Positive Action: A Libertarian Candidate for Every Federal Office in 2026
The Libertarian National Committee has a lot of house cleaning to do, but Libertarians don’t need to wait for the party to give America a Libertarian option in 2026
May 26, 2025
Dear Friends,
My last update was about the opportunity that the Libertarian Party has to reboot using Trump’s disastrous betrayal of free market principles as an opportunity to be seen as fighters for the American people. During my tenure as national Chair during the first Trump administration, the party had great success with the “Tariffs Are Taxes Americans Pay” marketing campaign, but the LNC isn’t able to take advantage of the chance to run that successful playbook again because they are still mired in the scandal and associated lawsuits that Mises Caucus puppet and Donald Trump supporter Angela McArdle saddled the party with.
So in this situation where the Libertarian National Committee is unwilling or unable to seize the political opportunity, what should good Libertarians do?
After talking over the problem with Texas Libertarian and recently elected school board member, Ryan Woodcraft and his campaign manager Jeff Hewitt, it became clear that it would be best if candidates were trained and recruited to run for House and Senate now on a platform of sensible Libertarian alternatives to Trump’s policies. Those candidates should start campaigning immediately and holding the incumbent’s feet to the fire for supporting bad policies proposed by the Trump Administration.
Free trade is a foundational issue for the Libertarian Party and an urgent crisis under Trump’s central planning.
Libertarians around the country must make sure that Democrats aren’t the only voices critical of Trump’s policies that are hurting the American people. We have our own values and our own distinct message. It resonates.
2026 is time to send Libertarians to Congress to fix what Republicans and Democrats can’t.
This kind of candidate recruiting effort has been done before by Libertarians, but never on a national scale like this. People like Aaron Starr in California, or Joe Johnson in Colorado, or Wes Benedict in Texas (and many other states) have done candidate recruitment drives to get large numbers of Libertarians to run for local or legislative office. The Libertarian Policy Institute did work in 2022 with the Golden Spike Project to recruit candidates in targeted states across the country.
Every time in every place, the candidates who run report back having a great experience, the state Libertarian Party grows with new people brought in by individual campaigns, and there is new energy for libertarian policies in the state legislature. Every time.
I think it’s time to do it nationwide. Do you agree? Are you ready to help?
Yours truly,
Nick
P.S. If you want to support nonpartisan training for candidates who will advance libertarian policies, you can contribute to the Libertarian Policy Foundation https://www.libertarianpolicy.org/amplify to support their “Amplify!” intensive candidate training program to give candidates the tools they need to succeed.
We had such documents back in the day – dare I mention Ed Clark’s campaign? David Bergland’s, . . . Campaigns in the early days had solid proposals to introduce as Legislation if elected.
I lack the energy at the present time to dig through the boxes in my garage and scan what I find.
Perhaps others already have campaign materials to show and tell.
LET US KNOW NOW,
Professor Phillies, this might make more sense if I used this list. instead of the one above.
zoning laws
urban transit.
cost of starting a business
occupational licensing laws.
school choice
the drug war
paralegals an acceptable craft
the restrictions on midwife’s and give mom’s a choice.
corporate welfare
agricultural welfare
the laws restricting access to the ballot.
Restriction on the Second Amendment.
Thank you.
Maybe I should pay attention to what I am typing instead of my wife,. That’ll go over big. ha-ha. Mike
Nicholas Sarwark;
Too many candidates and members in the LP do not have a decent idea as to what the alternatives are. I’ve spent about 700 hours working booths for the LP and here are 3 examples of the many I have seen.
The first time I worked a booth for the LP was rather interesting. The man who was responsible for the set up got there well before me and had it up and going as I walked into the fairgrounds.
As I arrived, I could see him talking to someone. The potential customer asked my fellow Libertarian about schools and my fellow Libertarian replied, “Sell them” at which the customer turned and walked away and my partner turned to me and said “I love to see the look on their faces when I say that”. Some years later I was working a booth at Portland’s Saturday Market with a good friend when we see someone headed our way. My friend said “I got him” rather excitedly, so I step back. At that point the customer says, “What’s this all about?” My friend replies, “it’s about the nap. You’ve heard about the nap, haven’t you?” At that the man turned and began to walk away but as he did, he passed me and said, “I thought he was going to offer me some milk and cookies.’ And chuckled as he left. One day while at a state convention in Oregon I overheard one man who was a fundraiser talking to a much older gentleman about Nokia which the fundraiser called a Japanese company. Within minutes the older gentleman turned his back and walked away. For the record Nokia is a Finnish company. Later I was informed he was a fairly well to do man. Unfortunately, he did not stick around the party.
Information on alternatives is a tool that can help grow the LP. Unfortunately we do not use it which is a shame. On the shelf beside me is a book “Libertarian Solutions for Local Problems” that must be 40 some years old. It needs to be updated and widely distributed.
I once heard Mr. Bruce Nordstrom say that “presentation was everything.” I think the man knew what he was talking about.
Fifty years of failures running congressional candidates would indicate Mr. Sarwark’s dream is just more ‘pie in the sky’ wishing for something that isn’t possible. However, it does seem a more realistic chance (still near zero) of “getting the word out” through state party efforts than Libertarians continuing to send about $60,000 a month in wasted contributions to the LNC which – as far as I can determine – has virtually no impact on “advancing liberty.”
The only failure is the Libertarian candidate who doesn’t run and provide the voter a Libertarian option.
And how many do not know what the alternatives are? Right now we claim we want to end the war on poverty, but we do not have anything about ending the policies that are barriers to prosperity, such as zoning laws., and the government urban transit systems nationwide.
That’s part of the reason that the national LP and state LPs need written Programs to address how to accomplish those very goals, tailored to their level of government and specific issues. The Platforms state the “what” and “why” while the Programs state the “how.”
For a simple example, while the national Platform says “Eliminate the income tax and the IRS” (paraphrasing), a Program would say “Repeal the 16th Amendment by an Article V Convention of States; pass legislation to repeal: 26 USC 6001 through 7874 (administration of the tax collection and processing), including 7803 et seq. (the formation and existence of the IRS), and 26 USC 1 through 1564 (income tax), 26 USC 2001 through 2801 (estate and gift taxes), 26 USC 3101 through 3512 (employment taxes), 26 USC 4001 through 5000D (excise taxes), 26 USC 5001 through 5891 (vice and excise taxes), and matching CFRs.
I agree, as far as this goes, but to me a program would also say how government would be funded in the absence of income taxes.
Yeah, that’s sure to work. How could it not convince the uncommitted voter?
Nicholas, while I am on the subject here are some of the laws I have seen that have their roots in racism to some degree.
End zoning laws
Support alternative urban transit.
Reduce the cost of starting a business
Repeal occupational licensing laws.
Support school choice
End the drug war
Make paralegals an acceptable craft
Repeal the restrictions on midwife’s and give mom’s a choice.
End corporate welfare
End agricultural welfare
Repeal the laws restricting access to the ballot.
Support the Second Amendment
Jury Nullification
That will be all for now. Thank you.