The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire has formally appealed its disaffiliation by the Libertarian National Committee, asking the Libertarian Party’s Judicial Committee to either reverse the action and restore its state affiliate status or order the creation of an investigatory committee.
Attorney Ian Huyett filed the petition on behalf of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire and Chair Jeremy Kauffman on July 2, with the document shared to the Libertarian National Committee’s public Business List that same day. It comes in response to a May 25 meeting, where the LNC voted to revoke LPNH’s recognition as a state affiliate and require it to stop using the Libertarian Party name and logo. The petition asks the Judicial Committee to reverse that action “together with all relief incidental to making reinstatement effective.”
A June 4 notice from LNC Chair Evan McMahon, sent to the state party and included with the appeal as an item of evidence, gives LPNH’s 2024 endorsement of Donald Trump as a reason for revocation. It also says the state party undermined Libertarian candidates and “espoused numerous anti-libertarian positions” at the national level. Through the party, McMahon also shared a statement on X presenting the language of the motion stating the same reasons.
LPNH argues that the LNC failed to give the state party advance notice that revocation was being considered and identify the specific conduct alleged to constitute cause, nor did it provide it with an opportunity to respond. It also says that the Trump endorsement was the only specific charge raised during the national committee’s discussion, in the motion, and in the mailed notice, and that general claims about LPNH’s public positions are not enough to support disaffiliation “for cause.”
The petition further restates the party’s argument that the Trump endorsement should not be used against the current state party because the officers who voted for it no longer hold leadership positions. Minutes from the November 4, 2024 Executive Committee meeting provided with the appeal show that then-Treasurer Zephan Wood, then-At-Large member Reinita Susman, and then-At-Large member Matthew Fletcher voted in favor of endorsing Trump, while then-Vice Chair Nick Hubbard, who the party said spoke in opposition to the idea, voted against the motion.
Independent Political Report previously shared a copy of the minutes, noting that they reported Kauffman was appointed secretary earlier in the meeting but not listed among those voting on the endorsement, as well as that the party did not specify whether Kauffman was eligible to vote at the time. The party clarified in its appeal that Kauffman was appointed secretary in absentia, was not present at the meeting, and would not have had a vote as an interim member under LPNH bylaws even if he had been in attendance.
The filing also references a June 4 resolution approved by the current LPNH Executive Committee in response to the vote, repudiating the Trump endorsement and stating that no official act of the state party, its officers, or agents acting in its capacity will endorse a candidate of another party in a partisan election going forward. That same resolution also originally authorized Kauffman to petition the Judicial Committee.
As an alternative to reinstatement, LPNH is asking the Judicial Committee to instead order a new investigatory process based on the 2021 Dixon Committee, which the LNC created to investigate an earlier dispute involving the New Hampshire affiliate. That committee, chaired by Patrick Dixon, was created in response to a 2021 coup d’état in the state party and questions over the role of then-LNC Chair Joe Bishop-Henchman in the efforts involving the separate New Hampshire group.
The Dixon Committee ultimately concluded that Bishop-Henchman was “involved in, guided, and likely initiated” the strategy, finding his actions inappropriate as national chair. It also found that he deleted party email records before resigning following a failed vote to disaffiliate the party. As part of its work to make that determination, the committee interviewed relevant people, reviewed emails and other evidence, and constructed a timeline of events, which the current LPNH wants replicated now.
The next step in the appeal process rests with the Judicial Committee, which LPNH is asking to acknowledge receipt of the petition, set a hearing, and “preserve the status quo” while the appeal is pending. Under the most recent Libertarian Party bylaws, the committee must set a hearing within 20 to 40 days of receiving the appeal and issue its ruling within 30 days of that hearing.
Editorial note: Dr. Joe Buchman, who served on the 2021 Dixon Committee, is a member of Independent Political Report’s editorial team. He was not consulted for this article and did not contribute to its reporting or writing.
Let’s be practical and honest. I was for sacking the former national chair JBH (when I chaired CT) for interfering with LPNH a few years ago, hoping it could internally clean house in a meaningful way. Instead it just continues to refuse to support libertarians to help Republicans while engaging in messaging known to drive away/down votes, volunteers, money for the party… call it the actual stuff you need to win. LNC is out of tools here except disafiliaton. Let the sane people who want to elect libertarians and run them join a new sane room. You can’t have an affiliate putting social media up that considers literally whacking people with different opinions. Our minds were so open to the way LPNH did things that iur brains fell out to the detrimental effects of us all, nationally.
“The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire did not commit the by-laws violation, it was the people on the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire committee in 2024 who voted in favor of endorsing Donald Trump who committed the by-laws violation and none of those people are on the committee anymore”.
No, Andy….it was the LPNH itself that endorsed the authoritarian Republican candidate for POTUS, Donald Trump, in clear violation of the LNC/LP affiliate bylaws, not specific individuals on a LPNH committee.
That’s not how this works.
Why did it take getting disaffiliated before LPNH’s new leadership rescinded and distanced itself from that endorsement?
The chair of LPNH is a Trump supporter, btw.
“The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire did not commit the by-laws violation, it was the people on the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire committee in 2024”
…who were acting on behalf of the organization. They RAN the organization. They were in charge. They spoke for the organization. You can’t split the organization from the people in charge of running it.
“pary of the reason” => “part of the reason”
I suspect that pary of the reason for the disaffiliation is the fact that the current chairman of the New Hampshire “Libertarian” Party is Jeremy Kauffman, the most prominent of the New Hampshire “Libertarian” supporters of the LPNH’s anti-Jewish and pro-assassination messaging and of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire did not commit the by-laws violation, it was the people on the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire committee in 2024 who voted in favor of endorsing Donald Trump who committed the by-laws violation and none of those people are on the committee anymore. I think one person on the committe who voted against endorsing Donald Trump is still on the LP of NH committee.
The LNC of 2024 passed a censure motion against the LP of NH. They should have disaffiliated them at the time, in my opinion, but it is water under the bridge at this point.
It is completely absurd to hold a charge against the current Libertarian Party of New Hampshire committee from two years ago for something nobody on the current committee did.
Should the 2026 Libertarian National Committee be punished for things people on past LNC’s who are no longer on this committee did? I say no, and doing so would be equally as irrational as punishing the current LP of NH committee for something people on a past committe did.
>The people on the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire committee in 2024 who voted to endorse Donald Trump are not on the 2026 Libertarian Party of New Hampshire committee. Holding this charge against the current committee is punishing them for something they did not do.
So? The disaffiliation is of the organization which did the Bylaws violation, not the people. Disaffiliation doesn’t apply to members; it applies to affiliates.
Andy, using your logic, any group or organization or business can get away with all sorts of misdeeds, as long as they resign before they’re called to account and the new officers can just shrug their shoulders and say “Not Us”.
The current committee had ample opportunity to repudiate the endorsement but didn’t until they were punished by the LNC. As Joseph writes, “Too little, too late”.
The people on the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire committee in 2024 who voted to endorse Donald Trump are not on the 2026 Libertarian Party of New Hampshire committee. Holding this charge against the current committee is punishing them for something they did not do.
The bottom line is LPNH explicitly ignored and violated a bylaw when it endorsed Trump.
That fact is not in question. They admit it.
That in itself is enough to disaffiliate.
LPNH didn’t do anything about their endorsement of Trump until after they were disaffiliated.
Too little. Too late.
LPNH has made clear they don’t care how their messaging or actions has affected, or is affecting, the Libertarian Party as a whole or any other LP state affiliate.
FAFO.