The Libertarian Party was established in Westminster, Colorado, in 1971 and nominated its first candidate, University of Southern California philosophy professor John Hospers, for the presidency in the 1972 elections. Hospers and his running mate, Tonie Nathan, although drawing less that 1 percent of the popular vote, each garnered one electoral vote that year. Thus Nathan became the first woman in U. S. history to win a vote in the electoral college. The party achieved its pinnacle of success in 1980 when it was on the ballot in all 50 states, and its presidential candidate, Edward E. Clark, received over 900,000 votes. Although totaling only about 1 percent of the national aggregate, it was enough to make the Libertarian Party the third-largest political party in the United States.
The Libertarian Party has offered a wide slate of candidates at the local, state, and national levels in election years. Approximately 1,000 Libertarian candidates ran for local, state, and federal office in the 1996 general election. The party seems especially supportive of women and minorities. Of the presidential tickets in 1992 and 1996, only the Libertarian slate included women: Nancy Lord for vice president in 1992 and Jo Jorgensen for vice president in 1996. Over the years, Aerican Americans, Native Americans, homosexuals, and members of several other racial and ethnic groups have held positions of influence and responsibility in the Libertarian Party by running for public office as Libertarians. In 1992, through the efforts of a massive grassroots volunteer effort, the Libertarian candidates for president and vice president were listed on all ballots in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. The Libertarian Party achieved the same level of ballot access in 1996, a historic event marking the first time in U. S. history that the same third party has been listed on every state’s ballot for two presidential elections in a row.
The Libertarian Party is devoted to the principles of libertarianism. Libertarians seek to maximize personal liberty and minimize the power of government. They are often described as being a combination of conservative and liberal. Like contemporary conservatives, they oppose taxation and the expansion of government. In the manner of modern liberals, they believe strongly in freedom of religion, press, and association; separation of church and state; and free speech. Libertarians support individual freedom, arguing that whatever consenting adults do with their bodies is their concern alone. The party supports the right to bear and keep firearms, defends abortion rights, and opposes censorship. Arguing that “the initiation of force against others” constitutes a violation of fundamental rights, the Libertarian Party supports the prosecution of fraud and criminal violence, but also advocates the retraction of laws against such so-called victimless crimes as drug use, prostitution, and gambling.
The Libertarian Party opposes the traditional services and powers of federal, state, and local governments and advocates the rights of individuals to exercise singular authority over their lives. This is expressed through the contention that a completely free market is an essential economic condition for prosperity and liberty. For that reason, the party advocates the repeal of corporate and personal income taxes; replacing government-provided services (such as the post office and Social Security) with voluntary and private administration; the revocation of a wide range of regulations, including GUN control and minimum wage laws; and the breaking up of all regulatory bodies that do not explicitly encourage freely contracted trade. Libertarian Party ideals are incorporated into its platforms, which are established at semiannual conventions of delegates from state affiliates and national party officers. Convention delegates elect the Libertarian National Committee, composed of regional representatives, several at-large members, and a chairperson and other officers, to administer the ongoing functions of the party. Presidential candidates are elected by a simple majority of convention delegates. Libertarian candidates have run in every presidential election since 1972, and several members were elected to local and state office, particularly in the West. The party maintains a national office in Washington, D. C., and has affiliates in every state. The Cato Institute, a public-policy research organization, was founded in 1977 in part by prominent members of the Libertarian Party. The party publishes various kinds of literature in addition to brochures and newsletters, including the official party newspaper, the Libertarian Party News.
See also conservative movement; liberalism;
Political parties.
—Michele Rutledge
World History
