WASHINGTON (AP) — The Libertarian Party nominated a party activist Sunday Chase Oliver for president, with former President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were rejected after each spoke at the party convention.
Third parties have rarely been competitive in US presidential elections, with the libertarian candidate winning 1% of the vote four years ago. But the party’s decision is getting more attention this year because of the rematch between Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden, which could once again hinge on narrow voting margins in a handful of contested states.
“We did it! I’m officially the presidential candidate,” Oliver posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. “It’s time to unite and move forward for freedom.”
Trump appeared at the convention in Washington on Saturday evening to deliver a speech that was repeatedly booed by many in the audience. The support he requested came to nothing, although his Republican allies praised him on Sunday for choosing to appear before an unfriendly crowd.
Kennedy received a friendlier reception when he spoke Friday, attacking both Trump and Biden for their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had expressed support for the Libertarians, and an endorsement could have helped him expedite the process of accessing ballots in all fifty states, perhaps the biggest hurdle he faces in qualifying for the first presidential debate organized in June by CNN.
Libertarians prioritize small government and individual freedoms, with a mix of policy positions that can be seen as liberal, conservative, or neither.
Oliver is an activist from Atlanta who previously ran for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia. His campaign website calls for major cuts to the federal budget with a view to balancing the budget, abolishing the death penalty, closing all overseas military bases and ending military aid to Israel and Ukraine.
