2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries


The 2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries and caucuses were a series of current electoral contests to indicate non-binding preferences for the Libertarian Party presidential nominee in the 2024 United States presidential election. These differed from the Republican or Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in that they do not appoint delegates to represent a candidate at the party's convention to select the party's presidential nominee.
The party's nominee was chosen directly by registered delegates at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention on May 26 in Washington, D.C. Chase Oliver was chosen as the party's nominee in the seventh round of voting.

Results

Candidates and ballot options listed on multiple ballots and receiving at least 1% of the national popular vote are listed individually on the table. All remaining votes are detailed under the other column.

Candidates

Major candidates

Prior to the LP 2024 National Convention, 38 candidates filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination in 2024.

Nominee


Eliminated at convention

This section includes candidates who filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission with intent to run under the Libertarian Party and who met one or more of the following criteria: a) meet Wikipedia's notability guidelines; b) participated in at least three Libertarian Party-sponsored debates; or c) received non-trivial media coverage as a candidate in this election cycle.


Other candidates

The following candidates achieved at least one of the following in the 2024 election cycle: appeared on a primary ballot, received votes in a LP-sanctioned contest that did not require ballot access, were invited to a party-sanctioned debate or forum, or were included on the Libertarian National Committee's list of candidates.
LNC delegates are not bound to votes in primary elections, so while voters are able choose a candidate, it has no direct effect on the nominee selection at the party's nominating Convention.
;On the ballot/received votes in multiple states
  • Joseph Collins Jr., broadcaster from California
  • Joshua "Toad" Anderson
;On the ballot/received votes in one state
  • David "TrimeTaveler" Dunlap from Florida
  • Beau Lindsey, "anonymous candidate" from Tennessee
  • Robert Sansone, Air Force veteran and government contractor from Colorado
  • Mario Perales, alien hunter from Iowa
  • David Reed DeSilva III of Arizona
;On the ballot/received votes in no states
  • Joshua Rodriguez, computer scientist from Colorado
  • Jody Jones, activist and economist from Florida

Declined to be candidates

The following notable individuals had been the subject of speculation about their possible candidacy but either publicly denied interest in running, or ultimately did not run.

Timeline of the race

2021

2022

2023

  • February 8: Vermin Supreme, a perennial candidate and satirist who had previously vied for party's nomination, announces his departure from the party, citing disagreements with party leadership.
  • February 20: Jacob Hornberger, the runner-up for the party's 2020 nomination announces on X that he is seeking the nomination once again.
  • March 10: Being arrested in 2020 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot, Joe Exotic, from his prison cell, launches his campaign for the nomination via X
  • April 5: Following a months long exploratory committee, Chase Oliver announces his candidacy for the presidential nomination on X.
  • April 11: Following condemnation from party chair Angela McArdle and his own frustrations about party infighting and views on weapon ownership, Exotic suspends his campaign to instead run for the 2024 [Democratic Party presidential primaries|Democratic nomination].
  • July 24: Former Vice Chair of the Libertarian National Committee Joshua Smith formally begins his campaign for the nomination.
  • August 19: After campaigning extensively in Iowa throughout the summer, Oliver makes history as the first third-party presidential candidate to speak at the Iowa State Fair.
  • August 24: Otolaryngologist Charles Ballay files to run for the nomination.
  • August 28: Author and former New York University professor Michael Rectenwald files to seek the Libertarian presidential nomination, announcing his candidacy days later.
  • December 11: 2000 vice presidential nominee Art Olivier files to run for the presidential nomination.

2024

Overview

Active campaignWithdrawn candidate
Midterm electionsPrimary
Super TuesdayLibertarian National Convention

Debates and forums

Debates

The following table lists debates which are sponsored by an affiliate of the Libertarian Party.
CandidateDebates
ter Maat24
Oliver22
Mapstead20
Hornberger19
Rectenwald16
Smith12
Ballay11
Olivier5
Collins Jr.2
Anderson1

Campaign finance

According to campaign finance laws, an individual must begin filing reports once they raise or spend more than $5,000. This fundraising table includes money raised and spent as of June 30, 2023. As Smith had not officially announced his campaign as of that date, he had not reported any fundraising. Fundraising reports for the third quarter had to be filed by October 15, 2023.

Schedule

Ballot access


The following is a table of which candidates have received ballot access in which states. indicates that the candidate was on the ballot for the primary contest, indicates that the candidate was a recognized write-in candidate, and indicates that the candidate did not appear on the ballot in that state's contest. indicates that a candidate withdrew before the election but was still listed on the ballot. States not appearing in the table did not hold Libertarian presidential primaries.