The Libertarian Party is a political party in the United States, founded in 1971. The current Chairperson of the Libertarian National Committee is Joe Bishop-Hechman of Washington, D.C. since July 2020.
It is the third largest party in the United States in terms of the popular vote in the country's elections and number of candidates run per election, and it is also identified by many as the fastest growing political party in the United States.
Ideas
The political ideas of the Libertarian Party reflect the ideas of libertarianism: supporting less regulated markets, a less powerful state, strong civil liberties (favoring same-sex marriage and other LGBT rights), the legalization of cannabis, separation of church and state, open immigration, neutrality in diplomatic issues, staying out of other countries' wars, freedom of trade and travel to all foreign countries, and a better democracy. They also support more lenient gun laws.
As of March 2016, there are over 410,000 voters registered as Libertarians. Hundreds of Libertarian candidates have been elected or appointed to public office, and thousands have run for office under the Libertarian banner.
Presidential elections
The Libertarian Party has had a number of records, such as being the first party to get an electoral vote for a woman in a United States presidential election. On May 5, 2012, Gary Johnson received the Libertarian Party's official nomination for President of the United States in the 2012 election. In 2016, Johnson once again became the party's nominee with running mate William Weld. In the United States presidential election, 2016 they won more popular votes than ever before. In 2020, Jo Jorgensen became the Presidential nominee with the running mate Spike Cohen.
Caucuses
Given the diverse nature of libertarianism, there are several political factions within the Libertarian Party that have formed caucuses.