Libertarian Republican

In American politics, a Libertarian Republican is a politician or Republican Party member who has advocated libertarian policies while typically voting for and being involved with the Republican Party.

Beliefs and size

See also: Factions in the Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party has historically been divided into factions. In 2012, the libertarian branch of the party was described as smaller than other branches, including Tea Party voters (the "populist, Pro-limited government Tea Party wing" of the party), pragmatic "Main Street" Republicans, and evangelical Christian conservatives.^[1] According to a 2012 New York Times analysis, libertarian Republicans have a variety of motivating issues. On economic and domestic policy, they favor deregulation and tax cuts, repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and protecting gun rights.^[1] On social issues, they favor privacy and oppose the USA Patriot Act and oppose the War on Drugs.^[1] On foreign and defense policy, libertarian Republicans are non-interventionists.^[1] Some libertarians favor abortion rights, while other libertarian Republicans oppose abortion.^[1] Two-thirds of libertarian Republicans are males.^[1]

In a 2014 Pew Research Center survey on political typology and polarization, 12% of Republicans described themselves as libertarian.^[2] In a 2023 New York Times poll of the Republican coalition, 14% of Republicans were considered Libertarian conservatives. As of August 2023, 38% support providing additional support to Ukraine, 34% support cutting corporate taxes over raising tariffs, 19% consider themselves very conservative, 45% believe abortion should be mostly or always legal, 51% are against comprehensive immigration reform, 73% say they favor the "protection of individual freedom over traditional values", and 13% want a candidate who would "fight corporations that promote woke left ideology." In the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries, 43% would vote for Donald Trump and 12% would vote for Ron DeSantis.^[3]

Organizations

The Republican Liberty Caucus, which describes itself as "the oldest continuously operating organization in the Liberty Republican movement with state charters nationwide," was founded in 1991.^[4] In the 1990s the group's chairs included Chuck Muth, Roger MacBride, and Congressman Ron Paul; in the 2000s, the group's chairs included Dave Nalle.^[4] The group's statement of principles affirms "the principle that individual rights and liberties are unlimited" and calls for free trade; the "privatization of all government assets"; the abolition of many federal agencies; the repeal of most current federal taxes in favor of a single flat income tax or national sales tax; and the phase-out of "compulsory government retirement, disability, and health programs."^[5]

The House Liberty Caucus is a congressional caucus formed by Libertarian Representative Justin Amash of Michigan, at the time a Republican. In 2014, the group "consisted of about 30 libertarian-inclined Republicans (and occasional Democratic visitors like Jared Polis)."^[6] In February 2019, Politico reported that the House Liberty Caucus had eight members.^[7] The list of congressional member organizations (CMOs) for the 118th Congress indicates that Warren Davidson is the leader of the Congressional Liberty Caucus.^[8]

Public figures

Thomas Massie

Ron Paul

Rand Paul

Mike Lee

William Weld

Cabinet-level officials

• Former Director Mick Mulvaney of the Office of Management and Budget; former acting White House Chief of Staff; former U.S. Representative from South Carolina^[9]

Representatives

• Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky – described as "a Northern Kentucky Republican with libertarian leanings,"^[10] Massie is a "self-styled libertarian"^[11] who has received libertarian support, although he has also described himself as a "'constitutional conservative' within the Republican Party."^[12]
• Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida – self-describes as a "libertarian populist" and described by media as having a "strong libertarian streak".^[13][14]
• Representative Tom McClintock of California – described as "libertarian leaning" by Reason magazine.^[15]
• Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina - Described to have a "fusion" of Libertarian views^[16]

Former representatives

• Former Representative Justin Amash of Michigan – Chairman of the Liberty Caucus; left Republican Party in 2019 to become an Independent. In 2020, he switched to the Libertarian Party and thus became the first Libertarian member to hold a seat in Congress.^[17] However, in 2024 he announced he would run for U.S. Senate as a Republican.^[18]
• Former Representative Denver Riggleman of Virginia^[19]
• Former Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California^[20]
• Former Representative Ted Yoho of Florida^[21]
• Former Representative Bob Barr of Georgia^[22]
• Former Representative Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan^[23]
• Former Representative Connie Mack IV of Florida – described as "a staunch fiscal conservative...with libertarian tendencies."^[24]
• Former Representative Ron Paul of Texas – longstanding Libertarian Republican icon; unsuccessfully ran for president in 1988 as the Libertarian nominee, and in 2008 and 2012 as a Republican candidate.^[25][26] He has been described as one of the leading figures of the late 2000s and early 2010s who helped spur the growing popularity of the Tea Party movement.^[27] Through his presidential campaigns and time in Congress, he was also known as one of the staunchest critics of the Federal Reserve, U.S. surveillance state, and the wars on terror and drugs.

Senators

• Rand Paul, U.S. Senator from Kentucky (2011–present) – is sometimes regarded as libertarian-leaning,^[28] and has on multiple occasions described himself as such when discussing matters like the national debt and other economic issues, domestic surveillance, foreign military intervention, and the war on drugs. However, David Boaz of the Cato Institute notes that "Paul doesn't claim to be a libertarian, and he takes positions that many libertarians disagree with."^[29]
• Mike Lee, U.S. Senator from Utah (2011–present) – described as an economic and civil libertarian.^[30] Has often partnered with Rand Paul in the Senate on several libertarian-conservative issues.^[31]
• Cynthia Lummis, U.S. Senator from Wyoming (2021–present) – self-describes as a "libertarian-leaning Republican".^[32]

Former senators

• Barry Goldwater, former U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987)^[33]
• Mark Hatfield, former U.S. Senator from Oregon (1967–1997)^[34]
• Jeff Flake, former U.S. Senator from Arizona (2013–2019)^[35]

State governors

• Chris Sununu, 82nd Governor of New Hampshire (2017–present) – As a Republican governor of New Hampshire, Sununu has been described as a "moderate-libertarian".^[36]

Former governors

• Gary Johnson, 29th Governor of New Mexico (1995–2003) – served two terms as governor as a Republican and ran for President as a Republican in 2011,^[37] but switched from the Republican Party to the Libertarian Party later that year,^[38] serving as the Libertarian nominee for president in 2012 and 2016 and running for the U.S. Senate as a Libertarian in 2018.
• Mark Sanford, 115th Governor of South Carolina (2003–2011) (also a former Representative from that state) – a Republican, he's often described as holding libertarian views;^[39] claimed to have turned down an offer from Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson to be his vice presidential running mate in the 2016 election.^[40] During his prior years as a representative on Capitol Hill, he was often identified as an ally of libertarian/conservative Ron Paul while they served in the House together.^[41]
• William Weld, 68th Governor of Massachusetts (1991–1997) – As a Republican governor of Massachusetts, Weld self-identified as a libertarian Republican.^[42] Later, he drifted toward the Libertarian Party and in 2006, unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for New York governor; he gained the Libertarian Party endorsement that year before dropping out of the race.^[43] In 2016, Weld joined the Libertarian Party to run for vice president as the running mate of Gary Johnson.^[44] In 2019, he rejoined the Republican Party to launch a primary challenge to President Donald Trump.^[45]

State legislators

• Nick Freitas, Virginia state Delegate (2015–present) – Unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2018. Described as having a "conservative voting record and libertarian streak."^[46]
• Anthony Sabatini, Florida state representative (2018–present) – candidate for 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida for Florida's 7th congressional district. Described as a "libertarian-conservative".^[47]

Former

• Eric Brakey, former Maine state senator (2014–2018) Unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2018. Worked for Ron Paul's 2012 campaign, led the Defense of Liberty PAC.^[48]
• Richard Tisei, former Massachusetts state senator and state Senate minority leader; identifies as a "traditional Northeast libertarian" in the social and fiscal senses.^[49]

Authors and scholars

• Nobel Prize–winning economist Milton Friedman^[50]

Others

• Glenn Jacobs, professional wrestler with WWE and current Republican Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.^[51][52]
• Kennedy, TV commentator and former MTV VJ^[53]
• Grover Norquist, anti-tax activist and Republican figure; economic libertarian identified with "support for supply-side economics and skepticism about climate science."^[54][55]
• P. J. O'Rourke, humorist, author – libertarian-conservative Republican, although he endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign.^[56][57]
• Austin Petersen, former Libertarian Party presidential candidate and former Republican candidate for US Senate in Missouri in 2018.^[58]
• Wayne Allyn Root, author and radio host^[59]
• Peter Schiff, investment broker – described as "libertarian" or "libertarian-leaning";^[60] unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the 2010 election for U.S. Senate in Connecticut.^[61]
• Mark Spitznagel, hedge fund manager^[62]
• Peter Thiel, Silicon Valley businessman, PayPal co-founder – a registered Republican and self-described libertarian.^[63][64]

See also

• Factions in the Republican Party
• Fusionism
• Libertarian conservatism
• Libertarian Democrat
• Libertarian perspectives on political alliances
• Liberty Caucus
• Old Right
• Paleolibertarianism
• Republican Liberty Caucus
• Right-libertarianism
• Rockefeller Republican
• South Park Republican

References

1. "A New Guide to the Republican Herd".
2. "In search of libertarians". 25 August 2014.
3. Cohn, Nate (17 August 2023). "The 6 Kinds of Republican Voters". The New York Times.
4. []https://rlc.org/history-of-the-rlc/]
5. "Statement of Principles & Positions". Republican Liberty Caucus. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
6. Robert Drape, Has the 'Libertarian Moment' Finally Arrived?, New York Times Magazine (August 7, 2016).
7. Ferris, Sarah (February 26, 2019). "House votes to block Trump's national emergency declaration". POLITICO.
8. "118th Congress Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs)" (PDF). cha.house.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
9. "The End of the Libertarian Dream?". Politico. 8 May 2020.
10. Deirdre Shesgreen, Ryan wins speaker's job without Massie, as Ohio Dem considers bid to oust Pelosi, USA Today (November 15, 2016).
11. Emma Dumain, Snowden Has a Few Defenders on the Hill, Roll Call (June 10, 2013).
12. Jeffrey Mervis, Meet Representative Thomas Massie: A Constitutional Conservative With an MIT Pedigree, Science (November 21, 2012).
13. Tracy, Abigail (March 3, 2020). ""The President's Big Into Buddy Checks": In the MAGA Circus with Matt Gaetz, Trump's Ultimate Protégé". Vanity Fair.
14. "Matt Gaetz Is Having a Bad Hair Day". Rolling Stone. February 13, 2020. Gaetz has a strong libertarian streak and (at times) has expressed support for legalized marijuana and LGBTQ rights
15. "How Not to Build a Transpartisan Coalition for Police Reform". 12 June 2020.
16. "Nancy Mace fights to keep fusionism in Congress". 13 June 2022.
17. Garrett Quinn (2012-05-30). "Justin Amash Defends Congress' Only Libertarian Seat: Democrats (and at least one moderate Republican) are taking aim at the "next Ron Paul."". Reason.com. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
18. "Former Rep. Justin Amash enters Michigan's jumbled GOP Senate primary". NBC News. 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
19. "Republicans are trying to unseat their own congressperson because he officiated a same-sex wedding". 12 May 2020.
20. "The earliest libertarian to gain standing within the Republican Party was Dana Rohrabacher". Archived from the original on June 26, 2012.
21. "Rising Star Ted Yoho, 'Republican with Libertarian Slant'". 17 August 2012.
22. "Bob Barr, Civil Libertarian". Reason.com. December 2003. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
23. Melanie Starkey (November 7, 2012). "113th Congress: Kerry Bentivolio, R-Mich. (11th District)". CQ Today. Congressional Quarterly. The libertarian-leaning Kerry Bentivolio secured his first elected position by running as an outsider...
24. Adam C. Smith & Alex Leary, Maverick Connie Mack keeps GOP Senate field waiting on 2012 run Archived 2016-08-27 at the Wayback Machine, Tampa Bay Times (February 18, 2011).
25. John Harwood, Libertarian Legion Stands Ready to Accept Torch From Paul, New York Times (August 25, 2012).
26. Brian Doherty, After Ron Paul, Then What?, New York Times (February 9, 2013).
27. Green, Joshua (August 5, 2011). "The Tea Party's Brain". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
28. Robert Draper, Has the 'Libertarian Moment' Finally Arrived?, New York Times Magazine (August 7, 2014).
29. David Boaz, Is Rand Paul a Real Libertarian?, Newsweek (April 6, 2015).
30. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, [1], The Week (January 13, 2016).
31. Nick Gillespie, GOP Should Side with Civil Libertarians Rand Paul and Mike Lee, Not Mitch McConnell and Tom Cotton, on Patriot Act Provisions, Reason (May 20, 2015).
32. "Senate Democrats split over legalizing weed". Politico. April 20, 2021. Libertarians like Republican Sens. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rand Paul of Kentucky signaled openness to descheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act
33. Fools Goldwater Archived March 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. National Review, 7-30-2006. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
34. Rothbard, Murray N. (February 25, 1972). "Exclusive Interview With Murray Rothbard". The New Banner: A Fortnightly Libertarian Journal.
35. "'This fever will break': Republican Jeff Flake on the slow fade of Trumpism | Republicans | the Guardian".
36. "Chris Sununu on the Issues". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
37. "Johnson said he's open to running as a Republican again". New Mexico Telegram. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
38. Kelly David Burke, Gary Johnson Switches to Libertarian Party, Fox News (December 28, 2011).
39. Josh Goodman, South Carolina's "Libertarian" Governor Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, Governing (August 4, 2008).
40. Emma Dumain, Mark Sanford turned down offer to run for Libertarian Party VP, The Post and Courier (June 16, 2016).
41. Blake, Aaron (April 25, 2013). "Ron Paul endorses Mark Sanford". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
42. "A Libertarian Ticket Sane Republicans Can Get Behind | Cato Institute". Archived from the original on 2016-05-21.
43. Bill Weld Drops out of New York Gubernatorial Race, Associated Press (June 6, 2006).
44. "Libertarian Gary Johnson picks former Mass. governor for VP". The Hill. May 18, 2019.
45. "Bill Weld officially announces he is challenging Trump for GOP nomination in 2020". CNN. April 16, 2019.
46. "Delegate Joins Senate Race to Challenge Tim Kaine". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
47. Scott Powers (July 16, 2021). "Stephanie Murphy collects $800K as Republicans stake CD 7 challenges". Florida Politics.
48. Moretto, Mario; Staff, B. D. N. (11 August 2013). "Libertarian group commends 10 GOP lawmakers, calls 21 Democrats 'constitutional threats'". The Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2017-07-30.
49. Garrett Quinn, Libertarian(ish) Candidates: If you want to find a few liberty-loving politicos, look lower on the ballot, Reason (November 2012).
50. Milton Friedman on the Charlie Rose Show Archived February 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. PBS, November 2005. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
51. "Glenn Jacobs, expected to be elected mayor is a libertarian. What that means for Knox County". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
52. McKirdy, Euan. "WWE wrestler Kane wins bid for Knox County mayor". CNN. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
53. Grove, Lloyd. "Lisa Kennedy Montgomery on Her Path From MTV to Fox Business." The Daily Beast. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
54. Hunter, Jack (November 30, 2012). "In Defense of Grover Norquist". The American Conservative.
55. Jonathan Chait, Should Liberals Be More Grateful to Grover Norquist?, New Republic (February 28, 2011): "[L]ibertarianism has many variations. Grover Norquist is a libertarian, and he has also decided to work entirely through the Republican Party and the conservative movement...The Kochs, like Norquist, define libertarianism primarily in economic terms. And they define economic libertarianism as support for supply-side economics and skepticism about climate science."
56. PJ O'Rourke, Satirist and Journalist (interview with Matt Wordsworth), Lateline ABC News (Australia) (July 28, 2016): "What drives a libertarian Republican to endorse a big government Democrat?"
57. P.J. O'Rourke on why Trump will collapse, Ann Coulter's a fraud, and how National Lampoon created modern comedy, Salon (interview with Andrew O'Hehir) (September 24, 2015): "Since at least the mid-'80s, O'Rourke has tried to stake out a zone on the libertarian-conservative wing of the Republican Party."
58. "Exclusive: Libertarian Activist Austin Petersen Is Running for U.S. Senate...as a Republican! [Reason Podcast]". July 4, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
59. Quinn, Garrett (September 14, 2012). "An Exit Interview With Wayne Allyn Root". Reason. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
60. Jason Brennan, Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know Oxford University Press, pp. 35, 169.
61. Brian Doherty, Peter Schiff Losing GOP Senate Primary in Connecticut, Reason (August 10, 2010).
62. Bradley, Richard (December 1, 2014). "The Goat Whisperer". Worth. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014.
63. Christine Mai-Duc, Silicon Valley tech mogul Peter Thiel to make history as he declares he's proud to be gay on the RNC stage, Los Angeles Times (July 22, 2016).
64. Ben Smith (September 14, 2012). "They're gay, conservative and proud". Politico. Thiel ... [is] a prominent supporter of libertarian causes.