The Libertarian Party in the United States made a unique choice for its presidential nominee following speeches given by Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the party’s convention over Memorial Day Weekend.
On May 26, the Libertarian Party nominated Chase Oliver for the position of U.S. president, providing a recognizable face for the country’s third-largest political party leading up to the November 2024 elections. At 38 years old, Oliver enters the presidential race with the majority of U.S. citizens expected to vote for either President Joe Biden or Donald Trump, the presumptive nominees for their respective Democratic and Republican parties.
Oliver’s nomination came after Trump addressed the Libertarian Party convention on May 25. Reports indicate that many attendees booed the former president or shouted insults, accusing him of being a “liar” and “panderer” for falsely embodying the party’s values. RFK Jr. also spoke at the convention on May 24 but received only 2% of the vote, disqualifying him as a nominee.
Many members of the Libertarian Party have shown support for cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC). The party’s platform asserts that individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should have the freedom to use any mutually agreeable commodity or item as a form of money.
Although Oliver has publicly expressed his views on the economy and individual choice, his stance on digital assets could not be found at the time of publication. However, he does support the release of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who is currently serving two life sentences for his involvement in launching and operating the online marketplace.
Republican Corbin Sabol stated in a May 26 X post, “Trump said he will put a Libertarian in his cabinet, protect crypto, prevent [a central bank digital currency] and commute Ross’ sentence. Yet that’s not good enough for Libertarians… they nominated Chase Oliver and probably won’t even get 3% this time.”
Oliver has also called for the nomination of Mike ter Maat as his running mate. Ter Maat, a 63-year-old native of Portland, opposes the Federal Reserve issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and advocates for unregulated cryptocurrency. He also supports imposing prison time on former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried for defrauding customers.
Although the Libertarian Party is the third-largest in the United States, it only received approximately 3% of the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election and is unlikely to secure a victory in 2024. However, due to the Electoral College’s “winner-take-all” system in many U.S. states, any third-party presidential candidate has the potential to influence an election by drawing votes away from President Biden or Trump.
With less than six months remaining until U.S. Election Day on November 5, Trump has been increasingly vocal about cryptocurrency. In May, he announced that he would accept campaign donations in digital assets and expressed a positive and open-minded attitude toward the technology. President Biden will likely have three crypto-focused bills to consider before November, which could impact the preferences of some voters.