Libertarian Party chooses Chase Oliver as presidential nominee

NEITHER TRUMP NOR RFK JR.

BY NICK ROBERTSON - 05/26/24

FILE – Libertarian Chase Oliver, candidate for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat, is shown in this file photograph taken during a debate in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, File)

The Libertarian Party nominated Chase Oliver as its 2024 presidential candidate after a protracted nomination vote Sunday, solidifying the ticket for a voter base that could play spoiler this November.

Oliver, who was a critical spoiler candidate in the 2022 Georgia Senate race that led to the election of Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) by forcing a runoff, aligns himself with the traditional wing of the Libertarian Party.

After more than eight hours of voting, he narrowly defeated the hard-line Mises Caucus candidate by less than a single percentage point. In a final round where he only faced ‘none of the above,’ he was finally able to secure a majority of delegates and be named the nominee.

Oliver garnered about 60 percent of the vote in that final round, while the ‘none of the above’ line — a protest vote backed by Mises Caucus diehards — received about 36 percent of the delegate votes. A ‘none’ victory would have seen state Libertarian parties nominate their own candidates.

The busy Libertarian convention in Washington this weekend also saw visits from two other presidential candidates: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former President Trump. Both vied for the party’s nomination, but neither gained any significant support and were booed during their speeches to the group.

Kennedy’s candidacy as an independent could significantly hurt the Libertarians, some members have theorized, as he could force the Libertarian vote share to such a small amount in some states that the party could lose ballot access and fundraising tools. 

The Libertarian candidate usually receives between 1 percent and 3 percent of the vote in the general election, though it is unclear what impact Kennedy will have on the figure.

Oliver told Politico on Sunday that he plans to build a nationwide campaign and said he has already made campaign stops in all 50 states during the primary process.

“I wanted to demonstrate to the delegates and to the voters that we have the drive and energy to push ourselves everywhere to grow our party’s foundation in every state,” he said.

He also wants to focus on growth for the party, outlining young people as his main demographic target.

“We were looking at who are the most likely populations to be ready to go outside of the two-party system, and we’ve identified young people, and in particular those who are upset with the war going on in Gaza, upset with the immigration crisis, and upset with cost of living,” Oliver said. “Those are the young people that we’re going to target.”

Oliver will be joined on the ticket by vice presidential candidate Mike ter Maat.