Eight members of the Libertarian Party of Georgia’s Executive Committee issued a statement denouncing the recent decision to enter the state party into a joint fundraising agreement between the Libertarian National Committee and the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign.
The statement followed the Executive Committee’s 13 – 7 vote over the weekend to join the Kennedy Victory Fund, making the Libertarian Party of Georgia the thirteenth organization involved in the joint fundraising effort. Other participants include the Libertarian National Committee, Team Kennedy, the American Independent Party of California, several Libertarian state affiliates, and one Libertarian PAC. A previous breakdown of the joint fundraising committee can be found here.
In their statement, the group of eight described the vote as “undoubtedly one of the worst decisions in the history of the LPGA” and a violation of the party’s obligation to its membership. They further noted that the decision violated a resolution passed at the party’s 2024 state convention, which directed the Executive Committee to “safeguard physical and intangible assets (including such intangible assets as ballot access, membership databases, and membership goodwill)” among other responsibilities.
Additionally, the group expressed concern that joining the fundraising committee could undermine the party’s ability to secure ballot access, which now depends entirely on the Libertarian Party’s presidential ticket following the delay of Georgia’s statewide Public Service Commission elections due to a series of ongoing legal battles related to a possible Voting Rights Act violation.
“Due to Georgia’s draconian ballot access laws and canceled Public Service Commissioner elections, Chase Oliver is the only Libertarian on the Georgia ballot in 2024, making future ballot access for LPGA solely dependent on Oliver’s vote totals,” the statement reads. “As Ballot Access is one of the Party’s most critical assets, it is the responsibility of the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Georgia to do everything within our power to maintain ballot access. This committee has abandoned that responsibility.”
In response, the group is calling on other Georgia Libertarians to join them at the party’s next state convention in a bid to elect new leadership. They are also collecting signatures from party members opposed to the move. As of Thursday, 81 individuals have signed in support of the statement.
Indeed, why are some people so stuck with nominal political parties as an all encompassing mode of political organisation, when other modes are increasingly better – at an accelerating rate – for so many political tasks? Still mentally stuck in a mid 20th century and prior rut?
There’s an easier way to do that through superpacs, hybrid pacs etc.
Imagine, if you will, the establishment of single-issue parties, ostensibly to support candidates supportive of their issues, who then, if their candidate gets a major party nomination, convert themselves into a conduit for that candidate’s excess contributions. Pro-life and Pro-Choice parties are examples that come to mind.
Without commenting on whether or not the Libertarians should have done this, I want to point out that they have set a precedent. We can expect a number of minor parties to be set up in the future for the sole purpose of funneling excess contributions to a major party candidate. It would amount to a faux fusionist campaign to take advantage of the campaign finance laws.