Libertarian Party (United States) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Libertarian Party

Chairperson	Angela McArdle (TX)
Governing body	Libertarian National Committee
Presidential nominee	Chase Oliver (GA)
Vice Presidential nominee	Mike ter Maat (FL)
Founder	David Nolan
Founded	December 11, 1971; 53 years ago (1971-12-11)
Headquarters	1444 Duke St. Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Membership (2023)	741,930
Ideology	Majority: Libertarianism (American) Deontological libertarianism Neoclassical liberalism Fiscal conservatism Social liberalism Factions: Anarcho-capitalism Paleolibertarianism Nozickian minarchism
International affiliation	International Alliance of Libertarian Parties
Colors	Gold-yellow
Slogan	"The Party of Principle"
Seats in the Senate	0 / 100
Seats in the House of Representatives	0 / 435
State governorships	0 / 50
Seats in state upper chambers	0 / 1,972
Seats in state lower chambers	1 / 5,411
Territorial governorships	0 / 5
Seats in territorial upper chambers	0 / 97
Seats in territorial lower chambers	0 / 91
Other elected officials	177 (May 2024)^[update]
Election symbol

Politics of the United States Political parties

The Libertarian Party (LP) is a libertarian political party in the United States. It is based on the idea of libertarianism, which means people should have as much freedom as possible. This includes freedom in their personal lives and in how they earn money. As of May 2024, it is the third-largest political party in the U.S. based on how many voters are signed up with them.

The party was started on December 11, 1971, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was the first party in the world to openly support libertarian ideas. The Libertarian Party believes in protecting civil liberties (your basic rights), avoiding getting involved in other countries' problems (called non-interventionism), and having a free market economy with very little government control (called laissez-faire capitalism). They also want to keep the government small and limit what it can do.

Their ideas for the economy include making taxes lower and getting rid of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which collects taxes. They also want to reduce the national debt and let people choose not to be part of Social Security. For social issues, they support changes to the justice system, same-sex marriage, and ending the death penalty. They also strongly support the right to own guns.

History of the Libertarian Party

David Nolan, who founded the Libertarian Party, with the Nolan Chart

Former Governor Gary Johnson during the 2012 presidential election

The first big meeting of the Libertarian Party was in June 1972. In 1978, Dick Randolph from Alaska became the first Libertarian to be elected to a state legislature. By the 1980s, the Libertarian Party became the third-largest party in the U.S. In 1994, a record number of over 40 Libertarians were elected or appointed to different positions.

In 1996, the Libertarian Party made history. They were the first third party to be on the ballot for president in all 50 states for two elections in a row. By the end of 2009, 146 Libertarians held elected offices.

Tonie Nathan was the Libertarian Party's candidate for vice president in 1972. She was the first woman in U.S. history to receive an electoral vote in a presidential election.

In the 2012 election, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson ran for president for the Libertarian Party. He and his running mate, Jim Gray, received over 1.2 million votes. This was the most votes any Libertarian presidential candidate had received at that time. Johnson ran again in 2016 with William Weld as his running mate. They broke the previous record, getting over 4.4 million votes.

The Libertarian Party has also had some success in state legislatures and local offices. Several state lawmakers have joined the Libertarian Party over the years. In January 2018, Aubrey Dunn Jr. became the first Libertarian to hold a statewide office when he changed his party from Republican to Libertarian in New Mexico.

Party Changes and Groups

The Libertarian Party has different groups within it. One important agreement from 1974, called the Dallas Accord, tried to bring together different views. It allowed the party to focus on reducing government without saying if the government should exist at all. This made the party a "big tent" for many people who wanted less government.

More recently, a group called the Mises Caucus became very strong within the party at the 2022 Libertarian National Convention. This group has ideas similar to Ron Paul. They took over many leadership roles, including electing Angela McArdle as the party chairperson. After this, some members who didn't agree with the Mises Caucus left the party. Some state parties even broke away from the national party or formed new groups.

Name and Symbols

Original TANSTAAFL logo

A recent logo of the Libertarian Party

The name "Libertarian Party" was chosen in 1972. The party's first official slogan was "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" (TANSTAAFL). This phrase was made popular by writer Robert A. Heinlein. Today, the party's slogan is "The Party of Principle."

In 1972, the "Libersign" was adopted as a party symbol. It showed an arrow going up through the letters "TANSTAAFL." Later, the Lady Liberty became a symbol until 2015, when the "Torch Eagle" logo was adopted. Some state Libertarian parties also use the Liberty Penguin or the Libertarian porcupine as mascots.

How the Party is Organized

LNC Chair Angela McArdle (2022–present)

The Libertarian Party is run by its members. State parties hold meetings where they choose people to go to the national meeting every two years. At the national meeting, these people vote on the party's ideas and rules. They also elect leaders for the party's National Committee.

National Committee

The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) is a group of 17 voting members who lead the party. Since 2022, Angela McArdle has been the chairperson.

State Chapters

The Libertarian Party has groups in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Each state group has its own leaders. These state and local groups help with campaigns and choose candidates for elections.

Becoming a Member

Anyone can join the Libertarian Party by agreeing to their "non-aggression pledge." This pledge means you don't support using force to achieve political or social goals. Members also pay yearly dues, which help support the party. Dues-paying members get the party's newspaper, LP News.

What the Party Believes In

The Libertarian Party wants a world where everyone is free. They believe that no one should be forced to give up their values for others. Their main goal is to create a free world in our lifetime. They challenge the idea of a powerful government and defend the rights of each person.

The party's main ideas focus on individual freedom in personal and money matters. They want to avoid getting involved in other countries' problems and support free trade and easy movement between countries. They are against gun control laws that limit people's right to own guns. They also want to limit the government's power, as written in the Constitution.

The party believes in markets with very few rules, a less powerful federal government, and strong civil liberties. They support the separation of church and state, open immigration, and staying neutral in international relations.

The party's main ideas are in its "Statement of Principles." It is very hard to change this statement, requiring a large majority vote from members.

Party Influence

The Libertarian Party has attracted important politicians. In May 2024, Donald Trump spoke at the Libertarian Party's meeting in Washington D.C. He talked about ideas that libertarians care about, like being against war, supporting Bitcoin, and protecting First and Second Amendment rights. This was the first time a current or former U.S. president had spoken at a Libertarian Party meeting.

Presidential Election Results

Presidential election results for all Libertarian Party candidates

The first Libertarian presidential candidate, John Hospers, received one electoral vote in 1972. This happened when Roger MacBride, an elector who was supposed to vote for Richard Nixon, instead voted for the Libertarian ticket. His vote for Tonie Nathan as vice president was the first electoral vote ever for a woman in a U.S. presidential election.

In the 2016 presidential election, Gary Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld received a record 3.3% of the popular vote. This was about 4.4 million votes. In his home state of New Mexico, Johnson received 9.3% of the vote. In the 2012 election, Johnson and Jim Gray received 1.0% of the votes, which was about 1.2 million votes.

Economic Policies

The Libertarian Party believes that the government should not control the economy. They want to get rid of most government welfare programs. They think that people who need help should rely on family, churches, communities, or private charities.

The party believes the government's only role in the economy is to protect property rights and help solve disagreements. They think that government rules, like minimum wage laws, make it harder for people to find jobs. They want to loosen these rules so more people can find work.

Education

The party supports ending the public school system. They believe that education is best provided by the free market. They think this would lead to better quality and more choices for schools. They also believe that parents should decide how their children are educated, without government interference.

Environment

The Libertarian Party wants a clean environment and smart use of natural resources. They believe that private landowners and conservation groups will take good care of these resources. They argue that governments often do a poor job of protecting the environment. They think that free markets and property rights will lead to new ideas and changes in behavior that protect the environment.

Money and Taxes

The Libertarian Party is against all government rules on wages, prices, and profits. They want to get rid of the income tax and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They also want to end federal programs like the Federal Reserve System. The party supports a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution to lower the national debt by cutting spending, not raising taxes. They want banks to compete freely and stop inflation. They are against government subsidies (financial help) for businesses or other special groups.

Healthcare

The Libertarian Party wants a free market healthcare system with no government control. They believe people should choose their own health insurance, doctors, medicines, and treatments. They support getting rid of government health programs like Medicare and Medicaid. They also want Americans to be able to buy health insurance and medicine from other states and countries.

Immigration and Trade

The Libertarian Party wants to remove government rules that stop free trade. They believe that people should be able to move freely across borders. They also want financial capital to move freely between countries. However, they do want to stop people with violent backgrounds from entering the country.

Jobs and Work

The Libertarian Party supports getting rid of laws that make it hard for people to find jobs. They are against forced retirement and too much government involvement in collective bargaining (when workers negotiate with employers). They believe people should be free to join or not join labor unions.

Retirement and Social Security

The party believes that planning for retirement is a personal responsibility, not the government's. They want to slowly end the government's Social Security system and move to a private system. They think that private groups and individuals are the best source of help for those in need.

Social Policies

Freedom of Speech

The Libertarian Party strongly supports freedom of speech and is against any kind of censorship. They believe in the First Amendment, which protects free speech and the press. They are against government control of communication. They say they are the only U.S. political party with a clear stand against censoring computer communications.

Government Changes

The Libertarian Party wants election systems that better represent the voters at all levels of government. They want to end tax money being used to fund political campaigns. They are against laws that make it hard for smaller parties to get on the ballot. They also support using direct democracy methods like referendums and recalls, where citizens can vote directly on laws or remove elected officials.

Second and Fourth Amendment Rights

The Libertarian Party supports an individual's right to own guns, as protected by the Second Amendment. They are against laws that require gun registration or restrict gun ownership.

The party also supports an individual's right to privacy, as protected by the Fourth Amendment. This includes protecting citizens from secret government surveillance.

Foreign Policy

Libertarians generally believe that all nations should respect each other. They think that free trade helps create good relationships between countries. Libertarian candidates have said they would cut foreign aid and bring American troops home from the Middle East and other parts of the world.

The Libertarian Party was against the 2011 military intervention in Libya. They have also called for the U.S. to leave NATO. In February 2023, the party supported a rally against war and spoke out against American aid to Ukraine.

Images for kids

Libertarian protester at the 2010 Tea Party tax day, St. Paul, Minnesota