Source: Mother Jones
by Tim Murphy
“In 2016, the Libertarians had their best-ever presidential election showing by a factor of three. Dissatisfied by two unpopular major-party nominees, nearly 4.5 million people voted for the strange-but-plausible pairing of former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and ex–Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld. Running on a promise of ‘socially liberal, fiscally conservative’ governance, they exceeded the margin of victory in 11 states and raised more than $11 million. It was the best performance by a third party in a presidential election since Ross Perot. Then it all fell apart. Under the auspices of expanding the tent, some within the LP — and a fair number outside of it — began clamoring for a different kind of party: more aggressive, more offensive, and more right-wing. They weren’t interested in third-place showings; it wasn’t entirely clear if they were interested in competing at all. What’s followed has been more than seven years of spectacularly messy infighting.” (for publication 05/24)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/04/the-spectacular-implosion-of-the-libertarian-party/