The Libertarian Party of Colorado has voted to discontinue its “Liberty Pledge,” a strategy under which the party sought policy commitments from candidates of other parties in exchange for not fielding a Libertarian candidate in certain races.
The Craig Daily Press reported this week that the party’s executive committee met Monday evening, where it formally voted to nullify the pledge. According to the report, party leaders felt the strategy conflicted with state party bylaws, which require that candidates endorsed by the organization appear on the ballot under the Libertarian designation.
Section 4 of the Libertarian Party of Colorado’s bylaws read that “[a]ny Party nominee in a partisan contest where party identification on the ballot is permitted shall use the designation ‘Libertarian.’ Only candidates nominated by the process set forth in this Article may use this designation. A Party nominee qualifies for campaign assistance from the Party.” They further state that the party, its affiliates, and any elected directors acting in their official capacities shall endorse only Libertarian Party nominees in partisan races.
Keith Laube, chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado, also said the decision reflected concerns about denying Libertarian voters in the state a ballot-line option. “Many Libertarian voters choose not to vote in races where there is no Libertarian candidate,” Laube said. “When they do vote, they are more likely to support another minor party candidate than a Republican. Libertarians should not be denied a Libertarian choice by their own leadership.”
The earliest form of the strategy was introduced in 2023 through outreach letters sent to both the state Republican and Democratic parties, though it was the Republican letter which later evolved into a written commitment detailing a series of priorities. The party presented the pledge as a negotiating tool, offering to withhold or withdraw a Libertarian candidate if a major-party candidate agreed in writing to adopt specified libertarian policy positions.
Over time, the pledge expanded into separate versions for federal, gubernatorial, state, and local candidates. Federal-level commitments included auditing federal spending, eliminating foreign aid programs, imposing limits on emergency powers, expanding whistleblower protections, and repealing the National Firearms Act.
Gubernatorial signers were asked to pledge vetoes of tax increases and expansions of surveillance authority, while local candidates were encouraged to oppose red-light camera enforcement and support municipal home-rule authority. The pledge also included provisions related to school choice, medical autonomy, food freedom, and government transparency.
Several candidates signed versions of the pledge during its use. In 2024, Republican Rebecca Keltie signed the pledge in her race for Colorado House District 16, where she went on to defeat Democrat Stephanie Vigil. In Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans signed a negotiated version of the pledge. Libertarian nominee Eric Joss later withdrew from the race and endorsed Evans, who won the election. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also signed a version of the pledge during the 2024 cycle.
The pledge continued into the 2026 election cycle, with at least one Republican congressional candidate, Hope Scheppelman in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District primary, signing onto it prior to the party’s decision to discontinue the strategy.
It is reassuring to see the Libertarian Party in Colorado, the birthplace of the party, standing up for itself.
Bravo for Colorado.