The Libertarian National Convention will take place in Washington, D.C., next Friday, May 24th to Sunday, May 26th, 2024. At the convention, the Libertarian Party will select their presidential and vice-presidential nominees. They will also conduct a large amount of other party business, including selecting new party leadership. However, it’s not just that happening this year, as the convention will also feature three high-profile speakers who will be addressing Libertarian delegates.
The Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in the United States. It was founded in 1972 and has continued to grow in membership since then. The party platform is centered around the “Non-Aggression Principle,” which states that no one may threaten or commit violence against another person’s person or property. This has been central to the party, and while the principle does not outline specific policy, Libertarians are generally known for their fiscally conservative and socially liberal positions, along with having outspoken stances on gun rights and the military-industrial complex.
This year, the party has a considerable number of candidates running for the presidency and an interesting lineup for their convention compared to years past. The candidates running for the nomination include Charles Ballay, Jacob Hornberger, Lars Mapstead, Chase Oliver, Michael Rectenwald, Joshua Smith, and Mike ter Maat, among others. The candidates will have an opportunity to debate before the delegates select the nominee, which is chosen once a candidate receives more than 50% of the delegates in a series of rounds. Libertarian voters themselves do not directly select their nominee; instead, each state has selected who their delegates will be ahead of time, and those delegates can vote for the candidate of their choice.
The 2024 Libertarian National Convention is notably significant, as it will not just be Libertarians speaking in Washington this year. Earlier this month, it was announced that former President Donald J. Trump will speak to delegates. This announcement was met with shock by some in the party, with Libertarian presidential candidate Jacob Hornberger calling the development “an abomination.” However, his sentiment was not shared by all candidates, with fellow candidate Mike ter Maat saying, “I hope Trump comes to listen. Our differences are large.”
President Trump will speak Saturday night following the Libertarian candidates’ debate. Trump is also not the only non-Libertarian who will be speaking, as Bobby Kennedy Jr. will be holding a talk and Vivek Ramaswamy will be participating in a debate Friday with the winner of a Libertarian vice-presidential straw poll. Kennedy has also challenged Trump to debate at the LNC, but Trump has not responded as of the writing of this article.
The 2024 Libertarian Convention is sure to be an important event in this election season, with Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle saying that she is “Working as fast as I can to unveil more convention surprises,” leaving the door open for more to come.
The author of this piece will be attending the Libertarian National Committee and will host a live stream of several speeches, including that of former President Donald Trump, which readers of Independent Political Report will be able to access live on the IPR site.
Nathan S. is a student writer with an interest in politics, often covering the activities of 2024 presidential candidates across all parties. Readers of Independent Political Report can find more of his work on his NSSN News Substack. This article has been edited for formatting with the author’s permission and approval by Independent Political Report.
Be First to Comment