Libertarian National Committee Names Bryce Thon to Candidate Support Committee

The Libertarian National Committee has appointed Bryce Thon, the second Region 1 alternate, to fill a vacancy on its Candidate Support Committee created earlier this month.

Results published Monday to the LNC’s public Business List by Secretary Evan McMahon show that Thon received 11 votes in favor, with five members voting for “None of the Above.” Vice Chair Paul Darr did not participate in the vote and there were no abstentions.

LNC Chair Steven Nekhaila made a motion to appoint Thon following the resignation of Matt Johnson, an LNC member who previously served on the committee. The Candidate Support Committee requires a set number of LNC members and non-LNC members and is tasked with recruiting, identifying, and supporting party candidates for office.

Thon, an alternate, was elected late last month by state chairs in the region. The region is the largest on the committee, representing 15 state affiliates. Thon also serves on the party’s Bylaws Committee and has identified himself as a state organizer for the Mises Caucus in Wisconsin.

Thon’s nomination was met with some resistance on social media, much of which referenced his role as founder of the So To Speak Caucus. The group describes itself as “openly exclusionary,” stating that “only Hoppeans,” referring to adherents of libertarian political theorist Hans-Hermann Hoppe, are allowed and that “leftists are not welcome in the LP.”

Critics of the caucus accused it of promoting policies they deemed ethnonationalist, circulating screenshots of specific comments from its X account, and called for Thon to publicly condemn the group. Individuals also reached out directly to Thon’s fellow LNC members with concerns over past remarks.

In an email to John Ponty, editor of the Liberty Sentries, Nekhaila said he could not conflate Thon’s personal views with statements made by the caucus account and was willing to give him “the benefit of the doubt” if he was willing to work to support the party. However, two LNC members who initially supported Thon later changed their votes to NOTA prior to the close of the ballot.

Following his appointment, Thon thanked LNC members “for ignoring the outside noise and entrusting me with this duty.”

Editorial note: An earlier version of this article stated that Jon Ponty was editor of the Liberty Sentinel. That has been corrected to Liberty Sentries.