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

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, more radical 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 almost all abortions.[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 consider themselves 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

Cabinet-level officials

Representatives

Former representatives

Senators

  • Rand Paul, U.S. Senator from Kentucky (2011–present) – is sometimes regarded as libertarian-leaning,[31] 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."[32]
  • Mike Lee, U.S. Senator from Utah (2011–present) – described as an economic and civil libertarian.[33][34]
  • Cynthia Lummis, U.S. Senator from Wyoming (2021–present) – self-describes as a "libertarian-leaning Republican".[35][36]

Former senators

State governors

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,[41] but switched from the Republican Party to the Libertarian Party later that year,[42] serving as the Libertarian nominee for president in 2012 and 2016.
  • William Weld, 68th Governor of Massachusetts (1991–1997) – As a Republican governor of Massachusetts, Weld self-identified as a libertarian Republican.[43] Later, Weld drifted toward the Libertarian Party. In 2006, Weld unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for New York governor; he gained the Libertarian Party endorsement that year before dropping out of the race.[44] In 2016, Weld joined the Libertarian Party to run for vice president as the running mate of Gary Johnson.[45] In 2019, Weld rejoined the Republican Party to launch a primary challenge to President Donald Trump.[46]
  • Paul LePage, 74th Governor of Maine (2011–2019) – according to Politico "an insurgency of libertarian activists" supported LePage for Governor in 2010 and LePage has called for a return to Austrian economics.[47]

State legislators

Former

Authors and scholars

Others

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "A New Guide to the Republican Herd".
  2. "In search of libertarians".
  3. "The 6 Kinds of Republican Voters".
  4. 1 2 []https://rlc.org/history-of-the-rlc/]
  5. "Statement of Principles & Positions". Republican Liberty Caucus. 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. "Why David Stockman isn't buying it". CBS News. March 2, 2012.
  11. Deirdre Shesgreen, Ryan wins speaker's job without Massie, as Ohio Dem considers bid to oust Pelosi, USA Today (November 15, 2016).
  12. Emma Dumain, Snowden Has a Few Defenders on the Hill, Roll Call (June 10, 2013).
  13. Jeffrey Mervis, Meet Representative Thomas Massie: A Constitutional Conservative With an MIT Pedigree, Science (November 21, 2012).
  14. 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.
  15. "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
  16. "How Not to Build a Transpartisan Coalition for Police Reform". 12 June 2020.
  17. "Nancy Mace fights to keep fusionism in Congress". 13 June 2022.
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  33. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, , The Week (January 13, 2016).
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