The Libertarian National Committee has voted to recognize the Granite State Libertarian Party as its new affiliate in New Hampshire, selecting the organization over a competing group also seeking recognition under the name of the previous state affiliate.
The LNC made its decision during a special meeting on Sunday, inviting representatives of both parties to meet with national committee members and speak about their respective organizations. The committee ultimately chose the Granite State Libertarians—which temporarily used the name “Granite State Liberty Party” because its own bylaws barred use of the Libertarian label until it received national recognition—after substantial discussion over how the two groups organized and two separate affiliation votes.
The decision means the party officially recognizes a new national Libertarian Party affiliate in New Hampshire after the LNC voted in May to disaffiliate the previous Libertarian Party of New Hampshire over its support of Republican Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election and claims that it promoted “anti-libertarian positions.” The national party’s Judicial Committee later upheld that decision in a unanimous vote.
Rachel “Blackfyre” Danner appeared on behalf of the Granite State Libertarians and took questions from committee members about the party’s founding convention, including how many state Libertarians participated and how they were notified. Danner also discussed work organizers of the new party had independently done when operating under the earlier “New Hampshire Libertarians” name, saying they collected more than 10,000 signatures over the years in support of Libertarian candidates, including Chase Oliver’s 2024 presidential campaign and Stephen Villee’s 2024 and 2026 gubernatorial campaigns.
Independent Political Report attended the party’s founding convention, which was held remotely on August 30, and counted 22 participants, almost all of whom were voting delegates. Those present elected Danner as chair, Conrad Nelson as vice chair, Rich Tomasso as secretary, Villee as treasurer, and Angela Ryan as membership director, in addition to adopting bylaws and approving plans to pursue national affiliation.
Following Danner, the LNC heard from Matthew Strong, who appeared on behalf of the competing Libertarian Party of New Hampshire. His group, which adopted the same name used by the previous affiliate, formed on August 20, ten days before the Granite State party’s first convention, though its application wasn’t publicly disclosed until after the fact.
According to filing documentation later shared by Region 6 Representative Alfa Shaw on the LNC’s public Business List, that new group consisted of Strong, a former member of the Libertarian Party of Vermont, as chair, with Dennis Pratt serving as vice chair, Sean Dempsey as secretary, and Brent Tweed as treasurer. It also elected a larger board consisting of Dylan Iacoboni, Rachel Goldsmith, Ryan Bloodworth, Masha Bloodworth, Reinita Sussman, Stephen Nass, Rick German, Lori Germain, and Patrick Binder. Notably, several of those members have ties to or prior involvement with the previous state affiliate.
Strong fielded similar questions, responding that his group also held an online convention that saw roughly a dozen participants. He acknowledged during questioning that it did not currently have members beyond those immediately involved, nor did it have an active social media presence, choosing to wait until the matter of affiliation was settled before moving forward on those fronts. Strong also said his group was unaware of the Granite State Libertarians when it initially formed.
Throughout the evening, LNC members weighed the two applications, at times raising concerns about how they organized and credentialed their respective conventions. At-Large Representative Keith Thompson pointed out that at least two signers on Strong’s affiliation petition were registered Republicans. Strong responded that he had been unaware of their registrations and acknowledged they would need to be replaced under his group’s bylaws.
Some members also proposed holding a new state convention open to all national Libertarian Party members in New Hampshire as an alternative to recognizing either applicant due to those concerns. Strong said his organization would be willing to set aside its petition in favor of such a process; however, such a need never materialized.
At one point, Region 6 Representative Alfa Shaw moved to postpone the affiliation question altogether until the LNC’s October 11 meeting, raising his own concerns about how both organizations had formed and arguing that neither group’s convention had been appropriately noticed. The motion failed 4–12, with one abstention, as other members argued that the process of selecting a new state affiliate had dragged on long enough.
The committee then moved to what would become the first affiliation vote of the evening, featuring both parties and the option for None of the Above on a single ballot. Of the 17 LNC members present and able to vote at the time, 12 supported recognition of the Granite State Libertarians, with four voting for None of the Above and one abstaining. Strong’s Libertarian Party of New Hampshire received no votes.
The matter was considered resolved until near the end of the meeting, when Thompson moved to reconsider the initial decision. In explaining his reasoning, he told fellow members that he felt “a little odd” about his earlier vote and expressed hesitation regarding Danner. The committee agreed 16–1 to reconsider, reopening the affiliation question at the very end of the night.
A second ballot was then held, with Granite State Libertarians again prevailing. This time, 11 members, including Thompson, backed the organization, with two voting for None of the Above and four abstaining. Strong’s group again received no votes, making Granite State Libertarians the national party’s officially recognized New Hampshire affiliate.
Following news of the affiliation, the Granite State Libertarians resumed using the Libertarian name in place of the Liberty moniker, saying they would begin updating details online. The party also began expanding its social media presence, creating an X account where it thanked LNC members for their support.
“Good morning! Last night [@LPNational] voted to make us the New Hampshire affiliate of the Libertarian Party,” the account said, which Danner later publicly confirmed as the official account for the new affiliate. “Thank you for this opportunity members of the LNC!”
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