The Libertarian Party announced this week that at least 20 of its candidates were elected to public office in state elections held earlier this month. A majority of these victories have so far occurred in the states of Nebraska, California, and Michigan.
“During one of the most contentious election cycles ever seen, Libertarian candidates still pushed back against the two-party system, the media madness, and literally billions of dollars spent by major party candidates, to win elections in numerous states across the nation in 2024,” the party stated in an email on Tuesday.
The party added that it provided more candidate resources “than ever before.” These included campaign website templates, multiple training and strategy sessions, access to the party’s new “Voter Gravity” database, and plug-and-play campaign video templates. It also mentioned plans to pursue “an even greater array of tools for candidates running for office” in the future.
According to the party, the majority of the 20 confirmed wins came from town and city council elections in Nebraska, with additional municipal victories in California and Arkansas. Other successful candidates were elected in Colorado, Kentucky, Kansas, and New Jersey. Independent Political Report has compiled a list of the candidates, including whether they were incumbents at the time of their election or running for the first time.
Name | Office | Location | Ballot Label | Incumbent |
---|---|---|---|---|
Frank Gilbert | Pulaski County Constable, Big Rock Township | Arkansas | Partisan | No |
Thomas Turcol | Van Buren County Constable, Washington Township | Arkansas | Partisan | No |
Bob Karwin | Menifee City Council, District 1 | California | Nonpartisan | Yes |
Aaron Starr | Oxnard City Council, District 3 | California | Nonpartisan | No |
Brian Holtz | Purissima Hills Water District | California | Nonpartisan | Yes |
Wendy Hewitt | Calimesa City Council | California | Nonpartisan | Yes |
Terri L. Wallert | Keenseburg Board of Trustees | Colorado | Nonpartisan | No |
James Doyle | Belleville City Council | Kansas | Nonpartisan | No |
Aaron Judd | Dayton City Council | Kentucky | Nonpartisan | No |
Chad Finkenbiner | Orchard Grass Hills City Council | Kentucky | Nonpartisan | Yes |
Ben Dejong | Lake Odessa Village Trustee | Michigan | Nonpartisan | No |
Brice Burge | Munising City Commissioner | Michigan | Nonpartisan | No |
Larry Johnson | Ypsilanti Township Parks Commissioner | Michigan | Nonpartisan | No |
Jim Pinkman | Ashland City Council | Nebraska | Nonpartisan | No |
Jesse Schmidt | Bennet City Council | Nebraska | Nonpartisan | No |
Clay Andersen | Chadron City Council | Nebraska | Nonpartisan | No |
Don Jacobson | Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Subdistrict 1 | Nebraska | Nonpartisan | Yes |
Katherine Schwieger | Reynolds Village Board | Nebraska | Nonpartisan | No |
Cole Stark | Waverly Public School Board, Ward 4 | Nebraska | Nonpartisan | No |
Caitlin Statkus | Montague School Board | New Jersey | Nonpartisan | No |
The Libertarian Party previously maintained a comprehensive list of elected Libertarians on its website. However, as of this article, that list no longer appears to be functional. Its website still reports that there are currently 186 elected Libertarians nationwide, including 56 in partisan offices and 130 in nonpartisan positions.
In light of this article, once the D.C. Board of Elections releases its write-in results, two more Libertarians will be elected in nonpartisan races for Advisory Neighborhood Commission. This is in addition to Joe Bishop-Henchman, who also won his ANC race earlier this month but was not listed by the Libertarian Party as an electoral win.
Jim, Thanks for introducing the Libertarian Booster PAC. They look like a positive force.
Congratulations to the 20 Libertarians elected to public office and to the voters who elected them!
Their is a list Libertarian election results since 2010 here: https://libertarianboosterpac.org/blogs/news/2024-libertarian-candidate-election-results
It includes 2024.
I haven’t gone through it all, but I did notice it was missing some special elections. But, it is generally pretty good.