2025 Libertarian National Committee chair special election

2025 Libertarian National Committee chair special election

←  2024 February 2, 2025 (2025-02-02)
15 members of the LNC who voted 8 votes needed to win
Candidate Steven Nekhaila Michael Heise Vote 9 6 Percentage 60% 40%
Chair before election Angela McArdle Elected Chair Steven Nekhaila

The 2025 Libertarian National Committee chair special election was held on February 2, 2025 ^{[1] [2]} by the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), the governing body of the United States Libertarian Party (LP), to elect their next chairperson, after their chair Angela McArdle announced her resignation on January 25, 2025. ^{[3] [4]}

On the evening of February 2, Steven Nekhaila of Florida was elected the new LNC Chair. ^[5]

Background

Angela McArdle was re-elected as LNC Chair at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention. She was first elected to the position in May 2022, as part of the "Mises Caucus takeover" of the Libertarian Party. ^[6] The party had experienced a shift to the right under her first term as Chair. ^[7]

In her second term, McArdle attracted controversies within the party over her actions as Chair after Donald Trump's appearance at the 2024 Libertarian convention. McArdle endorsed Libertarian nominee Chase Oliver in the 2024 United States presidential election as a vehicle for Trump's victory, although she had been accused by her critics of being disloyal to the Libertarian Party during a dispute over Oliver's ballot access in Colorado. McArdle also had been accused of being involved in self-interested transactions. ^{[8] [9]}

On January 21, 2025, new allegations emerge that McArdle did not disclose gifts made to her domestic partner from the Party's funds, which lead to calls within the party for her resignation. ^{[10] [11] [12] [13]} On January 25, McArdle announces her intent to resign, citing new opportunities, and will continue in the role until a successor is chosen. ^[4]

Candidates

Declared

The following candidates decided to run, or had accepted a nomination during the election.

• Michael Heise, Founder and Chair of the Mises Caucus. ^[14]
• Steven Nekhaila, LNC At-large member. ^[15]

• 
  Mises Caucus founder
  Michael Heise

Withdrawn consideration

The following candidates were previously publicly considering running, but have later decided not to accept any nominations.

• Justin Amash, former U.S. Representative from Michigan (2011-2021), and former Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2024. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

• 
  Former U.S. Representative
  Justin Amash
  (2011-2021)

Declined

• Chase Oliver, 2024 Libertarian nominee for US President. ^[19]

Endorsements

Michael Heise

• Dave Smith, comedian and libertarian activist ^[20]
• Angela McArdle, outgoing LNC Chair ^[21]
• Mises Caucus ^[14]

Justin Amash

• Brittany Kosin, Founder of the Libertarian Medical Freedom Caucus, Candidate for LNC At-Large, and libertarian activist ^[22]
• Nolan Schmidt, Political Columnist, Candidate for LNC At-Large, and Libertarian Party of Texas SLEC District 21 Representative ^[23]
• Libertarian Medical Freedom Caucus ^[24]

Results

Steven Nekhaila defeated Michael Heise by a vote of 9-6. ^[5]

Reactions

On February 2, the Libertarian Party of Colorado condemned the LNC for "the accelerated and opaque process" in selecting a new Chair. ^[25]

See also

• 2025 Democratic National Committee chairmanship election
• 2024 Republican National Committee leadership elections
• 2021 Libertarian National Committee chair special election
• Factions in the Libertarian Party (United States)

References

1. "LNC Special Meeting Now February 2 – Third Party Watch". 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
2. "Libertarian Party Chooses a New National Chair on Sunday Evening, February 2 |". 2025-02-02. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
3. "Libertarian National Chair Announces Intent to Resign Soon |". 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
4. "Libertarian National Committee Chair Resigns, Citing New Opportunities". Independent Political Report. 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
5. "Steven Nekhaila Elected Chair of the Libertarian National Committee |". 2025-02-02. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
6. Doherty, Brian (2022-05-29). "Mises Caucus Takes Control of Libertarian Party". Reason.com. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
7. "Libertarian Party Is Fighting a Civil War Over Its Right-Wing Mises Caucus". web.archive.org. 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
8. Doherty, Brian (2024-07-11). "The Libertarian Party vs. Chase Oliver". Reason.com. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
9. Doherty, Brian (2024-10-10). "Libertarian Party secretary files lawsuit to remove party chair Angela McArdle". Reason.com. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
10. "Libertarian National Committee Votes on Motion to Terminate Contract with Freedom Calls LLC Voter Outreach Firm". Independent Political Report. 2025-01-22. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
11. "Apparent New Libertarian Graft — $90K Apparently to McArdle's Boyfriend – Third Party Watch". 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
12. "LP Arizona Calls for McArdle's Suspension – Third Party Watch". 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
13. "Arizona Libertarian Party Urges Suspension and Formal Investigation of National Party Chair". Independent Political Report. 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
14. "Mises Caucus Launches Campaign — Heise for Chair – Third Party Watch". 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
15. Doherty, Brian (2025-02-04). "Libertarian Party gets new national chair after Angela McArdle's surprise resignation". Reason.com. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
16. "Former Rep. Justin Amash Open to Consideration for Libertarian National Committee Chair Role". Independent Political Report. 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
17. "Justin Amash (@justinamash) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
18. "LNC Special Meeting, February 2, 2025 – Third Party Watch". 2025-02-02. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
19. Oliver, Chase (Jan 30, 2025). "Am I running for LNC Chair?" – via Twitter.com.
20. Smith, Dave (Jan 27, 2025). "I fully support @MisesChair as the next LNC chair. He's obviously the guy to take the helm now" – via Twitter.com.
21. McArdle, Angela (Jan 25, 2025). "I will continue to support @MisesChair with his fundraising efforts for as long as I can, and would love to see him" – via Twitter.com.
22. Kosin, Brittany (Feb 1, 2025). "It is with great excitement and unwavering confidence that I endorse @justinamash for leadership within the @LPNational. Justin represents the kind of principled, liberty-minded leadership that our movement needs to grow, unite, and succeed in achieving real change" – via Twitter.com.
23. Schmidt, Nolan (Feb 1, 2025). "I, Nolan Schmidt, proudly endorse @justinamash for LNC Chair! The party needs to bring back their principles, and I strongly believe that he is the only one who will be able to do so!" – via Twitter.com.
24. "Endorsement of Justin Amash from the Libertarian Medical Freedom Caucus". 2025-02-01. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
25. "We, the Libertarian Party of Colorado, strongly condemn the accelerated and opaque process to appoint a new LNC Chair". 2025-02-02. Retrieved 2025-02-02.