The American Liberty Party, a newly announced effort by the Libertarian Party’s Mises Caucus to rebrand the national organization and use its ballot access for the 2028 election cycle, has drawn national media attention, particularly for its plan to recruit outgoing U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky to run for president.
Axios spoke with several individuals associated with or otherwise in communication with the effort in a report published Sunday, November 8, including longtime Libertarian candidate Larry Sharpe and former Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback. The effort was first announced late last month by Mises Caucus founder Michael Heise, who didn’t initially say whether the effort would seek its own ballot line, but later added that it would take advantage of the Libertarian Party’s pre-existing access.
“We flood the El Paso 2028 convention, take leadership, and with 2/3 vote – make the radical bylaw changes and rebranding needed to make that vehicle ready to run,” the American Liberty Party’s website now states.
The report identifies Heise and commentator Bret Weinstein as leading organizers of the effort. Sharpe also confirmed to the publication that he has spoken with Massie several times about a possible presidential campaign, praising him as a “saint” of libertarianism.
According to Axios, organizers hope to attract disaffected supporters of President Donald Trump, including those associated with the Make America Healthy Again movement, as well as populist voters elsewhere on the political spectrum. They believe an America First agenda along with opposition to the war in Iran and continued American military assistance to Israel could help build support for the coalition.
Organizers also see a third party presidential candidacy as a way to pressure the eventual Republican nominee by drawing votes at their expense. By using the Libertarian Party’s nationwide infrastructure, they want to secure at least 5 percent of the national popular vote, which would also position the party to qualify for federal campaign funding in future election cycles.
Axios further reported that the Mises PAC is financing the recruitment effort, which Independent Political Report previously noted in its own coverage of the new effort. It added that the PAC has previously received contributions from several prominent donors, including Kimbal and Christina Musk, Abigail Rockefeller, and Patricia Duggan, though it did not say if those individuals were involved this time around.
Massie, who lost his Republican primary to a Trump-backed challenger in May, has not publicly committed to the effort, though he has filed for another congressional bid to give him the ability to fundraise. Axios reported that he did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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