Electoral history of the Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party, since its founding in 1971, has participated in numerous elections at various levels of government. While achieving some success in local elections, the party has faced challenges in breaking through at the national level due to the dominance of the two major parties. The purpose of this study is to give an overview of the electoral history of the Libertarian Party:

Electoral history of the Libertarian Party

1. Table of Contents

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   1972 Presidential Election:

   • John Hospers and Tonie Nathan were the Libertarian Party’s nominees for president and vice president, respectively. Tonie Nathan became the first woman in U.S. history to receive an electoral vote.

2. 1976 Presidential Election:

   • Roger MacBride and David Bergland represented the Libertarian Party in the 1976 election. They did not win any electoral votes.

3. 1980 Presidential Election:

   • Ed Clark and David Koch ran on the Libertarian Party ticket. Although they did not win any electoral votes, Clark received over 900,000 popular votes, making it one of the party’s most successful presidential campaigns at that time.

4. 1984 Presidential Election:

   • David Bergland and James Lewis were the Libertarian Party’s candidates in the 1984 election. They did not win any electoral votes.

5. 1988 Presidential Election:

   • Ron Paul, a former Republican Congressman, was the Libertarian Party’s nominee in 1988. He did not win any electoral votes, but his candidacy raised awareness of libertarian ideas.

6. 1992 Presidential Election:

   • Andre Marrou and Nancy Lord represented the Libertarian Party in 1992. They did not win any electoral votes.

7. 1996 Presidential Election:

   • Harry Browne and Jo Jorgensen were the Libertarian Party’s candidates in the 1996 election. They did not win any electoral votes.

8. 2000 Presidential Election:

   • Harry Browne and Art Olivier ran as the Libertarian Party’s candidates in 2000. They did not win any electoral votes.

9. 2004 Presidential Election:

   • Michael Badnarik and Richard Campagna represented the Libertarian Party in 2004. They did not win any electoral votes.

10. 2008 Presidential Election:

    • Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root ran on the Libertarian Party ticket in 2008. They did not win any electoral votes.

11. 2012 Presidential Election:

    • Gary Johnson and Jim Gray were the Libertarian Party’s candidates in 2012. Johnson received nearly 1.3 million popular votes, which was a record for the party at the time.

12. 2016 Presidential Election:

    • Gary Johnson and Bill Weld ran as the Libertarian Party’s candidates in 2016. Despite high expectations, Johnson did not win any electoral votes but received over 4 million popular votes, making it one of the most successful Libertarian Party campaigns.

13. 2020 Presidential Election:

    • Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen represented the Libertarian Party in 2020. They did not win any electoral votes but received over 1.8 million popular votes.

In addition to presidential elections, the Libertarian Party has also fielded candidates in gubernatorial, congressional, and local elections. While achieving success in some local races, the party continues to face challenges in gaining widespread national representation. The first-past-the-post electoral system and limited access to debates and media coverage are among the factors that have influenced the party’s electoral history.