The Libertarian Party is a minor right-of-center political party in the United States that seeks to advance the principles of small-government libertarianism. The party has state-level affiliates across America and a national office in Washington, D.C. ¹

History

The Libertarian Party was founded in 1971 in Westminster, Colorado. The party selected political philosopher John Hospers its first candidate for the United States presidency the following year, receiving one electoral vote from a “faithless” elector who had been pledged to vote for then-President Richard Nixon. ² The party was launched in part in response to the Nixon administration’s positions on price and wage controls, the increase in U.S dollar printing, and the de-pegging of the U.S. dollar from the gold standard. ³

Organizational Structure

The Libertarian Party organizational structure is led by the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), located in Alexandria, Virginia. The Libertarian National Committee sanctions state-affiliated chapters of the Libertarian Party. The Judicial Committee functions as the disciplinary branch of the organization. Libertarian Party Conventions are held every two years. Other committees include the Platform Committee, the Bylaws and Rules Committee, and the Credentials Committee for conventions. ⁴

Platform

The Libertarian Party platform begins with a preamble declaring that “As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty: a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and are not forced to sacrifice their values for the benefit of others.” ⁵ The Statement of Principles was approved at the 1974 Libertarian Party Convention in Dallas, and the organization has a high parliamentary bar to make any changes to its core documents. The Statement of Principles includes the right to live, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, opposition to censorship, the right to property, and free trade. ⁵ The Statement of Principles was written by John Hospers, who was the first Libertarian Party presidential nominee in 1972. ^{6 7}

Further policy positions include opposition to the death penalty, support for the Second Amendment, and opposition to “all laws at any level of government restricting, registering, or monitoring the ownership, manufacture, or transfer” of firearms. ⁵ The Libertarian Party opposes tariffs. ⁵ The Libertarian Party opposes international economic and military aid and foreign “entangling alliances,” as well as generally opposing American military intervention in foreign countries. The group favors the “repeal of all laws” criminalizing the “use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes,” gambling, and “consensual transactions involving sexual services.” The party platform further states that “sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity” should have no bearing on government laws or dealings with individuals regarding “marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration, or military service laws.” The group favors open immigration and “unrestricted movement” across national boundaries. ⁵

Mises Caucus Takeover

Members of the Mises Caucus, named after the economist Ludwig von Mises and associated with the views of former U.S. Representative and 1988 Libertarian Party Presidential nominee Ron Paul (R-TX), took control of the Libertarian National Committee at the 2022 Libertarian National Convention. ⁸ The caucus gained more than two-thirds of the delegates and key leadership positions, including electing the chairwoman and vice chairman. Opposing members walked out of the convention, accusing the Mises Caucus of “right-wing deviationism and racism.” ⁹

People

Angela McArdle is the chair of the Libertarian National Committee, and was a candidate for California’s 34th U.S. Congressional District. ¹⁰ She also served as secretary of the Libertarian Party of California. ¹¹ McArdle was an executive committee board member of the Mises Caucus. ¹²

Mark Rutherford is the vice-chair of the Libertarian National Committee. ¹³

Hannah Kennedy is the executive director of the Libertarian Party. ¹⁴

1. “Libertarian Party.” Encyclopædia Britannica, November 9, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Libertarian-Party.
2. Boaz, David. “RIP Tonie Nathan, the First Woman to Receive an Electoral Vote.” Cato.org, March 21, 2014. https://www.cato.org/blog/rip-tonie-nathan-first-woman-receive-electoral-vote.
3. Libertarian Party. “40th Anniversary of Nixon Speech That Led to Libertarian Party.” Libertarian Party, April 14, 2017. https://www.lp.org/news-press-releases-40th-anniversary-of-nixon-speech-that-led-to-libertarian-party/.
4. “LP By Laws and Convention Rules 2022.” Libertarian Party, 2022. https://www.lp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-Indexed-LP-Bylaws-and-Convention-Rules-w-2022-JC-Rules-1.pdf.
5. “Platform.” Libertarian Party, June 1, 2022. https://www.lp.org/platform/.
6. “A Guide to the Papers of John Hospers, 1971-1974 #10187-T.” Archival Resources of the Virginias. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc%2Fviu01781.xml.
7. Notjessewalker. “John Hospers, RIP.” Reason.com, March 27, 2022. https://reason.com/2011/06/13/john-hospers-rip/.
8. “Ron Paul’s Message to the Mises Caucus.” LP Mises Caucus channel – YouTube. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXTYPRWKNWs.
9. Brianmdoherty. “Mises Caucus Takes Control of Libertarian Party.” Reason.com, June 1, 2022. https://reason.com/2022/05/29/mises-caucus-takes-control-of-libertarian-party/.
10. Angela McArdle. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://angelamcardle.com/.
11. “Convention Minutes.” Libertarian Party of California, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20220528160510/https://u1myo26o1t789cb2l4fjwcx8-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019-Convention-Minutes_Approved-1.pdf.
12. “Meet the Team.” Libertarian Party Mises Caucus, April 6, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220425134853/https://lpmisescaucus.com/meet-the-team/.
13. “The 2022 Libertarian National Committee.” Libertarian Party, August 10, 2024. https://www.lp.org/libertarian-national-committee/.
14.   “LNC Staff & Support.” Libertarian Party, January 28, 2021. https://www.lp.org/staff/.