The Libertarian National Committee elected Samuel Bohler and Douglas Knebel to fill two vacant at-large seats on Saturday after a week-long vote. The selection follows an LNC meeting last weekend, where nominations were taken but the decision was ultimately postponed to allow more time for review.
The vacancies were created this past July by the resignations of At-large Representatives Adrian F Malagon and Kathy Yeniscavich. During an August 3 special meeting originally scheduled to fill the seats, members instead opted to take nominations and hear speeches, with some expressing concern about not having sufficient time to review each nominee’s qualifications and background. Others warned against rushing the process.
The election was instead conducted this past week by approval ballot through OPAVote, with voting closing over the weekend.
Eight individuals were nominated, including Austin Martin, chair of the Libertarian Party of Hawaii and Region 1 alternate; Ben Weir, chair of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire; Gregory Deal, vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania; Thomas Eddlem, political director of the Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts; Knebel, who serves on both the Libertarian National Committee’s Audit and Investigatory Committees; Bohler, chair of the Libertarian Party of Alabama; Jacob Bradley, a member of the State Libertarian Executive Committee in Texas; and Nicholas Sarwark, former Libertarian National Committee chair from 2014 to 2020.
According to results released by LNC Secretary Evan McMahon to the public Business List, Bohler received 14 votes, Knebel 8, and Martin, Weir, Eddlem, and Bradley 6 each. Deal received 5, and Sarwark 2. Several alternates also cast preliminary ballots, showing a slight preference for Eddlem, but these were not counted once their region’s primary representative voted.
| Nominee Name | Total Vote | LNC Members Voting |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel Bohler | 14 | Chadderdon, Watkins, Lam, Redpath, Nanna, McMahon, McGee, Thompson, Dassing, Ford, Darr, Nekhaila, Bost, and Hallesy |
| Douglas Knebel | 8 | Redpath, Nanna, McMahon, McGee, Thompson, Darr, Nekhaila, and Hallesy |
| Austin Martin | 6 | Chadderdon, Watkins, Lam, Dassing, Ford, and Bost |
| Ben Weir | 6 | Chadderdon, Watkins, Lam, Dassing, Ford, and Bost |
| Thomas Eddlem | 6 | Chadderdon, Watkins, Lam, Dassing, Ford, and Bost |
| Jacob Bradley | 6 | Chadderdon, Watkins, Lam, Dassing, Ford, and Bost |
| Gregory Deal | 5 | Chadderdon, Watkins, Lam, Dassing, and Bost |
| Nicholas Sarwark | 2 | Redpath and Thompson |
Following the announcement, LNC Chair Steven Nekhaila congratulated all candidates for their willingness to serve the party, thanking them on the Business List. “Congratulations to Doug Knebel and Sam Bohler for winning the at-large elections,” he said. “We look forward to your service and comradery with the LNC over the remainder of the term.”
Bohler and Knebel will serve through the 2026 Libertarian National Convention in Michigan, which is scheduled for May in Grand Rapids.
Interesting tidbit about the result: LP-Alabama now has 12% of the LNC and 14% of the JC…
People didn’t want Sarwark. I don’t blame them. His actions during covid were the final straw.
In fairness to the LNC, the list of nominees had almost no overlap with the list of rumored candidates from before the election meeting, so LNC members did not have a uniform chance to investigate all of the candidates. The first place candidate was suported by every LNC member. The second-place candidate was supported by 8 LNC members. The other 6 LNC members all voted (approval voting) for the same 5 or 6 candidates. Sarwark in his speech explained to them the LNC’s problem and received two votes.