Jason Beebe, the mayor of Prineville, Oregon, has left the Republican Party and registered with the Libertarian Party, saying he believes Republicans have failed to uphold core conservative principles and that he has grown frustrated with the country’s two-party system.
KTVZ reported on the change following an interview with Beebe earlier this month. According to the outlet, Beebe, first elected mayor of Prineville in 2020, updated his voter registration after determining the Republican Party no longer effectively represented conservative values despite currently holding governing majorities at multiple levels of government.
A military veteran and longtime Republican voter, Beebe has previously been politically active within GOP circles. In 2024, he mounted a primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz in Oregon’s second congressional district, and in 2022 he similarly sought the party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate. Beebe’s two mayoral races were nonpartisan.
In his interview, Beebe said national politics had become dominated by “theatrics” and equated it to wearing “a giant uniform.” He also raised concerns about government transparency and ethics, including the handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, which he said should lead to the prosecution of anyone involved, even at the risk of system collapse.
He also expressed frustration with difficulties posed by the current legal immigration process, which he acknowledged could influence the decision to enter the country by crossing the border, though he remains a supporter of legal enforcement.
Despite now being a registered Libertarian, Beebe said his underlying views have stayed consistent and that he remains a conservative. He also continues to support Donald Trump, who he said has faced pushback from global interests, and considers himself “an American first candidate, politician, [and] person.”
I meant to add that the LP is also not a conservative party. This ought to be obvious, but…
This may not be a good fit. The Libertarian Party is not an “America First” party, but a Freedom First party that defends the rights of each individual, worldwide. Nationalism serves to empower national governments at the expense of ordinary people, and is an anti-liberty ideology.
Furthermore Donald Trump is a dangerous wannabe dictator, and a politician who is denial about this is unlikely to be very libertarian on a whole host of issues.
Welcome to Jason Beebe and best wishes for continued electoral success!