Libertarian National Committee Treasurer Bill Redpath is requesting that the organization censure the party’s New Hampshire and Colorado state affiliates in two motions proposed for its in-person meeting this month. One motion also asks the New Hampshire affiliate to consider disaffiliating itself from the national party.
Redpath requested on Monday, May 12, that both motions be added to the standing agenda for the LNC’s upcoming in-person meeting in Michigan. The individual motions cite recent social media activity by the respective affiliates, arguing that their conduct has brought negative attention to the Libertarian Party.
The motion against the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire references the state party’s use of social media to post content that Redpath describes as racist and inflammatory, stating it has “cast the Libertarian Party in a bad light on the national stage.” The motion also claims the state party violated Article 5.4 of the national party bylaws due to its endorsement of then-candidate Donald Trump on the day of the 2024 general election. According to screenshots, that endorsement was used that same afternoon by the Trump campaign for local GOTV efforts.
If passed, the motion would formally censure the affiliate and invite it to voluntarily disaffiliate, cease use of the Libertarian Party name, and allow a new organization to petition for affiliation in its place.
The motion against the Libertarian Party of Colorado similarly calls for a censure and references recent social media posts that Redpath writes “reasonable people would consider to have racist meanings,” including what he describes as an antisemitic image with origins in white supremacist circles. The motion also cites the behavior of the state chair, which it characterizes as “completely unacceptable” and notes drew national press attention and a public rebuke from LNC Chair Steven Nekhaila.
As of this article, neither affiliate has publicly acknowledged the motions. The deadline to request new business items for inclusion on the meeting agenda was Monday night. A final version of the agenda is pending approval by Chair Nekhaila and is expected to be added to the party’s meeting OneNote this week.
There’s a Republican Party in NH, and a lot of people in LPNH wouldn’t be welcome in it.
LPNH is a republican affiliate in act, intent and deed. Its time we admitted this.
For those curious about the outcome of the motions, neither was taken up by the Libertarian National Committee before they reached the end of their meeting. That’s not to say they won’t be discussed at a later date, though I can’t say for sure when that might happen.
I also plan to explore certain topics from the meeting in greater detail soon. In the meantime, for those interested in broader coverage, I recommend checking out Third Party Watch, which liveblogged both days. You can read their coverage here and here. Be advised that the sound quality was poor and certain parts were difficult to hear.
The play is simple: get the LNC on record with roll call votes as to where they stand, so everyone else going into their state conventions and Grand Rapids knows where they stand. As they should.
Granted, a censure is effectively toilet paper, but that’s just the means to the end.
This weekend’s LNC meeting will be…interesting.
That and $5 gets you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
It’s about damn time, NHLP has been nothing but an embarrassment to the rest of the party with its constant reactionary and authoritarian bs.