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The Libertarian Party


Who are they and what does their party stand for?

By Rohan Kudva

Photography Editor/News Reporter


Founded by David Nolan on December 11, 1971, in Westminster, Colorado, the Libertarian party is a minor political party. Although minor, it is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The party was created in response to concerns of the Nixon administration, the Vietnam war, and the introduction of fiat money.

The Libertarian party combines principles from the Democratic and Republican parties. The party supports less regulated markets or free markets. It also supports a less powerful state, strong civil liberties, LGBTQ rights, separation of church and state, open immigration, freedom of trade, and the right to own guns. They believe a free market is necessary, for prosperity and liberty. Libertarians are largely in support of repealing Social Security and the United States Post Office (USPS) and replacing them with private alternatives. In addition, as the party states,

“Libertarians advocate reducing and eliminating taxes whenever possible…,” as described on the party’s website.

The Libertarian party’s first candidate for presidency was in 1972. Eight years later, in 1980, they were on the ballot in all 50 states, and the Libertarian presidential candidate, Edward E. Clark got nearly one million votes. Although this was only 1% of the total vote, it was enough to make it the third largest political party in the US. The party has a national office in Washington DC and branches in every state. The CATO institute, an American public policy research organization, was founded in 1977 by prominent members of the Libertarian party, as explained by the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

While the Libertarian party has admirable principles, there are some serious weaknesses. In particular, past economic crises like the 2007-2008 financial crisis. A complete lack of regulation opens the door for potential fraud and ultimately causes a,

“...lack of confidence [that] caused the global economy to stall and cease functioning efficiently,” the University of Connecticut explained.

Despite this, they are still the third largest political party in the United States and will likely continue to grow based on past statistics.



The animal that represents the Libertarian party - -A porcupine. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

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