LP.org, the official website for the Libertarian Party currently lists the following individuals as candidates for the Libertarian Party’s 2020 presidential nomination. The party’s criteria for inclusion is for the candidate to have an FEC 2 filing, sustained membership in the national party, Libertarian registration in their home state, legal qualification to be president, a functional website or Facebook page, professional quality photos, a minute long video with audio of the candidate, a dedicated campaign manager, and campaign literature with the word ‘Libertarian’ included.
Adam Kokesh
Arvin Vohra
Brian Ellison
Daniel Behrman
Jacob Hornberger
James Ogle
Jedidiah Hill
Jo Jorgensen
John Monds
Ken Armstrong
Lincoln Chafee
Louis Vanacore
Mark Whitney
Max Abramson
Rhett Smith
Sam Robb
Sorinne Ardeleanu
Steve Richey
“Kokesh seems a bit nutty” <- nominee for "Understatement of the Year" Grand Prize Award for 2020.
Although Chafee ran for president as a Democrat, his badge in the Senate was Republican and his badge as governor was Independent.
From what I have seen Chafee is nothing like Gravel. He seems to be more like Weld.
Shiny badge-ism has never really extended to liberal Democrats, though (see Mike Gravel in 2008). It only worked for Weld because Johnson vouched for him, and then only barely. Libertarian-inflected conservatives seem to be welcomed in the LP more often, from my observations.
I’m revising that view. Monds seems to be doing relatively well compared to campaigns that had a good head start.
From what I have seen he’s not getting much traction at state conventions or online. The shiny badge era may finally be over unless Amash jumps in, and I don’t think he will. On the other hand I am not expecting the convention will probably be cancelled completely, although no such decision has been made yet.
If Amash doesn’t run, I think it may be difficult for some (perhaps a majority) in the party to resist the shiny badge of Chafee, given the party has nominated the shiny badge candidate three times in a row now.
Hornberger has the most delegates from the primaries held but I’m not sure how that affects the overall nomination. If Amash announces he wants to run, I’m pretty sure he would receive the nomination.
Who is viewed as the frontrunner here? As an outsider to LP, I think Hornberger, Monds, and Jorgensen would all be compelling candidates, probably in that order. Amash would be a good fit if he ran; he’s about as libertarian as Gary Johnson (meaning more so than Bob Barr/Bill Weld), but I understand why some Libertarians would prefer to have a real party member as their nominee. Kokesh seems a bit nutty. I used to like Vohra before he started saying strange things. I like Lincoln Chafee…because I’m a liberal Democrat and so is he; he’s a terrible fit for the LP.
Politics1 list of 2020 Libertarian Party Presidential candidates: https://www.politics1.com/p2020.htm
State Rep. Max Abramson (New Hampshire)
Congressman Justin Amash (I-Michigan) (speculative)
Joseph Arax (California)
Sorinne Ardeleanu (California)
Ken Armstrong (Louisiana)
Blake Ashby (Missouri)
Aaron Avouris (Michigan)
Dan Behrman (Texas)
Dan Benedix (North Carolina)
Ken Blevins (Oklahoma)
Former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee (Wyoming)
M.E. Sergeant Cook Jr. (California)
Rocky de la Fuente (R-Florida) (speculative)
Kyler DePriest (Wyoming)
Keenan Wallace Dunham (South Carolina)
Brian Ellison (Michigan)
Souraya Faas (Florida)
Erik Gerhardt (Pennsylvania)
Phil Gray (Texas)
Evret Greer (Maine)
Brad Hartliep (Texas)
Jedidiah “Jedi” Hill (Ohio)
Jacob Hornberger (Virginia)
Heather Horst (Nebraska)
William Hurst (Alabama)
Cecil Ince (Missouri)
Jo Jorgensen (South Carolina)
Cam Jones (Nebraska)
Adam Kokesh (Indiana)
Brandin Lea (Texas)
Ben Leder (Texas)
Ben Layton (Utah)
Kip Lee (California)
Donald Eugene Lowe (Texas)
Lorraine Lynch (Texas)
John Monds (Georgia)
Rickey Morris Jr. (Texas)
Andre Nero (Georgia)
James Ogle (California)
Jason Peach (Utah)
Derrick Michael Reid (California)
Steve Richey (Hawaii)
Sam Robb (Pennsylvania)
Sandra Salas (Pennsylvania)
Stephen Schrader (California)
Phillip Seales (Alabama)
Sam Seder (New York) (speculative)
Larry Sharpe (New York) (speculative)
Mark Spivey (New York)
Leonard “Lem” Sportsinterviews (Wyoming)
Christopher Stefan (California)
Vermin Supreme (Maryland)
Arvin Vohra (Maryland)
Vince Wallace (Texas)
Christopher Weaver (Florida)
Krista Whipple (Colorado)
Mark Whitney (California)
Terry Wilkerson (Pennsylvania)
Andy Williams Jr. (Illinois)
Gus Williams (California)
Demetra Wysinger (Texas)
Jo Jorgensen:
Dylan Robnett writes of Jorgensen’s participation in the Free & Equal debate: “Jo Jorgensen handled herself perfectly! I especially enjoyed her discussion of special interests and how subsidies mess up the market and we end up paying for things that aren’t even good for us. More Gov’t = More Power for the Powerful (Do you hear us Bernie Sanders?)” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/03/free-equal-presidential-debate-march-4-2020/#comment-2118133
Chuck Moulton liveblogging an LNC meeting: “There is now a request to hear a presentation on data sharing from the Jo Jorgensen presidential campaign. The request passes without objection. She is talking about the Harry Browne campaign. You have 3 options: go after increased vote totals, go for increased party membership, or go for education. Harry Browne went for increased party membership. The Jorgensen campaign and her campaign manager Joe Hauptman aim to increase membership this campaign as well. There is a button to join the LP on every page of the campaign website right next to the donate button. The Jorgensen campaign will share information from the LP to the Jorgensen list any time the LP wants. The campaign doesn’t need anything from the LP… it will work to increase membership no matter what the LP does. If Jorgensen gets the presidential nomination, post-nomination the campaign wants to share contacts from the LP to Jorgensen and from Jorgensen to the LP immediately. Good data sharing is important to increasing membership. Hauptman says the LP locks its list in a box and it needs to be re-invented from scratch every election, and it should not be that way. The sharing of data has been a problem since at least the Clark campaign. Hauptman wants to avoid the negotiation post nomination, and the presidential candidate holding the LP by the balls giving nothing and getting everything.
This is great to hear from the Jorgensen campaign!! I hope other campaigns follow suit.
The Jorgensen campaign won’t go after Republicans or Democrats. The campaign won’t fight in states that don’t want them. Instead the campaign will build state parties that want to grow. Online advertising will be used as much as possible. The campaign will go after secondary markets rather than big city markets to get cheaper media and more earned media.
Starr asks the chair whether agreements are being drafted now to try to get the presidential candidates to sign them in advance of the nomination. Sarwark says no. He doesn’t like negotiating contracts in advance, but prefers that candidates advertise a framework to which they would agree.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/thread-for-lnc-meeting-weekend-lp-state-convention-liveblogging-and-or-february-2020-open-thread/#comment-2103925
Paulie writes: “Jorgensen could plausibly run a Browne style campaign and build party infrastucture, starting from a larger base of name recognition for the LP and ‘L word’, a larger small l movement, and more advanced technology than 20 years ago. ” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/lincoln-chafee-announces-2020-libertarian-party-presidential-campaign/#comment-2102816
Rev. James W. Clifton commenting on the New Hampshire primary results: “Wonderful showing for Jo Jorgensen. She is my LP candidate.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/vermin-supreme-wins-new-hampshire-lp-primary/#comment-2100650
Paulie liveblogging the 2020 TN LP convention: “Hauptmann clarified that Jorgensen voted in favor of the national platform sex work plank. There has been some controversy because she said in SC debate that she would not discuss that issue as a candidate.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/liveblog-libertarian-party-of-tennessee-and-nh-other-states-1-11-20/#comment-2096314
Stewart Flood reports: “There is another. As state chair of South Carolina, I was notified on July 4th that Dr. Jo Jorgensen, Harry Browne’s 1996 running mate is now in the race. 1996 was the last year that LP candidates were permitted on the national debate stage.
She has been a member of the party since 1991, and has been a candidate a number of times in South Carolina, including a run for congress. She has also served terms as a county party chair, a member of the state committee, and vice chair of the state party.
I won’t dare to define whether she considers herself a minarchist, an anarchist, or a whatarchist. Those are questions to ask her. I know that her ‘official’ announcement has not yet taken place, but I was informed on July 4th that after a year of consideration and planning to make sure that a campaign will not affect her teaching position at Clemson University, she is now officially in the race.
The state party was informed at the 2018 national convention that she was considering running.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Jorgensen”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/07/justin-amash-leaves-republican-party/#comment-2017042
Paulie writes: “For 2020, not wild about anyone I have heard mentioned yet. If Jo Jorgensen runs I’d pick her over others I have heard mentioned so far. We’ll see who else drops in to the race between now and then.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/larry-sharpe-interviewed-on-the-rubin-report/#comment-1825551
Andy responds: “I only found one video of Jo Jorgensen on YouTube, and it only has 62 views.
Don’t get me wrong, she decent in this video from 1996, but what has she done lately? What has she done in the past 22 years in politics/political activism? I have been following this stuff closely for the past 22 years, and I have not heard anything about Jo Jorgensen in a very long time.
Contrast this with Adam Kokesh, who has been a known libertarian activist for the past 11 or 12 years, and who has 1,570 videos on his YouTube channel, which has over 231,000 subscribers, and over 67 million views. This does not include all of the views he’s gotten on other people’s YouTube channels.
Arvin Vohra is more relevant today than Jo Joregensen is.
If Ms. Jorgensen is serious about running, she’s got a heck of a lot of work to do to build up her name recognition and support base, because whatever name recognition and support base she had 22 years ago has pretty much dried up. \
Here is the one video I found of Jo Jorgensen on YouTube.
Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian Party candidate for Vice President 1996
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_CPRWRpTI4 ”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/larry-sharpe-interviewed-on-the-rubin-report/#comment-1826443
Paulie: “Out of the people I have heard discussed for 2020 potus nom so far Jo Jorgensen seems to be the least bad choice.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/andy-jacobs-interviews-arvin-vohra-at-the-libertarian-national-convention/#comment-1822887
Andy responds: “Has Jo Jorgensen said that she is going to run?
Like I said on another thread, I recall her being a good VP candidate in 1996, but she basically disappeared from the political radar screen for 22 years. Any name recognition she may have gained in 1996 has pretty much disappeared. Only long time LP people and hardcore minor party political junkies will know who she is.
Unless Jorgensen does something big to up her game as a candidate, I would support Adam Kokesh or Arvin Vohra over her.
If the LP is going to bring back a past VP nominee for a presidential run, I would prefer 2000 VP nominee Art Olivier. Art s a former elected Libertarian City Councilman and Mayor of Bellflower, CA, plus he ran for Governor of CA in 2006. He is a hardcore libertarian, and he is well spoken. He is also a hardcore 9/11 Truther. I would love to see Art run, but I doubt he is interested.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/andy-jacobs-interviews-arvin-vohra-at-the-libertarian-national-convention/#comment-1822893
Paulie responds: “Not officially, but word has it she is likely to be interested. She may find encouragement useful, especially if it has some tangible offer of money or volunteer time attached to it, or perhaps she is already set to do it but just hasn’t announced.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/andy-jacobs-interviews-arvin-vohra-at-the-libertarian-national-convention/#comment-1822916
Andy writes: “I would vote for Adam Kokesh over Jo Jorgensen, not necessarily because I think there is anything wrong with Jo Jorgensen. She did an admirable job as VP nominee in 2000 from what I remember. Reality is that she has pretty much been off the political radar since 1996. Adam Kokesh has been a hardcore libertarian activist since 2007. He has lots of videos on YouTube, and his channel has over 229,000 subscribers and over 65 million views. He has a book called ‘Freedom’ which serves as a great introduction to the liberty movement. He has toured across the country doing speaking engagements multiple times, and he has a motor home, which is painted with his Freedom logo, along with his name and that he is running for President, and his campaign website on it. He has built up some name recognition, and he is a real deal boots-on-the ground activist type who is not afraid of going to jail for the cause.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/libertarian-convention-breaks-fundraising-records-elects-new-officers/#comment-1821008
He corrects himself: “made an error above. Jo Jorgensen was actually the VP nominee in 1996, not 2000.
22 years out of the political spotlight is a long time”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/libertarian-convention-breaks-fundraising-records-elects-new-officers/#comment-1821019
He continues: “Other than being Harry Briwne’s VP nominee 22 years ago, what is Jo Jorgensen known for? She has been so inactive that even I had not heard anything about her in many years, and I am one of the oddballs who follows minor parties, and the LP in particular, closely.
She may be a nice lady and a fine libertarian, but this does not mean she should be the LP’s presidential nominee in 2020. I would say she has a long way to go to even be a top contender for the 2020 nomination.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/libertarian-convention-breaks-fundraising-records-elects-new-officers/#comment-1821089
Mark Axinn recalls: “BTW, Jo Jorgensen was a dedicated candidate and a really nice person, like her mentor Harry Browne, but she dropped off the planet after 1996. I met her a few times that summer (the LP Convention that year was Independence Day weekend in DC and she came to New York a few times as she was friendly with out then New York Chair Gail Bova).”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/10/kerry-douglas-mckennon-announces-candidacy-for-libertarian-vice-presidential-nomination/#comment-1250749
Robert Milnes asked Jorgensen to be his running mate in 2008 and she declined. https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/06/mckinney-campaign-announces-lead-with-clear-majority/#comment-1773
Jacob Hornberger:
Jacob Hornberger: ‘Terrorism Is a Cost of Empire’
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/12/jacob-hornberger-terrorism-is-a-cost-of-empire/
Jacob Hornberger on Neil Cavuto: US Aid to Egypt Spawned Hatred
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/02/jacob-hornberger-on-neil-cavuto-us-aid-to-egypt-spawned-hatred/
Sheldon Richman and Jacob Hornberger: The Libertarian Angle
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2013/03/sheldon-richman-and-jacob-hornberger-the-libertarian-angle/
Jacob G. Hornberger: There is only one libertarian position on immigration
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/08/jacob-g-hornberger-there-is-only-one-libertarian-position-on-immigration/
Jacob Hornberger Signals Intent to Seek Libertarian Presidential Nomination
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/04/jacob-hornberger-signals-intent-to-seek-libertarian-presidential-nomination/
Jim at the open thread: “Jacob Hornberger won the Minnesota Caucus. Certain Congressional Districts were won by Jorgensen, Chafee, and Supreme.
https://www.lpmn.org/libertarian-party-results-caucus-night-2020/
Summarizing what’s been mentioned in this thread so far:
Vermin Supreme:
New Hampshire primary
Adam Kokesh:
Georgia bean count
Lincoln Chafee:
Montana Straw poll (tie with Hornberger)
Jacob Hornberger:
Iowa Caucus
Minnesota Caucus
Arkansas Straw poll
California Straw poll
Florida Straw poll
Montana Straw poll (tie with Chafee)”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/january-2020-open-thread/#comment-2114055
Jim adds: “Jacob Hornberger seems like the leader, now. Hornberger has won the Iowa Caucus, the Arkansas convention straw poll, and the California convention straw poll. Adam Kokesh won the Georgia convention straw poll and Vermin Supreme the New Hampshire primary. I don’t know of any others.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/january-2020-open-thread/#comment-2112757
Paulie liveblogs Hornberger’s speech at the 2020 Tennessee convention: “Hornberger: libertarian fire and brimstone, but less one lineish than Kokesh, more policy-detailed.”
“Hornberger campaigning among black voters for NC primary, reports he is connecting well with voters.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/liveblog-libertarian-party-of-tennessee-and-nh-other-states-1-11-20/#comment-2096339
New Federalist asks: “I guess Jacob Hornberger falls into the same category as Justin Amash as far as the abortion issue is concerned. How about a Hornberger/Vohra (or vice versa) ticket? That should be enough to dispel any GOP minor league affiliate crappola!” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/06/open-thread-for-june-2019/#comment-2004848
Paulie responds: “As far as I know Hornberger is less extreme than Amash on abortion. I’ll have to look into it more. Even if he is, yes that is a strike against him, and there may be others I am not thinking of right now, but he has not been a Republican politician in office, and as far as I know has not been a Republican at all, certainly not any time recently, so that is at least one way in which he is better than Amash.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/06/open-thread-for-june-2019/#comment-2005037
Thomas Knapp writes: “My recollection is that in the run-up to the 2000 national convention, Hornberger made some claims that even I didn’t think the available evidence could be interpreted to prove (I was very much on the ‘this is some bullshit, Harry’ side of the matter), and that there was a bit of a spat over that in which Lark and Hornberger were at loggerheads.
Hornberger and LPVA in general definitely got some bad blood going during that whole time period. Which is a shame, because he’s good candidate material in terms of speaking/presentation/debate ability, etc. (and most radicals like him, although he is a bit more ‘constitutionalist’ than the radical norm).
I’d certainly have no problem supporting Hornberger for the LP’s presidential nomination versus anyone else in the current field.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/04/jacob-hornberger-signals-intent-to-seek-libertarian-presidential-nomination/#comment-1983321
Knapp continues: “Hornberger’s keynote speech at the 1996 Libertarian National Convention is still pretty damn rousing today (especially when he gets to immigration). It starts at about 10 minutes into this C-SPAN convention video:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?73337-1/libertarian-party-convention-day-1-part-1
One of the toss-arounds I see in every presidential cycle is ‘get the Libertarian candidate in the presidential debates.’ I don’t know if that will ever happen, but I do know that if it did, Hornberger would whip the asses of, for example, Trump and Biden.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/04/jacob-hornberger-signals-intent-to-seek-libertarian-presidential-nomination/#comment-1985143
Knapp clarifies: “When I say that he would ‘whip their asses,’ I mean that for each proposition/question he would offer a better, more well-argued, and more attractive-sounding response (to a randomly selected television audience focus group) than any of them.
Does that mean that he would win the election? Of course not. American elections have been both incrementally fixed by the major parties and propagandized by the mainstream media, over the course of 140 years, to preclude any such outcome.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/04/jacob-hornberger-signals-intent-to-seek-libertarian-presidential-nomination/#comment-1985287
Knapp continues: “One time I watched Hornberger go up against a contest-winning debate team (I can’t remember if it was collegiate or high school) in an event using, IIRC, National Speech & Debate Association rules. He knows how to defend or attack a proposition persuasively, and he knows how to make it hard for his opponents not to like him, and show it, as he does so.
Of course, what we think of as presidential ‘debates’ aren’t really debates in the academic sense. They’re really just candidate forums where the contestants trot out bits of their stump speeches in response to issues questions that aren’t framed as propositions, and unload quick attacks on their opponents. I’ve seen him in situations like that, too, and he rolls right over his opponents.
And of course, the presidential ‘debates’ can’t be counted on to translate to votes. But to the extent that presidential elections are, at this point, basically public information activities from an LP standpoint, he’d make a good representative.
Given the current and seemingly likely field, Hornberger looks like the best option.
And yes, I do include Amash in that evaluation. Nothing against the guy, but it is politically and organizationally suicidal for the LP to keep nominating candidates from another party — the SAME other party — over and over. People who want to vote for a Republican will already have a Republican to vote for. They don’t need us. And we need to stop catering to a market segment that is already taken and not budging.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/04/jacob-hornberger-signals-intent-to-seek-libertarian-presidential-nomination/#comment-1985143
Chuck Moulton writes: “I saw Hornberger frequently when I attended GMU. Seems like a good guy and solid libertarian to me based on all my interactions with him. Lark is not a fan of him though. I’m going to need to get more details on that if Hornberger seems like a contender. (He told me a few times, but that doesn’t mean I remember it well or that it’s repeatable.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/04/jacob-hornberger-signals-intent-to-seek-libertarian-presidential-nomination/#comment-1983274
Paulie writes: “I would say Hornberger is probably more hardcore than the more constitutionalist Badnarik. From what I recall in 2000, he went hardcore after Browne, Willis et al for intra-party favoritism issues and almost caused Browne to drop out as donations dropped out, then dropped out himself and dropped back in at the convention, unexpectedly. Later when VA LP did not nominate him for Gov or Sen he ran against them as an independent in the general election. I also seem to remember him saying something like that we need to pay no attention to party infrastructure, let it take care of itself and all we need to concentrate on is having a candidate who is a good speaker and writer. I disagreed with that then and now, but don’t know if he still holds anything like that view.
On the other hand he really is an excellent speaker and writer and – as a major plus – fluent in Spanish. He’s not shy about approaching strangers to campaign, and seems to have it together financially and imagewise. He is known to long time movement people in and out of the party and can tap those donors and fundraisers.
I’m kind of tired of crossovers, so it would be nice to have someone who’s not one for the first time in several cycles. At the moment I am liking Vermin Supreme (IPR takeover, moneybomb and youtube watch-bomb tomorrow, April 1st) and Kim Ruff. Hornberger would be a welcome addition to the mix.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/03/march-2019-open-thread/#comment-1981697
Paulie explains: “Thinking back on the 2000 convention, Hornberger seemed to me to not even care about campaign nuts and bolts at all on the theory that being a good speaker and debater is all our campaign needs. He ‘pulled a Perot’ – dropped out and then dropped back in at the last minute.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2017/08/bill-weld-now-is-the-time-to-demand-term-limits-for-members-of-congress/#comment-1656435
Jim writes: “And then you can get into weird cases, like Jacob Hornberger’s 2002 US Senate run. He started out seeking the Libertarian nomination but got into a squabble with the LNC and dropped his bid for it and ran as an Independent while continuing to run an expressly libertarian campaign. Right through the election he professed his dedication to libertarian principles on his web site and made it absolutely clear during his campaign that he was a libertarian, just one without the official nod from the Virginia LP (they didn’t run anyone against him.) The Virginia Libertarian Party does not list Hornberger as one of its former candidates. But, Richard Winger’s Ballot Access News put Hornberger’s votes in the Libertarian column. Being listed as an Independent, wikipedia does not include his vote total in their count. But I did include it (with a note) when I updated lpedia. Take your pick, I guess.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/08/libertarian-party-secures-ballot-access-in-ohio-and-new-york/#comment-1417682
Knapp states: “Hornberger launched the Future of Freedom Foundation years before Harry Browne’s first campaign and more than a decade before Browne’s second campaign, which is when he opposed Browne.
And the opposition to Browne from most quarters wasn’t on ‘purist’ grounds (except when he floated trial balloons on matching funds, flat taxes, etc.), but on campaign corruption.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/05/gary-johnson-names-his-choice-for-vice-president/#comment-1368541
Andy Craig’s broken crystal ball:
“It is a good article by Hornberger, by the way. I want to be clear on that, it’s just calling GJ’s position on immigration and the borders ‘disgustingly authoritarian’ that I think is absurd.
It would be interesting to see Jacob run again as a Libertarian, either for President or other office. I don’t think he will, though.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/08/jacob-g-hornberger-there-is-only-one-libertarian-position-on-immigration/#comment-1227314
Marc Montoni alleges: “The more I looked, the more I realized that Hornberger was merely doing what any half-trained hack lawyer does: trying to convince the members of the jury to give him the result he wants, regardless of who he has to walk on to do it. Lawyers are trained to do this without letting on to any of the jurors that if it paid his bill, he would throw every juror into a blender and hit ‘hamburger’ without a second thought.
In this instance, perhaps what he wanted was the full attention of the LP membership as a way to sell himself to them — perhaps as a presidential candidate, perhaps just to get them to look up FFF. I still don’t know if his Perot-like on-again-off-again campaign for the nomination meant he really wanted the nomination at all, or whether it was simply to get publicity and donations for FFF, the front group that lined his pockets.
Hornberger ruined himself. He will never again be invited to any event I have a hand in organizing. I will never again promote his organization like I did before that. I have learned to shun misbehaving individuals, and he gets the full dose. He turned himself into a parody; a joke, and I won’t forgive him for doing so. He could have accomplished so much.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/05/open-thread-for-mayjune-2011/#comment-426970
Knapp responds: “Hornberger did make some false, even ridiculous, allegations.
On the other hand, ultimately he didn’t have to convince the jury to give him what he wanted, because the defendant, Perry Willis, publicly confessed to the primary allegation: That while working as LPHQ’s national director, he intentionally and successfully stole the 1996 LP presidential nomination for Harry Browne.
The sad thing is, Harry would probably have won that nomination fair and square. But Willis didn’t think so, so he just rigged the game.
As far as Phillies merely recapitulating Hornberger’s allegations, that’s complete and utter bullshit.
Hornberger made a number of allegations, some of which overlapped with those made by Phillies, some of which didn’t.
Hornberger advanced his allegations with a series of ‘open letters,’ some with evidence included, some consisting merely of speculation.
Phillies wrote an entire book on the Browne campaigns. That book is extensively documented. Phillies goes to great length to actually prove his allegations, and in my informed opinion (I worked as a proofreader and fact-checker on the book) does in fact prove most of them (in one particular case, I disagreed with both the veracity of an allegation and with the idea that the book met the burden of proof — George disagreed with me and the allegation remained).
It may be that your opinion that George merely recapitulated Hornberger is based on ignorance, e.g. you haven’t read the book. But if you are ignorant and know you’re ignorant, the burden of informing yourself is on you, not on everyone else.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/05/open-thread-for-mayjune-2011/#comment-427089
Andy Jacobs observes: “Jacob Hornberger could have been a good candidate if he had ran a more active campaign (and if he hadn’t dropped out of the race and then dropped back in at the last minute with no organization or money).” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/04/jim-duesning-issues-statement-regarding-trying-the-prisoners-at-guantanamo/#comment-344799
Marc Montoni: “I observed his campaign for US Senate in Virginia a decade ago, and Hornberger had no problem distancing himself from principle when it seemed expedient.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/04/kwiatkowski-to-hinkle-lp-vulnerable-to-criticism-for-appearing-unprincipled/#comment-342423
Ted Brown: “In 2000 Jacob Hornberger campaigned for the LP presidential nomination on the promise to campaign at places like trailer parks and NASCAR races.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/03/bob-bridges-the-african-american-community-and-libertarianism-have-been-ships-that-pass-in-the-night-for-too-long/#comment-332649
Gene Berkman: “I would not be surprised at Harry Browne holding an open borders position, but I never heard it during either campaign. Jacob Hornberger who ran against him did (and does) talk (and write) about open borders, but he did not get the nomination.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/08/georgia-libertarian-party-operations-director-sparks-controversy-with-facebook-post/#comment-243919
Ralph Swanson: “I believe Bumper Hornberger has a record of some 7% in a Governor’s race in VA, with a lot of retail campaigning. He practically lived in mall parking lots, I hear.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/01/will-georgia-elect-its-first-black-libertarian-governor/#comment-147889
Tom Blanton: “Hornberger posts a piece nearly every day on his blog at FFF and they are always exceptionally good. For my money, FFF is one of the best things going in the libertarian movement. Check out fff.org often.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/12/jacob-hornberger-terrorism-is-a-cost-of-empire/#comment-146997
Michael Gilson-De Lemos: “I believe Libertarian J. Hornberger did the best in a Governor’s race with a year of heavy literature handout and retail politics such as talking to voters at shopping strips and colleges. Sadly he didn’t repeat it due to other committments, and several tries are needed for victory.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/10/libertarian-munger-polling-four-percent-in-north-carolina/#comment-18410
There’s a large amount of information about Adam Kokesh, Arvin Vohra, Lincoln Chafee, James Ogle, and Vermin Supreme. Readers should be familiar with these candidates so I’m not going to give a rundown of their coverage on IPR in these comments.
Jacob Hornberger and Jo Jorgensen, on the other hand, despite both being major candidates, may not be as familiar to readers. So I’ll take a closer look at the IPR information on them below.
Sam Robb: no information available at IPR
Sorinne Ardeleanu: no information available at IPR
Steve Richey: no information available at IPR
Rhett Smith:
Andy Craig writes at the 2016 LP Liveblog:
“In Illinois, Rhett Smith had the room roughly evenly divided in response when he condemned Petersen as an embarrassment and demanded he drop out.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/03/lp-colorado-live-blogging-the-convention/#comment-1332582
George Phillies, as a stenographer, captures what Smith said at the 2016 Biloxi debate: “Thank. We’ll lead America tomorrow. Remember our history, eprsonala nd collective. Sound dropped out. Why am I running. US military veteran. Navy 79-83. Indian Ocean. Americna cna regain the initiative and lead the world.Tanslate First Amendment into every langauge. Stop supproting oppressors. We should stand on our own values. Obama wnats to tkae our religion and guns. Obama CHeney want to destroy our lives take our guns. Each state needs to stand on its own.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/02/biloxi-libertarian-presidential-debate-live-streaming-video-and-discussion-thread/#comment-1326581
In his own words, Smith writes: “The 2016 Presidential election campaign is about Colonialism, or if you prefer ‘Neo-Colonialism'” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/02/libertarian-party-of-mississippi-statement-on-hoopla-over-biloxi-debate/#comment-1317581
He also writes: “I would like to be included in Libertarian forums . I believe that I challenge conventional thinking, and Libertarians young and old, should be given an opportunity, at least, to consider new initiatives”
“chaos happens when good people do nothing” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/01/ted-brown-two-libertarian-events-coming-up-in-california/#comment-1310568
George Phillies observes: “I will allow that Rhett Smith might be an interesting choice, but he has not been very visible.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/12/caryn-ann-harlos-challenges-potential-presidential-candidate-austin-petersen-re-lack-of-belief-in-lps-non-agression-principle/#comment-1275044
Edward L. Garrett: “Mr Rhett Smith has provided very little data on his platform on his website, leaving individuals like me with no idea what he stands for. There are other FEC Filed declared Libertarian candidates not on this list also. I have contacted a few of them to let them know about it.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/09/libertarian-party-officially-recognizes-five-2016-presidential-candidates/#comment-1242154
Richard Winger: “Rhett Smith was a Green Party nominee for US House in Texas in 2012. He had filed for US House in Texas as a Democrat in 2006 and 2010. But his only filing for 2016 is as a Libertarian. He filed with the FEC on August 5, 2015.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/09/libertarian-party-officially-recognizes-five-2016-presidential-candidates/#comment-1242151
In his own words:
“today, I had the honor of meeting Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson in San Antonio, Texas. He did not know that I am the Green Party candidate for U.S. Rep. in Texas’ 14th Congressional District (Ron Paul’s District)”
“I am on the local (San Antonio) board of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Earlier this year, AU legal counsel helped a local family defeat Medina Valley I.S.D. and Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Tx Att. Gen. Greg Abbott (filing amicus in U.S.5th circuit) in a First Amendment lawsuit alleging ‘proselytizing’ public school students by school district faculty and staff.”
“Perhaps Americans are not surprised that Texas Gov. Rick Perry would ‘bully’ Texas citizens and misuse his public office to ‘proselytize;’ especially after his shameful presidential campaign during which his pastor (who was Baptist or Methodist) referred to other religions as ‘cults.'”
“I, however, was surprised to learn that , while I was debating Dr. Jill Stein for the Green Party Presidential nomination at Texas’ State Convention, the Texas Republicans were adopting a state party platform calling for ‘Christianizing’ the state of Texas. Now, there can be little doubt that the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) planned to violate the U.S. Bill of Rights ‘establishment clause’ when they adopted the ‘American exceptionalism’ curriculum for every public school textbook for every student and grade level.”
“During the Green Party’s Presidential Nominating Convention, I had the honor of meeting Tiffany Briscoe, as we both attended a Black caucus meeting to discuss Roseanne Barr’s candidacy. Tiffany’s presence and leadership acts to counterbalance America’s historical failing of women of color in both domestic and global policy.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/08/august-open-thread/#comment-776220
Rhett Smith files to Run for the Green Party Presidential Nomination
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/01/rhett-smith-files-to-run-for-the-green-party-presidential-nomination/
Green Party’s Rhett Smith Finishes Second in San Antonio Mayoral Race
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2013/05/green-partys-rhett-smith-finishes-second-in-san-antonio-mayoral-race/
Resolutions from Rhett Smith, Candidate for Libertarian Party’s Presidential Nomination
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/03/resolutions-from-rhett-smith-candidate-for-libertarian-partys-presidential-nomination/
Ken Armstrong: no information available at IPR
Louis Vanacore: no information available at IPR
Mark Whitney:
Jim in the open thread says: “After making an ass of himself in the Florida debate, Mark Whitney dropped out of the LP Presidential race, claiming that there were death threats against his campaign team.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/january-2020-open-thread/#comment-2112757
Paulie responded: “Whitney changed his mind about dropping out after a few hours.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/january-2020-open-thread/#comment-2112772
Thanks for the link. I’ve now posted an article on the story.
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/03/max-abramson-no-longer-a-libertarian-party-member-not-running-for-president/
Abramson says he’s out:
https://www.facebook.com/Max4Prez/posts/913059685763963?comment_id=917317128671552&reply_comment_id=919713565098575
Maybe I’ll do an interview or indepth story on Monds next week. I’m surprised I’ve never heard of him.
Jedidiah Hill: no information available at IPR
John Monds: seems to be more well known than I realized
Libertarian Monds Announces for 2010 GA Governor’s Race
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/03/libertarian-monds-announces-for-2010-ga-governors-race/
‘John Monds: A Credible Libertarian Candidate’ https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/05/john-monds-a-credible-libertarian-candidate/
Newspaper: Libertarian Monds a ‘major’ candidate for Georgia governor https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/07/newspaper-libertarian-monds-a-major-candidate-for-georgia-governor/
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Wrap-up from Barnes-Deal-Monds debate
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/08/atlanta-journal-constitution-wrap-up-from-barnes-deal-monds-debate/
How Well is John Monds Polling? https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/08/how-well-is-john-monds-polling/
John Monds May Force Runoff in GA Gubernatorial Race https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/08/john-monds-may-force-runoff-in-ga-gubernatorial-race/
Libertarians Monds (GA – Gov) at 5%, Donovan (GA – Sen) at 7% https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/08/libertarians-monds-ga-gov-at-5-donovan-ga-sen-at-7/
John Monds At 9% In New SurveyUSA Poll https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/09/john-monds-at-9-in-new-surveyusa-poll/
John Monds Interviewed in Atlanta Journal Constitution
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/09/john-monds-interviewed-in-atlanta-journal-constitution/
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Can Libertarian John Monds get 20% for Governor of Georgia? https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/09/atlanta-journal-constitution-can-libertarian-john-monds-get-20-for-governor-of-georgia/
John Monds at 5%, Chuck Donovan at 5% in GA https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/09/john-monds-at-5-chuck-donovan-at-5-in-ga/
John Monds, Libertarian for Georgia Governor, at 8% in SurveyUSA Poll; other Georgia Libertarians also polling higher than usual https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/10/john-monds-libertarian-for-georgia-governor-at-8-in-surveyusa-poll-other-georgia-libertarians-also-polling-higher-than-usual/
Libertarian Monds “Out of the Fray” in Testy Three Way Debate https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/10/libertarian-monds-out-of-the-fray-in-testy-three-way-debate/
Libertarian candidate John Monds in the media https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/10/libertarian-candidate-john-monds-in-the-media/
WALB News 10: Libertarian Gov. candidate Monds casts vote https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/11/walb-news-10-libertarian-gov-candidate-monds-casts-vote/
Jim writes at the 2020 Open Thread:
“John Monds did well at that Florida debate, although he wasn’t pressured much. Several people in the debate chat were calling for a Hornberger/Monds ticket and it wouldn’t surprise me if that ended up happening.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/january-2020-open-thread/#comment-2112760
George Phillies: “Also, John Monds of Georgia is about to launch his campaign. Monds received over a million votes in his statewide campaign a few years ago.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/lincoln-chafee-announces-2020-libertarian-party-presidential-campaign/#comment-2101016
hf asks in the open thread: “I’d like to hear more about John Monds. I know that he’s been with the LPGA for a long time, that he’s run up some decent vote totals (by our standards), and that people say he’s a great guy (which is not that common in the LP…) but not much else.
Any thing that sets off alarms?” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/january-2020-open-thread/#comment-2101902
Paulie answers: “Nothing I know of that sets off alarms, but he is jumping into an already crowded field kind of late. That sort of thing might work for establishment crossovers but I don’t see it working for him. I don’t think he has much name recognition among delegates nationally and other campaigns have already been working to build up support for some time.
It’s true that he got a lot of votes in one or more two-way races for a down ticket state office in GA (Public Service Commission). So have a few other people you most likely have not heard of. His best move would have probably been to replicate that again this year; there’s a high likelihood that the guy who is running for that seat instead will do so, and little of it will be due to his or his campaign’s efforts.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2020/01/january-2020-open-thread/#comment-2102142
Shane Bruce: “The 2010 cycle saw Libertarian John Monds fall short of that goal in his bid for Governor. The 103, 194 votes he garnered in his David vs. Goliath run against Nathan Deal amounted to 4% of the votes cast. Our next opportunity for ballot access equality rest on Gary Johnson shoulders.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/07/lee-wrights-the-quiet-war-on-ballot-access/#comment-757005
Monds was mentioned as a potential vice presidential nominee in 2012.
Steven Berson wrote: “He is the only Libertarian candidate in any race to garner over 1 million votes (granted this was a 2-way race for a relatively low profile State position) – and he could help bring in some decent amount of votes in Georgia where he did a decently received recent run for Governor (a State where both Romney and Obama are not so well received so perhaps an opportunity) – plus he brings a strong libertarian message given in a way that I think speaks well to “regular folks”. The biggest weakness I see with Monds is that his resume is not the best in terms of him ever holding prior office.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/04/the-most-attractive-vp-candidates-for-the-libertarian-party-according-to-cassidy/#comment-741012
He later followed up: “John Monds – replied via email that he will be at the Convention, was flattered that I thought he’d make a great nominee, but had not really thought about it or considered it yet. The main question then – if he was convinced to do it at the Convention – would he be able to devote the time (particularly for travel away from home) and energy needed to make this campaign the best possible effort?” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/04/the-most-attractive-vp-candidates-for-the-libertarian-party-according-to-cassidy/#comment-741666
Trent Hill wrote: “Monds is a good shout because he’s an African-American, which disrupts the notion that Libertarians are just racist. Getting GA Ballot Access would be a must then.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/04/the-most-attractive-vp-candidates-for-the-libertarian-party-according-to-cassidy/#comment-741004
Paulie responded: “Somewhat true. However the people who want to insist that libertarians are racist will just libel him as a ‘house negro.’
Monds has many good points. It’s too bad that, like Johnson, he supports the fraudulent tax. We really need to NOT become the fraudulent tax party.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/04/the-most-attractive-vp-candidates-for-the-libertarian-party-according-to-cassidy/#comment-74124
Gene Berkman: “Good luck to John Monds today. He is a proven vote getter, and Georgia offers a real opportunity for Libertarians this year.
In 2008, when John Monds received over a million votes for PSC, another Libertarian canddidate also received more than a million votes.
In Texas, William Bryan Strange, III received 1,043,642 for Judge, Court of Criminal Appeal.
Mr Strange’s vote came to 18%, compared to 33% for Mr Monds.
Let’s hope Mr Monds leads the Georgia Libertarian ticket to record vote totals!” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/11/walb-news-10-libertarian-gov-candidate-monds-casts-vote/#comment-271951
Paulie: Also, I saw a lot of the Republicans on that thread went on and on about Monds, who was not the guy who said anything about Nazis.
He is, however, the guy who got over a million votes for PSC, as well as the first black man of any party to be on the ballot for governor of Georgia (a state with a large percentage of black residents).
Those two facts mean that he has above-average potential for a Libertarian candidate, and that coupled with a close race (or so I inferred from the comments) between the D and R – oids must be the real reason that these Republicans are working themselves into a lather over an offhand facebook comment by someone who is not the candidate.
The funny thing is, Monds may well draw more votes that would otherwise lean Democratic than Republican.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/08/georgia-libertarian-party-operations-director-sparks-controversy-with-facebook-post/#comment-243917
Richard Winger: “John Monds will be a stunning gubernatorial candidate for the Georgia LP, and I hope he is not closed to the idea of running for president in 2012. In 2008 he got more than one-third of the vote in a 2-party statewide partisan race, and carried Georgia’s most populous county (Fulton) and about 5 other nearby counties.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/04/georgia-libertarians-convene-nominate-candidates-hold-lp-chair-straw-poll/#comment-190377
Paulie: “Unfortunately Monds supports the national sales tax, a trojan horse proposal if ever there was one. Besides that, he seems to be an excellent candidate.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/07/benedict-to-head-lphq/#comment-78438
G.E.: “One potential problem, though: Monds’s ‘About’ page is curiously silent about what he’s done for a living for the past 26 years. I know he’s a stay-at-home dad now (that’s great), but he wasn’t married until 1998. What did he do from 1983 to 1998? His volunteer activities are admirable, but it’s kind of weird that his professional life is not mentioned.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/05/john-monds-a-credible-libertarian-candidate/#comment-61305
Steve Perkins: “Monds is one of the most active candidates I’ve ever seen. In the past, candidates weren’t recruited until shortly before the election-year convention… when it was already far too late to start a campaign. Monds is genuinely running for the nomination… announcing and starting his fundraising almost two years out. He’s been getting serious mainstream coverage, and travels constantly to speaking invitations. He’s open to talking and listening in good faith to people, even when they come from very different perspectives. It’s a very useful attribute, and it we as a national party could use a little of that internally also (fingers honestly not pointing in any particular direction).” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/05/john-monds-a-credible-libertarian-candidate/#comment-60742
Tomcat: “I can answer a few of those things. John Monds’ previous campaign was for the Public Service Commission, and he ran against a Republican only, so that definitely helped him get the 33%.
As for organization, he seems to be working on that one already. He’s using a lot of new techonology such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with potential voters, plus he’s willing to go and speak to almost anyone. In fact, he mentioned getting an invite to speak to a League of the South group, and he’s going to do it.
Of course, my information is only what I’ve picked up or what I’ve figured out on my own from conversations with him and some of those who are key in helping him.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/05/john-monds-a-credible-libertarian-candidate/#comment-60592
Steve: “Why don’t we hear more about this John Monds fellow? I think he’s now our highest raw-vote getter ever. An NAACP leader who understands that racial equality requires individual liberty and a consumer advocate would be an attractive presidential candidate in 2012 after corporate bailout after bailout that will come with President O-bomb’em.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/11/a-post-election-message-from-libertarian-party-national-chair-bill-redpath/#comment-25977
Daniel Behrman:
Paulie writes during his liveblog of the July 2018 Libertarian Convention:
“Daniel Behrman (sp?) is speaking. I had no idea he was running and he is not saying anything about why he would be a good chair. He is wearing a giant yellow taxation is theft hat and making a taxation is theft speech.”
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/open-thread-for-liveblogging-and-discussion-of-libertarian-convention-july-1-3-2018/#comment-1818600
He recieved 0 votes in his campaign for chairman. https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/07/open-thread-for-liveblogging-and-discussion-of-libertarian-convention-july-1-3-2018/#comment-1818673
Thomas Knapp writes in the August 2019 open thread:
“A member of my household just received the first Libertarian presidential campaign mailing I’ve seen so far this election cycle. It’s from Behrman. Since it’s not addressed to me and the recipient isn’t home at the moment, I haven’t seen the contents yet.” https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2019/08/open-thread-for-august-2019/#comment-2032091
Info from IPR on some of the lesser known candidates above:
Brian Ellison:
As a candidate for US Senate in Michigan in 2018 he proposed arming homeless people. https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/03/libertarian-party-us-senate-candidate-proposes-arming-homeless-people-with-shotguns/
As a candidate for Congress in 2018, he was arrested for disrupting a police event. https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2018/06/brian-ellison-arrested-at-police-run-in-royal-oak/
Video of confronting the police:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFHazQf0k0M