← 2012 March 1 – June 7, 2016 5 0 59.6% 8.9% Dates 1 Mar 2016 – 30 May 2016 | March 1 – June 7, 2016 2020 → 22,642 3,391 n/a Missouri | |
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The 2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries and caucuses allowed electors to indicate non-binding preferences for the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate. These differed from the Republican or Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in that they did not appoint delegates to represent a candidate at the party's convention to select the party's nominee for the United States presidential election. The party's nominee for the 2016 presidential election was chosen directly by registered delegates at the 2016 Libertarian National Convention, which ran from May 26 to 30, 2016. The delegates nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld.
Contents
- Candidates
- Background
- January 2015 to January 2016 Early candidates
- April 2016 Top tier emerges
- Early May 2016 Ventura declines to run
- Late May 2016 Johnson emerges as the front runner
- 2016 Online polling
- Minnesota caucuses
- Missouri primary
- North Carolina primary
- Nebraska primary
- California primary
- 2016 National Convention
- Political figures
- Businesspeople
- Media personalities
- Athletes and sports figures
- Musicians and artists
- Commentators writers and columnists
- Radio hosts
- Social and political activists
- John McAfee campaign
- Others
- Campaign finance
- Vice presidential primary
- References
Four primaries and one caucus were held. Missouri and North Carolina held primaries on March 15, as an alternative ballot to other primaries such as those of the Republicans and Democrats. Gary Johnson, who had won the party's nomination in the 2012 presidential election, won North Carolina with 42%, while in Missouri a plurality of uncommitted voters led local candidate Austin Petersen 40% to 29%. An Oregon primary was run on May 27 during the national convention, while the California primary was held on June 7 after the party's convention. The only caucus was in Minnesota on March 1, where 75% of the electors selected Gary Johnson.
Candidates
24 candidates were recognized by the Libertarian Party and 16 were ultimately eligible for the presidential nomination at the 2016 Libertarian National Convention. For a candidate to have been recognized by the Libertarian Party, they must have:
- had a campaign website;
- been a dues-paying member of the party;
- met all U.S. Constitutional requirements to serve as President; and
- not have simultaneously been a candidate for another political party.
Of the recognized candidates, eight did not run in any primary or caucus: Joey Berry, Brian Briggs, Thomas Clements, Malisia Garcia, Kevin McCormick, Robert Milnes, Mike Shannon and Heidi Zeman. The other ten recognized candidates as well as three unrecognized candidates – John David Hale (who was disrecognized because he was under 35 and so ineligible to serve as President), Nathan Norman and Merry Susan Nehls – stood in at least one primary or caucus, and appear in the table below. Five recognized candidates withdrew: Cecil Ince, Steve Kerbel, Joy Waymire, Bart Lower and Donald Eugene Lowe.
Background
The 2016 United States presidential election will be the twelfth to be contested by the Libertarian Party of the United States. The 2004 presidential election saw Libertarian nominee Michael Badnarik appear on ballots in 48 states plus the District of Columbia. He received 0.3% of the popular vote, and came fourth behind the two major parties' nominees as well as third-placed independent Ralph Nader. In the 2008 election, Bob Barr was nominated as the Libertarian Parties's candidate for the presidency and had ballot access to 45. However, Barr insignificantly improved upon Badnarik's performance, capturing only 0.4% of the popular vote in an election that also saw Nader finish a strong third behind the Democratic and Republican parties.
Having received minimal publicity in the previous elections, which contributed to the low voting share that the party received, the Libertarian Party gained significant exposure and media attention in the lead-up to the 2012 Libertarian National Convention and the 2012 presidential election, starting with former two term New Mexico governor Gary Johnson's announcement of his presidential run with the Libertarian Party. Using the publicity gained from the announcement, Johnson praised the Libertarian Party and championed their beliefs through interviews and public statements, which were often profane and harshly critical of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Johnson won the nomination at the 2012 Libertarian National Convention running to be more fiscally Conservative than Republican nominee Mitt Romney and more socially liberal than Democratic President Barack Obama. Johnsons's campaign for the presidency focused mostly on keeping the publicity gained by the Libertarian Party and gaining support from independents and dissenting Democratic and Republican voters, often echoing resentment towards the two parties. This included a court challenge against the Commission on Presidential Debates by Johnson that sought to include him in the official presidential election debates.
On election day, Johnson oversaw a relatively sharp rise in the Libertarian Party's popularity, earning 1% of the popular vote (1,275,821 votes), across the Libertarian Party's ballot access in 48 states plus DC. The result was double the amount Bob Barr received in 2008, pushing the Libertarian Party from a lower-tier third party to the most popular third party. In this election Johnson received the most votes ever in the Libertarian Party passing Ed Clark's candidacy in 1980. This was the most successful result for a third-party presidential candidacy since 2000.
January 2015 to January 2016: Early candidates
On January 7, the nomination paperwork for physician Marc Allen Feldman was filed. Over the following months, nominations were filed for Joy Waymire, Cecil Ince, Steve Kerbel, Shawna Joy Stirling, Derrick Michael Reid, and Rhett Smith. In early September, nominations were filed for John David Hale, Jack Robinson Jr, and Austin Petersen. On December 24, 2015, John McAfee was nominated. He had previously announced that he would run as the candidate of a newly created Cyber Party with Ken Rutkowski as his running mate.
Gary Johnson formally announced his candidacy for the 2016 Libertarian presidential nomination, in an interview with Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Network program Coast to Coast, on January 6, 2016.
April 2016: Top tier emerges
Despite the fact that the Libertarian Party has little to no scientific polling and does not conduct binding primaries and caucuses, the first nationally televised pre-nominating convention Libertarian Party debate featured only three candidates, establishing a top tier of former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, founder and CEO of McAfee Inc. John McAfee and owner and founder of The Libertarian Republic Austin Petersen. A later debate hosted by RT America featured Marc Allan Feldman and Darryl Perry, however neither received as much media attention as the three candidates in the top tier.
Early May 2016: Ventura declines to run
In several late 2015 interviews including those on The Alan Colmes Show and In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Jesse Ventura publicly flirted with the idea of running for president in 2016 as a Libertarian. Beginning on February 29, 2016, Ventura again made headlines following an announcement that if Bernie Sanders were to lose the Democratic Party nomination to Hillary Clinton, he would launch a presidential campaign under the Libertarian Party. Ventura subsequently appeared on RT, CNN, Alex Jones and various local radio outlets the following several days reiterating interest in a presidential campaign. He likewise revealed that he was formally invited to the 2016 Libertarian National Convention in Orlando, Florida by party leaders and that he would announce by the end of March if he were to go that route. On March 3, 2016 Ventura released a shortlist of preliminary campaign platforms if he were to run for president. Included were rebuilding infrastructure, focusing on alternative energy, ending all foreign wars and following the teachings of Major General Smedley Butler, ending the war on drugs and reforming campaign financing. Ventura ultimately decided not to seek the presidency, allowing his self determined deadline of May 1 to pass without an announcement. In mid-July, Ventura wrote an article declaring his support for Gary Johnson.
Late May 2016: Johnson emerges as the front-runner
After Donald Trump won the Indiana Primary on May 3, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich suspended their campaigns, Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party. This sparked the Stop Trump movement, also referred to as #NeverTrump to consider running an independent candidate of their own such as former Texas governor Rick Perry, former Republican nominee Mitt Romney or Nebraska senator Ben Sasse, all of whom declined to run. As the filing deadline for Texas and other states quickly passed, the Libertarian Party gained national recognition when Gary Johnson was included in a national poll conducted by Monmouth University and received 11 percent. Johnson was quickly deemed the front-runner for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination and was featured in subsequent polls. Johnson's name was also Googled more times than the Libertarian Party itself, and was featured in many interviews by the mainstream media, something that none of the Libertarian candidates had been able to do thus far in the campaign. During the 2016 Libertarian National Convention various news networks flocked to the convention, and CSPAN covered the results.
2016 Online polling
*Darryl W. Perry was caught buying votes of Fiverr, after which extra security measures were implemented. Therefore, this result of 10.7% is not authentic.
Minnesota caucuses
Type: Open
Missouri primary
Type: Open
North Carolina primary
Type: Semi-closed
Nebraska primary
Type: Semi-closed
California primary
Type: Semi-closed
2016 National Convention
No candidate achieved the majority on the first ballot, so there was a second ballot vote. After finishing last of the six nominated candidates, McCormick was excluded from the second ballot.
Political figures
Mayors and other municipal or county leaders
International political figures
Other politicians
Businesspeople
Media personalities
Actors and comedians
Athletes and sports figures
Musicians and artists
Commentators, writers and columnists
Radio hosts
Social and political activists
John McAfee campaign
Commentators, writers, and columnists
Others
Campaign finance
As of March 31, 2016 three candidates have reported their fundraising amounts to the Federal Election Commission; Gary Johnson, John McAfee and Austin Petersen.
Vice presidential primary
As of May 21, 2016, there were nine vice presidential candidates running.
The Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate is elected by the delegates at the LNC after the presidential nominee is announced. Vice presidential candidates are often endorsed or preferred by presidential candidates, but some have entered without a specific presidential nominee in mind, or a preference from any of them.
William Weld was nominated for vice-president.