Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump –and the Libertarian Party?
That’s right, the Libertarian Party is making its way onto at least 32 state ballots for the 2016 presidential candidate election.
The U.S.’s third-largest political party has its convention happening in Orlando this weekend with former New Mexico Governor poised to be the party’s nominee for the second straight election cycle.
The party has traditionally espoused views encouraging small government and more autonomy for individual citizens to make choices about how they live their lives. Some research even suggests that millennials are more likely to identify as Libertarians, which lends some credibility to the idea that the Libertarian movement is on the rise.
What does a Libertarian candidate look like? Meet Austin Peterson, owner and CEO of publishing consulting firm Stonegait, and a Libertarian Party presidential candidate hopeful who believes in economic freedom and personal liberty.
He describes himself as “Pro Liberty, Pro Life and Pro Constitution” in his twitter bio and was recently vocal about supporting same-sex marriage at the May 16 Libertarian Party debate in Nevada. One point Peterson has stressed about Libertarianism is that the party’s ideas are marketed incorrectly.
How do Peterson’s ideas differ from his fellow candidates? What are some of his biggest national concerns and how does he plan to address them? Will the #NeverTrump #NeverClinton movement pick up steam with the help of the Libertarian Party? Can the Libertarian Party change the dynamic of the current election?
Guests:
Matt Welch, editor-in-chief at Reason Magazine and co-author of the book "The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America"; he tweets
Austin Petersen, 2016 Libertarian Party presidential candidate; he is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services; he tweets