Former Libertarian presidential nominee Chase Oliver has endorsed Stephen Villee in his second bid for governor of New Hampshire. Villee will appear on the ballot this year thanks to libertarian activists who later established the Granite State Libertarian Party.
In an announcement on social media Wednesday, October 21, Oliver, who was the Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee alongside running mate Mike ter Maat for the 2024 election cycle, urged voters in New Hampshire to join him in supporting Villee.
“He supports Defend the Guard legislation, enacting reforms like approval voting, and ending the prohibition of cannabis in the Live Free or Die state,” Oliver said of Villee. “He has my endorsement and support.”
This is Villee’s second consecutive bid for governor, having first sought the position as the endorsed candidate of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, which then was the recognized state affiliate of the national Libertarian Party. During that run, Villee appeared on the ballot as a Libertarian and received 16,202 votes, or approximately 2 percent statewide.
He sought LPNH’s support again this election cycle; however, the organization declined to support him at its March convention, with delegates instead choosing to back None of the Above. Villee was still able to qualify for the ballot as a Libertarian through a petitioning effort organized by independent activists in New Hampshire. The same group previously helped secure ballot access for Oliver during his 2024 presidential campaign, after he faced opposition from the state Libertarian organization.
That independent group later went on to help establish the Granite State Libertarian Party with other former LPNH members, which the Libertarian National Committee recognized as its new New Hampshire affiliate in September. Villee currently serves as the new organization’s treasurer.
One of Villee’s stated campaign goals is to receive at least 4 percent of the vote in the gubernatorial election, which would allow a Libertarian political organization to earn recognized party status under New Hampshire law. The Granite State Libertarian Party has previously told Independent Political Report that they hope to benefit from that effort.
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