson
Virginia	Senator John Buckley Delegate Terry Hurst Delegate Michael Bartley Delegate Will Hammer Delegate Nick Freitas
Washington	Senator Michelle Darnell
West Virginia	Representative Rupert Phillips

State Legislators (116th Congress)

State	Chamber
Alabama	House 0 / 105 Senate 0 / 35	Alaska	House 4 / 40 Senate 0 / 20
Arizona	House 2 / 60 Senate 1 / 30	Arkansas	House 0 / 100 Senate 0 / 35
California	House 0 / 60 Senate 0 / 40	Colorado	House 1 / 65 Senate 1 / 35
Connecticut	House 2 / 151 Senate 0 / 36	Delaware	House 0 / 21 Senate 0 / 41
Florida	House 0 / 120 Senate 1 / 40	Georgia	House 0 / 180 Senate 0 / 56
Hawaii	House 0 / 51 Senate 0 / 25	Idaho	House 1 / 70 Senate 0 / 35
Illinois	House 1 / 118 Senate 0 / 59	Indiana	House 2 / 100 Senate 1 / 50
Iowa	House 1 / 100 Senate 0 / 50	Kansas	House 2 / 125 Senate 1 / 40
Kentucky	House 6 / 100 Senate 0 / 38	Louisiana	House 2 / 105 Senate 0 / 39
Maine	House 6 / 154 Senate 1 / 35	Maryland	House 0 / 141 Senate 0 / 47
Massachusetts	House 1 / 160 Senate 0 / 40	Michigan	House 20 / 38 Senate 30 / 110
Minnesota	House 6 / 134 Senate 1 / 67	Mississippi	House 0 / 122 Senate 0 / 52
Missouri	House 20 / 163 Senate 3 / 34	Montana	House 3 / 100 Senate 1 / 50
Nebraska	House 2 / 49	Nevada	House 1 / 42 Senate 1 / 21
New Hampshire	House 38 / 400 Senate 2 / 24	New Jersey	House 7 / 80 Senate 2 / 40
New Mexico	House 5 / 70 Senate 1 / 42	New York	House 7 / 150 Senate 2 / 63
North Carolina	House 5 / 120 Senate 3 / 50	North Dakota	House 3 / 94 Senate 0 / 47
Ohio	House 1 / 99 Senate 0 / 33	Oklahoma	House 20 / 101 Senate 3 / 48
Oregon	House 2 / 60 Senate 1 / 30	Pennsylvania	House 5 / 203 Senate 0 / 50
Rhode Island	House 6 / 75 Senate 0 / 38	South Carolina	House 2 / 124 Senate 0 / 46
South Dakota	House 1 / 70 Senate 0 / 35	Tennessee	House 0 / 99 Senate 0 / 33
Texas	House 9 / 150 Senate 3 / 31	Utah	House 1 / 75 Senate 1 / 29
Vermont	House 9 / 150 Senate 2 / 30	Virginia	House 4 / 100 Senate 1 / 40
West Virginia	House 1 / 100 Senate 0 / 34	Washington	House 0 / 98 Senate 1 / 49
Wisconsin	House 5 / 99 Senate 2 / 33	Wyoming	House 2 / 60 Senate 0 / 30

Presidential Tickets

Election year	Candidates	Votes	Vote %	Electoral votes	+/–	Result
1972	John Hospers/Tonie Nathan	3,674	<0.01%	1 / 538	▲1	Lost
1976	Roger MacBride/David Bergland	172,553	0.21%	0 / 538	▼1	Lost
1980	Ed Clark/David Koch	921,128	1.06%	0 / 538	–	Lost
1984	David Bergland/James Lewis	228,111	0.25%	0 / 538	–	Lost
1988	Ron Paul/Andre Marrou	431,750	0.47%	0 / 538	–	Lost
1992	Andre Marrou/Nancy Lord	290,087	0.28%	0 / 538	–	Lost
1996	Harry Browne/Jo Jorgensen	485,759	0.50%	0 / 538	–	Lost
2000	Harry Browne/Art Olivier	384,431	0.36%	0 / 538	–	Lost
2004	Michael Badnarik/Richard Campagna	397,265	0.32%	0 / 538	–	Lost
2008	Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root	523,713	0.40%	0 / 538	–	Lost
2012	Gary Johnson/Jim Gray	1,275,923	0.99%	0 / 538	–	Lost
2016	Gary Johnson/William Weld	8,004,811	5.84%	3 / 538	▲ 3	Lost
2020	Larry Sharpe/Martha Rainville	20,949,249	15.73%	11 / 538	▲ 8	Lost

See Also

Libertarian Party Presidential Primaries, 2016

Libertarian Party Presidential Primaries, 2020