High Crimes and Misdemeanors: A New Look at Corruption in Government
1998
Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right
2002
Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism
2003
How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)
2004
Godless: The Church of Liberalism
2006
If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans
2007
Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America
2009
Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America
2011
Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama
2012
Never Trust a Liberal Over 3 – Especially a Republican
2013
Adios, America: The Left's Plan to Turn Our Country into a Third World Hellhole
2015
In Trump We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome!
2016
Resistance Is Futile: How the Trump-Hating Left Lost Its Collective Mind
2018
The Reckoning: How the Left Rose to Power
2020
The Anti-Socialist Handbook
2022
Overview
Ann Coulter has authored numerous books primarily focused on political commentary and criticism of liberal ideologies. Her works often reflect her conservative viewpoints and have sparked significant discussion and debate.
In 2022, the paleolibertarianMises Caucus (LPMC) staged a successful takeover and became the dominant faction on the Libertarian National Committee, shifting the party in a right-wing direction.[9][10] The change resulted in internal conflicts and significant policy changes.[9]
As a result, several state-affiliated chapters distanced or disavowed
themselves of the National Committee and formed their own independent
state-level parties.[9] Other defectors formed the Classical Liberal Caucus and Liberal Party USA.[16][17] In February 2025, "unity" candidate Steven Nekhaila was elected as the party's Chair.[18]
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
(the other largest minor parties at the time) continued to decline. In
1994, over 40 Libertarians were elected or appointed, which was a record
for the party at that time. 1995 saw a soaring membership and voter
registration for the party. In 1996, the Libertarian Party became the
first third party to earn ballot status in all 50 states two presidentialelections in a row. By the end of 2009, 146 Libertarians were holding elected offices.[22]
The 2012 election Libertarian Party presidential candidate, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, and his running mate, former judge Jim Gray, received the highest number of votes—more than 1.2 million—of any Libertarian presidential candidate at the time.[26] He was renominated for president in 2016, this time choosing former Massachusetts Governor William “Bill” Weld as his running mate. Johnson/Weld shattered the Libertarian record for a presidential ticket, earning over 4.4 million votes.[27] Both Johnson and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein
received significantly more news coverage in 2016 than third-party
candidates usually get, with polls showing both candidates potentially
increasing their support over the last election, especially among
younger voters.[28]
In July 2016 and June 2017, the Libertarians tied their 1992 peak
of four legislators when four state legislators from four different
states left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party: Nevada AssemblymanJohn Moore in January,[33][34]Nebraska SenatorLaura Ebke (although the Nebraska Legislature is officially non-partisan) and New Hampshire RepresentativeMax Abramson in May[35][36] and Utah SenatorMark B. Madsen in July.[37] In the 2016 election cycle, Madsen[38]
and Abramson did not run for re-election to their respective offices
while Moore lost his race after the Libertarian Party officially
censured him over his support of taxpayer stadium funding.[39] Ebke was not up for re-election in 2016. New Hampshire Representative Caleb Q. Dyer changed party affiliation to the Libertarian Party from the Republican Party in February 2017. New Hampshire Representative Joseph Stallcop changed party affiliation to the Libertarian Party from the Democratic Party in May 2017.[40] New Hampshire State Legislator Brandon Phinney
joined with the Libertarian Party from the Republican Party in June
2017, the third to do so in 2017 and matching their 1992 and 2016 peaks
of sitting Libertarian state legislators.
In April 2020, Representative Justin Amash
of Michigan became the first Libertarian member of Congress after
leaving the Republican Party and spending time as an independent. In
June 2020, Amash, with Ayanna Pressley of the Democratic Party, introduced the Ending Qualified Immunity Act in response to the murder of George Floyd
by a Minneapolis police officer. The bill was the first to gain support
of members from the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties in
the history of the United States Congress.[42]
The Dallas Accord is an implicit agreement that was made at the 1974 Libertarian National Convention as a compromise between the party's larger minarchist and smaller anarcho-capitalist factions by adopting a platform that explicitly did not say whether it was desirable for the state to exist.[44][45][46]
The purpose of this agreement was to make the Libertarian Party a "big tent"
that would welcome more ideologically diverse groups of people
interested in reducing the size and scope of government. Consequently,
the 1974 platform included a "Statement of Principles" which focused on
statements arguing for getting government out of various activities, and
used phrases such as "where governments exist they must not violate the
rights of any individual." The previous version of the Statement of
Principles adopted at the party's first convention in 1972, in contrast,
affirmatively endorsed the minarchist
perspective with statements such as "Since government has only one
legitimate function, the protection of individual rights...."[47]
It was agreed that the topic of anarchism would not even be on the
table for discussion until a limited government was achieved.[46][48][49]
During the 2006 Libertarian National Convention,
delegates deleted a large portion of the very detailed platform. The
phrase "Government exists to protect the rights of every individual
including life, liberty and property" was added.[50]
This development was described as the "Portland Massacre" by its
opponents. Some took this as meaning the Dallas Accord was dead.[46]
Confusion resulted in the 2000s on whether the Dallas Accord remained
in effect, and if so whether it should, or what limits it places on the
party's public statements or candidates.[51][52]
At the 2022 Libertarian National Convention, members of the Mises Caucus, a paleolibertarian group affiliated with the beliefs ofRon Paul
successfully staged a takeover of the Party, with over two-thirds of
delegates becoming members of the Caucus, shifting the party in a
right-ward direction.[9] The caucus successfully swept leadership positions, including electing Angela McArdle as chairwomen and Joshua Smith as vice-chairman.[9]
The 2022 convention had an unusually high number of delegates, with the
last recorded number for an off-election year convention in 2006 being
just 300 delegates. The 2022 convention by contrast saw over 1,000
delegates.[9] After the takeover, non-Mises affiliated members walked out,
criticizing the group for lacking in libertarian orthodoxy, as well as
condemning several racist statements that members of the Caucus had made
in the past.[9] More ardent members of the party started to splinter, with Pennsylvania's split resulting in the formation of the Keystone Party of Pennsylvania.[9]
Following changes to the party's official core platform by new leadership,[9] several other state-level affiliated parties disaffiliated from the national Party or dissolved themselves.[9] The New Mexico Libertarian Party further argued the Mises Caucus sweep was illegal, citing bylaws which was later amended.[9] After the Libertarian Party of Virginia reformed, the dissidents formed a splinter group, the Virginia Classical Liberal Party.[9] A similar situation occurred regarding the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts.[9] The Mises Caucus furthermore blocked the disaffiliation of the New Hampshire party.[9]
The Association of Liberty State Parties
was officially formed on December 3, 2022 as a national party committee
between the Massachusetts, New Mexico, and New Mexico parties.[55] The Association formally rebranded to Liberal Party USA in February 2024.[17]
In late 2023, Party Chair Angela McArdle, after being contacted by former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell, met with Donald Trump to consult on how Trump could win over the Libertarian vote. McArdle suggested the pardon of Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for his role in the marketplace Silk Road, which was achieved after the inauguration of Donald Trump.[56] Five months later, Donald Trump was invited to the Libertarian Party's 2024 National Convention
by McArdle, where he promised to include a libertarian in the cabinet
and stated that the Libertarians should make him the presidential
nominee. Trump was booed and heckled, including cries of “Bullshit!” and
“Fuck you!”.[57] Subsequently, the convention nominated “armed and gay” former senate candidate Chase Oliver for president, who defeated paleolibertarian Michael Rectenwald. Oliver's nomination was denounced by the state affiliates in Montana, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Idaho.[58][59]
Chair Angela McArdle, after claims of improper party fund
spending directed at her partner, stepped down from her position as
chair of the Libertarian Party National Committee in January 2025. Mises
Caucus founder Michael Heise was defeated by Steven Nekhaila
in a 9–6 vote, who promised commitments to a policy of emphasizing
small local races. Six national committee members endorsed by the Mises
Caucus defected to Nekhaila, cementing his victory.[60]Classical Liberal Caucus member Paul Darr was elected as vice-chairman.[61]
The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire was censured
in September 2025 by the National Committee citing "despicable
conduct", and was invited to disaffiliate and cease its use of the
Libertarian Party name.[62]
Name and symbols
It has been suggested that mascots be split out into another article. (Discuss) (August 2024)
Original TANSTAAFL logo
A recent logo of the Libertarian Party
In 1972, "Libertarian Party" was chosen as the party's name, selected over "New Liberty Party".[63] The first official slogan of the Libertarian Party was "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" (abbreviated "TANSTAAFL"), a phrase popularized by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1966 novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress,
sometimes dubbed "a manifesto for a libertarian revolution". The slogan
of the party has since become "The Party of Principle".[64]
Also in 1972, the "Libersign"—an arrow angling upward through the abbreviation "TANSTAAFL"—was adopted as a party symbol.[63] By the end of the decade, this was replaced with the Lady Liberty until 2015, with the adoption of the "Torch Eagle" logo.[65]
In 1975 the Free Libertarian Party of New York choose the
porcupine as their mascot. In the 1990s, other state Libertarian
parties adopted the Liberty Penguin ("LP") as their official mascot.[66] Over the next few decades the porcupine became the consensus animal mascot of the Libertarian Party.[67]
Structure and composition
The Libertarian Party is democratically governed by its members, with
state affiliate parties each holding annual or biennial conventions at
which delegates are elected to attend the party's biennial national
convention. National convention delegates vote on changes to the party's
national platform and bylaws and elect officers and "at-large"
representatives to the party's National Committee. The National
Committee also has "regional representatives", some of whom are
appointed by delegate caucuses at the national convention whereas others
are appointed by the chairpersons of LP state affiliate chapters within
a region.[68]
The Libertarian Party is organized in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Each state affiliate has a governing committee, usually consisting of
statewide officers elected by state party members and regional
representation of one kind or another. Similarly, county, town, city and
ward committees, where organized, generally consist of members elected
at the local level. State and local committees often coordinate campaign
activities within their jurisdiction, oversee local conventions and in
some cases primaries or caucuses, and may have a role in nominating
candidates for elected office under state law.
Membership
Since the Libertarian Party's inception, individuals have been able
to join the party as voting members by signing their agreement with the
organization's non-aggression pledge, which states that the signer does
not advocate the initiation of force to achieve political or social
goals. During the mid-1980s and into the early 1990s, this membership
category was called an "instant" membership, but these are referred to
as "signature members". People joining the party are also asked to pay
dues, which are on a sliding scale starting at $25 per year. Lifetime
membership is granted with a $1,500 donation in one calendar year.
Dues-paying members receive a subscription to the party's national
newspaper, LP News.[71] Since 2006, membership in the party's state affiliates has been separate from membership in the national party,[72] with each state chapter maintaining its own membership rolls.
Most rights to participate in the governance of the party are
limited to "bylaws-sustaining members" who have either purchased a
lifetime membership or donated at least $25 within the past year. Most
state parties maintain separate membership, which may be tied to either
payment of dues to the state party or voter registration as a
Libertarian, depending on the state's election laws.[73]
Membership
As of October 31, 2025, the Libertarian Party has 9,348 dues-paying and life members.[74]
Voter registration trends
According to reported figures, the party's voter registration increased by approximately 92% between 2008 and 2018.[75]
The increase in voter registration to the party has been
accompanied by a rise in party activity at both local and national
levels, including participation in elections, conventions, and
grassroots organizing efforts. While the party remains smaller than the Democratic and Republican parties, its expanding voter registration base demonstrates sustained interest in libertarian political principles.
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. [...] 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."[76]
The platform emphasizes individual liberty in personal and
economic affairs, avoidance of "foreign entanglements" and military and
economic intervention in other nations' affairs, and free trade and migration. The party opposes gun control measures that restrict the rights of civilians to keep and bear arms. It calls for Constitutional
limitations on government as well as the elimination of most state
functions. It includes a "Self-determination" section which quotes from
the Declaration of Independence
and reads: "Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of
individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish
it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most
likely to protect their liberty."[77]
The Statement of Principles was written by John Hospers.[80] The Libertarian Party's bylaws specify that a 7⁄8ths supermajority of delegates is required to change the Statement of Principles.[81]
Any proposed platform plank found by the Judicial Committee to conflict
with the Statement requires approval by a three-fourths supermajority
of delegates.[82] Early platform debates included at the second convention whether to support tax resistance and at the 1974 convention whether to support anarchism. In both cases, a compromise was reached.[83]
Size and influence
Influence
The Libertarian Party has attracted influential politicians who attempt to sway the party's voting base. In May 2024, Donald Trump
spoke at the Libertarian Party's convention in Washington D.C. with his
speech focusing on libertarian issues such as his stances on anti-war policies, Bitcoin, and First and Second Amendment rights.[84] This was the first time a current or former U.S. president had spoken at a Libertarian Party convention.[85]
The first Libertarian presidential candidate, John Hospers, received one electoral vote in 1972 when Roger MacBride, a VirginiaRepublicanfaithless elector pledged to Richard Nixon, cast his ballot for the Libertarian ticket. His vote for Theodora ("Tonie") Nathan as vice president was the first electoral college vote ever to be cast for a woman in a United States presidential election.[86]
MacBride became the Libertarian presidential nominee himself in 1976.
This was the last time that the Libertarian Party won an electoral vote
until 44 years later, in the 2016 presidential election, when Texas Republican faithless elector Bill Greene, who was pledged to cast his vote for Donald Trump, instead cast his vote for former Libertarian presidential nominee, and former Republican representative Ron Paul for president.[87]
Historically, Libertarians have achieved 50-state ballot access for their presidential candidate six times: in 1980, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2016, and 2020.[91] (In 2000, L. Neil Smith was on the Arizona ballot instead of the nominee, Harry Browne)[92][93]
In April 2012, the Libertarian Party of Nebraska successfully
lobbied for a reform in ballot access with the new law requiring parties
to requalify every four years instead of two.[94] Following the 2012 election, the party gained automatic ballot status in 30 states.[95]
Following the 2016 election, the party announced that it had achieved automatic ballot status in 37 or 38 states and the District of Columbia.[96][97]
Party supporters
In the Libertarian Party, some donors are not necessarily "members"
because the party since its founding in 1972 has defined a "member" as
being someone who agrees with the party's membership statement. The
approximate language of that statement is found in the party Bylaws.[98] As of the end of 2017, there were 138,815 Americans who were on record as having signed the membership statement.[99] A survey by David Kirby and David Boaz found a minimum of 14 percent of American voters to have libertarian-leaning views.[100][101]
There is another measure the party uses internally as well. Since
its founding, the party has apportioned delegate seats to its national
convention based on the number of members in each state who have paid
minimum dues (with additional delegates given to state affiliates for
good performance in winning more votes than normal for the party's
presidential candidate). This is the most-used number by party
activists. As of December 2017, the Libertarian Party reported that
there were 14,445 donating members.[99]
Dues to join the Committee to Form a Libertarian Party in 1971
were $2, which gradually increased to $15 for basic membership in the
party in 1984. In 1991 dues were increased to $25. Between February 1,
2006, and the close of the 2006 Libertarian party convention on May 31,
2006, dues were set to $0.[102] The latter was controversial and de facto reversed by the 2006 Libertarian National Convention in Portland, Oregon,
at which the members re-established a basic $25 dues category (now
called sustaining membership) and further added a requirement that all
National Committee officers must henceforth be at least sustaining
members, which was not required prior to the convention.
Registered voters
Ballot access expert and editor of Ballot Access NewsRichard Winger
periodically compiles and analyzes voter registration statistics as
reported by state voter agencies and he reports that as of early 2020
the party ranked third in voter registration nationally with 693,634.[103]
Libertarians have had limited success in electing candidates at the
state and local level. Since the party's creation, 10 Libertarians have
been elected to state legislatures
and some other state legislators have switched parties after being
originally elected as Republicans or Democrats. The most recent
Libertarian candidate elected to a state legislature was Marshall Burt to the Wyoming House of Representatives in 2020. The party elected multiple legislators in New Hampshire during the 1990s as well as in Alaska during the 1980s.[104] One of the party's Alaska state legislators, Andre Marrou, was nominated for vice president in 1988 and for president in 1992.[105]
As of 2017, there were 168 Libertarians holding elected office:
58 of them partisan offices and 110 of them non-partisan offices.[106]
In addition, some party members, who were elected to public office on
other party lines, explicitly retained their Libertarian Party
membership and these include former Representative Ron Paul, who has
repeatedly stated that he remains a life member of the Libertarian
Party.
Previously, the party has had four sitting members of state legislatures. Laura Ebke served in the nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature and announced her switch from being a Republican to a Libertarian in 2016.[107] Three members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
who were elected as either Republicans or Democrats in the 2016
election announced their switch to the Libertarian Party in 2017.[108]
State Senator Mark B. Madsen of Utah announced his switch from Republican to Libertarian in 2016, but also did not seek re-election that year.[37]
State Representative Max Abramson of New Hampshire switched from
Republican to Libertarian before running as the party's gubernatorial
candidate in 2016 instead of seeking re-election.[109] State Representative John Moore of Nevada briefly switched parties, but he was defeated for re-election in 2016.[110]
Aubrey Dunn Jr., the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands, switched his voter registration from Republican to Libertarian in January 2018.[41] In doing so, Dunn became the first official elected to a statewide partisan office to have Libertarian voter registration.[111]
In 2018, Jeff Hewitt, the mayor of Calimesa, California was elected to the Riverside County
Board of Supervisors in a close race. Serving from 2019 to 2023,
including 1-year stints as chair & vice-chair of the board from 2021
to 2023, Hewitt was considered the most powerful Libertarian elected
official in California and in the United States during his tenure.[112]
Best major race results
Bold indicates race where Libertarian candidate was elected to office
In 1982, Dick Randolph received 15% of the vote in a four-way race in Alaska, the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a gubernatorial election. In 2020, Donald Rainwater received 12% of the vote in a three-way race in Indiana. In 2002, Ed Thompson received 10% of the vote in a three-way race in Wisconsin.
Other statewide elections
In 2012, Mike Fellows received 43% of the vote in a two-way race in Montana for clerk of the Montana Supreme Court, the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a statewide election. In 2008, John Monds received 33% of the vote in a race in Georgia for Georgia Public Service Commission,
joining William Strange (running for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals)
that same year as the first Libertarians to ever to receive more than
one million votes. Two later candidates for the same position, David
Staples in 2012 and Eric Hoskins in 2016, received 34% and 33% of the vote, respectively.
State Senate elections
In 2018, Laura Ebke received 44% of the vote in a non-partisan race in Nebraska's 32nd Legislative district in the Nebraska Legislature, the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a state senate election. Also in 2018, Bobbi Hicks received 38% of the vote in a race in Arkansas's 10th Senate district in the Arkansas Senate,
the best ever for a Libertarian candidate in a partisan state senate
election. There have been 14 candidates elected to state senate who had a
Libertarian and major party cross endorsement: 1 in New Hampshire in
1992, 6 in New Hampshire in 1994, 3 in New Hampshire in 1996, 1 in
Oregon in 2014, 1 in Oregon in 2018, 1 in New York in 2019, and 1 in New
York in 2020.
State House elections
Libertarians have been elected as state representatives without a major party cross-endorsement six times: Dick Randolph in Alaska in 1978,[116]Ken Fanning and Randolph again in Alaska in 1980,[117]Andre Marrou in Alaska in 1984,[118]Steve Vaillancourt in New Hampshire in 2000,[119] and in 2020, Marshall Burt received 54% of the vote in a two-way race in Wyoming's 39th House district in the Wyoming House of Representatives.[114]
As of the end of 2020, there have also been 67 candidates elected with a
Libertarian and a major party cross endorsement: 37 in New Hampshire in
1992, 5 in New Hampshire in 1994, 4 in New Hampshire in 1996, 1 in
Vermont in 1998, 5 in Oregon in 2014, 4 in Oregon in 2018, 4 in Oregon
in 2020, and 7 in New York in 2020.
Gary Johnson's performance in the 2016 election shown by county, with darker shades indicating stronger support
A Monmouth University opinion poll conducted on March 24, 2016, found Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson polling in double digits with 11% in a three-way race against Donald Trump (34%) and Hillary Clinton (42%).[121] Later, a CNN poll from July 16, 2016, found Johnson with a personal best 13% of the vote.[122] To be included in any of the three main presidential debates, a candidate must be polling at least 15% in national polls.
Following Trump's win in the Indiana Republican primary, making
him the presumptive Republican nominee, the Libertarian Party received a
rise in attention. Between 7 p.m. on May 3 and Noon on May 4, the
Libertarian Party received 99 new memberships and an increase in donors
as well as a rise in Google searches of "Libertarian Party" and "Gary Johnson".[123] On May 5, Mary Matalin,
a longtime Republican political strategist, switched parties to become a
registered Libertarian, expressing her dislike of Trump.[124]
Several Republican elected officials publicly stated that were considering voting for the Libertarian Party ticket in 2016.[125][126] That included 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.[127] It had been a common question and concern that the Libertarian ticket would exclusively draw away votes from Donald Trump and not the Democratic ticket. In response, Libertarian 2016 nominee Gary Johnson noted that analysis of national polls shows more votes drawn from Hillary Clinton.[128]
Johnson would go on to receive 3.3%
of the nationwide popular vote, with his best performance (9.3%) coming
in New Mexico, where he previously served as a two-term governor.
After the conclusion of the Electoral College in 2016, the
Libertarian Party received one electoral college vote from a faithless
elector in Texas. The party's 2016 nominee Gary Johnson did not receive the vote. The single faithless vote went instead to former Republican Congressman Ron Paul, who had rejoined the Libertarian Party in 2015. He is the first Libertarian to receive an electoral vote since John Hospers in 1972.[129]
Defections from other parties
Representative Justin Amash, the first Libertarian member of Congress
After presidential candidate Donald Trump
won Indiana's 2016 Republican primary, several Republican officeholders
left the Party and changed their affiliation to the Libertarian Party.
The first to do so was John Moore, a then-sitting Assemblyman in Nevada.[33] Following the 2016 Nebraska State Legislative Session, state Senator Laura Ebke announced her displeasure with the Republican Party and announced she was registering as a Libertarian. After that, Mark B. Madsen,
a Utah State Senator, switched from the Republican Party to the
Libertarian Party. From February to June 2017, three New Hampshire State
Representatives (Caleb Q. Dyer, Joseph Stallcop and Brandon Phinney) left the Republican and Democratic Parties and joined the Libertarian Party.
In January 2018, New Mexico Commissioner of Public LandsAubrey Dunn Jr.
switched his party registration from Republican to Libertarian and
subsequently announced he would run as the Libertarian nominee for the Senate election in New Mexico.
Dunn was the first Libertarian in a partisan statewide office and was
the highest ever official from the Libertarian Party until US
Representative Justin Amash switched his party registration from independent to Libertarian on April 29, 2020.[130] In December 2020, Maine House of Representatives member John Andrews changed his party registration to Libertarian after winning re-election as a Republican.[131]
Several politicians joined the Libertarian Party, sometimes only
briefly, after having left office, including former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, former Alaska United States Senator Mike Gravel, former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr, and former Texas Congressman Ron Paul.
The Libertarian Party has placed a presidential candidate on the
ballot in all 50 states, as well as D.C., six times: 1980, 1992, 1996,
2000, 2016, and 2020. That level of ballot access has only been achieved
by a third-party candidate four other times (John Anderson in 1980, Lenora Fulani in 1988, and Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996.) Although the territory of Guam
has no electoral votes, it began holding presidential preference
elections in 1980. The Libertarian Party presidential candidate has
appeared on the ballot in Guam in every election from 1980 through 2020,
except for 2016. Anderson and Fulani were also on the ballot in Guam.[145]
The following is a table comparison of ballot status for the
Libertarian Party presidential nominee from 1972 to 2024. In some
instances the candidate appeared on the ballot as an independent.
The Libertarian Party supports laissez-fairecapitalism and the abolition of the modern welfare state. It adopts pro-civil liberties and pro-cultural liberal approaches to cultural and social issues. Paul H. Rubin, professor of law and economics at Emory University, believes that while liberalDemocrats generally seek to control economic activities and conservativeRepublicans
generally seek to control consumption activities such as sexual
behavior, abortion and so on, the Libertarian Party is the largest
political party in the United States that advocates few or no
regulations in what it deems "social" and "economic" issues.[149]
Economic
The "poverty and welfare" issues page of the Libertarian Party's website says that it opposes regulation of capitalist economic institutions and advocates dismantling the entirety of the welfare state:
We
should eliminate the entire social welfare system. This includes
eliminating food stamps, subsidized housing, and all the rest.
Individuals who are unable to fully support themselves and their
families through the job market must, once again, learn to rely on
supportive family, church, community, or private charity to bridge the
gap.[150]
According
to the party platform: "The only proper role of government in the
economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and
provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected"
(adopted May 2008).[151]
The party supports ending the public school system.[154]
The party's official platform states that education is best provided by
the free market, achieving greater quality, accountability and
efficiency with more diversity of school choice.
Seeing the education of children as a parental responsibility, the
party would give authority to parents to determine the education of
their children at their expense without interference from government.
This includes ending corporal punishment within public schools.
Libertarians have expressed that parents should have control of and
responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.[155]
The Libertarian Party supports a clean and healthy environment and sensible use of natural resources, believing that private landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining such natural resources.[156]
The party has also expressed that "governments, unlike private
businesses, are unaccountable for such damage done to the environment
and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental
protection".[77]
The party contends that the environment is best protected when
individual rights pertaining to natural resources are clearly defined
and enforced. The party also contends that free markets and property rights
(implicitly without government intervention) will stimulate the
technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect the
environment and ecosystem because environmental advocates and social pressure are the most effective means of changing public behavior.[77]
Fiscal policies
Libertarian protester at the 2010 Tea Party tax day, St. Paul, Minnesota
The Libertarian Party opposes all government intervention and regulation on wages, prices, rents, profits, production and interest rates.
Further, the party advocates the repeal of all laws banning or
restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. The
party's recent platform calls for the repeal of the income tax, the abolition of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services, such as the Federal Reserve System. The party supports the passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution which they believe will significantly lower the national debt,
provided that the budget is balanced preferably by cutting expenditures
and not by raising taxes. Libertarians favor free-market banking, with
unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all
types. The party also wants a halt to inflationary
monetary policies and legal tender laws. While the party defends the
right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types
of companies, it opposes government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest.[77]
Healthcare
The Libertarian Party favors a free market health care
system without government oversight, approval, regulation, or
licensing. The party states that it "recognizes the freedom of
individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the
level of health care they want, the care providers they want, the
medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their
medical care, including end-of-life decisions." They support the repeal
of all social insurance policies such as Medicare and Medicaid and favor "consumer-driven health care"[77]
The Libertarian Party has been advocating for Americans' ability to
purchase health insurance across state lines and medicine across
international borders.
Immigration and trade agreements
The Libertarian Party consistently lobbies for the removal of governmental impediments to free trade.
This is because their platform states that "political freedom and
escape from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably
constrained by government in the crossing of political boundaries."[77]
To promote economic freedom, they demand the unrestricted movement of
humans as well as financial capital across national borders. The party
encourages blocking immigration of those with violent backgrounds or
violent intents.[77]
Labor
The Libertarian Party supports the repeal of all laws which impede
the ability of any person to find employment while opposing
government-fostered/forced retirement and heavy interference in the bargaining process. The party supports the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions and believes that employers should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union.[77]
Retirement and Social Security
The party believes that retirement planning is the responsibility of
the individual, not the government. Libertarians would phase out the
government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private
voluntary system. The Libertarians feel that the proper and most
effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups
and individuals, believing members of society will become more
charitable and civil society will be strengthened as government reduces
its activity in that realm.[77]
Libertarians have differing opinions on the issue. Some, like the group Libertarians for Life,
consider abortion to be an act of aggression against a child, therefore
necessitating government intervention to prevent it. Others, like the
group Pro-Choice Libertarians, consider denying a woman the right to
choose abortion to be an act of aggression from the government against
her.[165] The party has nominated both anti-abortion and abortion rights candidates. Their 2012 and 2016 presidential nominee Gary Johnson and their 2020 nominee Jo Jorgensen are pro-choice, as were past presidential nominees other than 1988 nominee Ron Paul and 2008 nominee Bob Barr. The platform had been pro-choice from 1972[166] until May 2022[167] when the abortion plank was deleted.
Shortly before the 2000 elections,
the party released a "Libertarian Party Program on Crime" in which they
criticize the failures of a recently proposed Omnibus Crime Bill,
especially detailing how it expands the list of capital crimes.[164] Denouncing Federal executions, they also describe how the party would increase and safeguard the rights of the accused in legal settings as well as limit the use of excessive force
by police. Instead, criminal laws would be reduced to violations of the
rights of others through either force or fraud with maximum restitution given to victims of the criminals or negligent persons.[168] In 2016, the party expanded their platform to officially support the repeal of capital punishment.[169]
Freedom of speech and censorship
The Libertarian Party supports unrestricted freedom of speech and is opposed to any kind of censorship, as it says it is the only party that fully supports the First Amendment. The party describes the issue in its website: "We defend the rights of individuals to unrestricted freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right of individuals to dissent
from government itself. [...] We oppose any abridgment of the freedom
of speech through government censorship, regulation or control of
communications media." The party says it is the only political party in
the United States "with an explicit stand against censorship of computer
communications in its platform".[163]
Government reform
The Libertarian Party favors election systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local
levels. The party platform calls for an end to any tax-financed
subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which
restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns. As a minor party, it opposes laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives. Libertarians also promote the use of direct democracy through the referendum and recall processes.[155]
LGBT rights
The Libertarian Party advocates repealing all laws that control or prohibit homosexuality.[170]
This position is longstanding, as noted by gay activist Richard
Sincere, who said: "We've always called for an end to sodomy laws and
for an end to discrimination toward gays in the military." Speaking in
1996, he added that, at the party's most recent convention, it had
"passed a platform plank that urged the abolition of laws banning same-sex marriage."[171] (By contrast, the Democratic Party would not put same-sex marriage into its platform until 2012.[172])
According to the Libertarian Party's platform, as seen in 2025:
"Sexual
orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no
impact on the government's treatment of individuals, such as in current
marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration, or military service
laws. Government does not have the authority to define, promote,
license, or restrict personal relationships, regardless of the number of
participants. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own
sexual practices and personal relationships. Until such time as the
government stops its illegitimate practice of marriage licensing, such
licenses must be granted to all consenting adults who apply."[19]
Many LGBT political candidates have run for office on the Libertarian Party ticket.[171]
There have been numerous LGBT caucuses in the party, with the most
active in recent years being the Outright Libertarians. With regard to non-discrimination laws
protecting LGBT people, the party is more divided, with some
Libertarians supporting such laws, and others opposing them on the
grounds that they violate freedom of association.[173][174]
The Libertarian Party views attempts by government to control obscenity or pornography as "an abridgment of liberty of expression"[163]
and opposes any government intervention to regulate it. According to
former Libertarian National Committee chairman Mark Hinkle, "Federal
anti-obscenity laws are unconstitutional in two ways. First, because the
Constitution does not grant Congress any power to regulate or
criminalize obscenity, and second, because the First Amendment
guarantees the right of free speech."[178] This also means that the party supports the legalization of prostitution.[157][158][159][160] Many men and women[179][180][181][182] with backgrounds in prostitution and activists for sex workers' rights, such as Norma Jean Almodovar[179][180] and Starchild,[181][182]
have run for office on the Libertarian Party ticket or are active
members of the party. Norma Jean Almodovar, a former officer with the
Los Angeles Police Department and former call girl who authored the book From Cop to Call Girl
about her experiences, ran on the Libertarian Party ticket for
California lieutenant governor in 1986 and was actively supported by the
party. Mark Hinkle described her as being the most able "of any
Libertarian" "to generate publicity".[179] The Massachusetts Libertarian Party was one of the few organizations to support a 1980s campaign to repeal prostitution laws.[183]
Second and Fourth Amendment rights
The Libertarian Party affirms an individual's right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms and opposes the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense.
The party opposes laws at any level of government requiring
registration of or restricting the ownership, manufacture, or transfer
or sale of firearms or ammunition.[77] The Libertarian Party has also shown support in the past for the abolition of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and support for Constitutional carry.[184][185]
The party also affirms an individual's right to privacy through reforms that would give back rights of the Fourth Amendment of the United States of America's Bill of Rights to the citizens.[186] Often this coincides with a citizen's right against covert surveillance by the government of their privacy.[186][187]
Foreign policy
Libertarians generally prefer an attitude of mutual respect between all nations.[188][189][190]
Libertarians believe that free trade engenders positive international
relationships. Libertarian candidates have promised to cut foreign aid and withdraw American troops from the Middle East and other areas throughout the world.[191]
The Libertarian Party opposed the 2011 military intervention in Libya
and LP Chair Mark Hinkle in a statement described the position of the
Libertarian Party: "President Obama's decision to order military attacks
on Libya is only surprising to those who actually think he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
He has now ordered bombing strikes in six different countries, adding
Libya to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen."[192][193] It has also called for withdrawal from NATO.[194] In a statement on February 7, 2023, the party came out in support of the Rage Against the War Machine rally in Washington, D.C., and denounced American aid to Ukraine.[195]
A longstanding debate within the party is one referred to by libertarians as the anarchist–minarchist debate. In 1974, anarchists and minarchists
within the party agreed to officially take no position on whether or
not government should exist at all and to not advocate either particular
view. This agreement has become known as the Dallas Accord, having
taken place at the party's convention that year in Dallas, Texas.[197]
Libertarian members often cite the departure of Ed Crane (of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank) as a key turning point in the early party history.[198]
Crane (who in the 1970s had been the party's first executive director)
and some of his allies resigned from the party in 1983 when their
preferred candidates for national committee seats lost in the elections
at the national convention. Others like Mary Ruwart
say that despite this apparent victory of those favoring radicalism,
the party has for decades been slowly moving away from those ideals.[199]
In the mid-2000s, groups such as the Libertarian Party Reform
Caucus generally advocated revising the party's platform, eliminating or
altering the membership statement and focusing on a politics-oriented
approach aimed at presenting libertarianism to voters in what they
deemed a "less threatening" manner.[200]LPRadicals emerged in response and was active at the 2008 and 2010Libertarian National Conventions.[201]
In its most recent incarnation, the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
was founded with the stated goal to "support the re-radicalization of
the LP."[202]
At the 2016 Libertarian National Convention,
the Radical Caucus endorsed Darryl W. Perry for President and Will
Coley for Vice President, who respectively won 7% and 10% of the vote on
the first ballot, both taking fourth place.[203] Though not explicitly organized as such, most self-identified pragmatists or moderates supported the nomination of Gary Johnson for president and Bill Weld for vice president.[204]
Johnson and Weld were both nominated on the second ballot with a narrow
majority after having both placed just shy of the required 50% on the
first ballots. After the convention, the Libertarian Pragmatist Caucus
("LPC") was founded and organized with the goal "[t]o promote
realistic, pragmatic, and practical libertarian candidates and
solutions."[205]
LPC supported Nicholas Sarwark in his successful bid for re-election as
chair of the party's national committee at the 2018 convention in New
Orleans.[206]
Platform revision
In 1999, a working group of leading Libertarian Party activists
proposed to reformat and retire the platform to serve as a guide for
legislative projects (its main purpose to that point) and create a
series of custom platforms on issues for different purposes, including
the needs of the growing number of Libertarians in office. The proposal
was incorporated in a new party-wide strategic plan and a joint
platform-program committee proposed a reformatted project platform that
isolated talking points on issues, principles and solutions as well as
an array of projects for adaptation. This platform, along with a short
Summary for talking points, was approved in 2004. Confusion arose when
prior to the 2006 convention there was a push to repeal or substantially
rewrite the Platform, at the center of which were groups such as the
Libertarian Reform Caucus.[207]
Their agenda was partially successful in that the platform was much
shortened (going from 61 to 15 planks—11 new planks and 4 retained from
the old platform) over the previous one.[208]
Members differ as to the reasons why the changes were relatively
more drastic than any platform actions at previous conventions. Some
delegates voted for changes so the party could appeal to a wider
audience, while others simply thought the entire document needed an
overhaul. It was also pointed out that the text of the existing platform
was not provided to the delegates, making many reluctant to vote to
retain the planks when the existing language was not provided for
review.[209][unreliable source?]
Not all party members approved of the changes, some believing them to be a setback to libertarianism[210] and an abandonment of what they see as the foremost purpose of the Libertarian Party.[211]
At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, the changes went even further with the approval of an entirely revamped platform.[212] Much of the new platform recycles language from pre-millennial platforms.[213]
While the planks were renamed, most address ideas are found in earlier
platforms and run no longer than three to four sentences.[212]
Free State Project versus Mises Caucus
Proponents of the Free State Project, a movement dedicated to concentrating libertarians in the state of New Hampshire,
argue that the Libertarian Party strategy of a national victory has
been proven ineffective in stark contrast to libertarian concentration
and focus on local races in New Hampshire.[214] The founder of the Free State movement, Jason Sorens,
stated in the movement's announcement, "Partisan politics has clearly
failed: Libertarian presidential candidates consistently fail to break
the one per cent barrier, while no Libertarian candidate has ever won
election to a federal office."[215]
At Porcfest 2021, an annual libertarian festival held in New Hampshire, Executive Director of the Free State Project (Jeremy Kauffman) and chair of the Libertarian Party (Angela McArdle) debated which strategy is more effective.[214]
Kauffman argued that, "There are more people in this room that are
elected members to the NH House of Representatives and former members of
the Libertarian Party than there are Libertarian Party members
nationwide."[214]
Meanwhile, Angela McArdle argued that while she wants to see the Free
State Project succeed, she argues that the Free State Project could not
have existed without the political infrastructure provided by the LP
developed over the course of five decades.[214]
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