2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries

The **2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries** were the series of elections in order to determine who the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party will be for the 2024 United States presidential election. The primaries concluded at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, which was held from May 24, 2024, to May 26, 2024.

There were twelve candidates seeking the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, including Chase Oliver, Micheal Rectenwald, Art Olivier, Mike ter Maat, Jacob Hornberger, and Charles Ballay. Charles Ballay won the popular vote, but Chase Oliver won the nomination at the convention.

## Results

Candidates listed on multiple ballots and receiving at least 1% of the vote are listed. All  votes for other candidates are detailed under the other column.

|rowspan=3|Date|rowspan=3|Contest|colspan=9|Candidates and results|||||||||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|January 13|Arizona|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#E3D493;"|**2nd**|5th|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**1st**|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**3rd**|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**3rd**|5th|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#lightgrey;"|2 votes|
|January 15|Iowa|0%|1.1%|1.1%|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**42.7%**|style="background:#E3D493;"|**16.9%**|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**13.5%**|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**13.5%**|10.1%|style="background:#lightgrey;"|1.1%|||
|February 3|Alabama|4th|6th|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**3rd**|5th|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**1st**|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#E3D493;"|**2nd**|6th|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|||
|February 24|Mississippi|0%|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**11.8%**|style="background:#E3D493;"|**29.4%**|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**11.8%**|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**41.2%**|0%|0%|0%|5.9%||||
|February 27|Minnesota|2.3%|14.0%|0%|style="background:#E3D493;"|**23.3%**|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**20.9%**|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**30.2%**|4.7%|2.3%|2.3%|||||
|rowspan=2|March 2|Indiana|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|4.0%|style="background:#E3D493;"|**13.9%**|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**62.4%**|5.9%|4.0%|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**6.9%**|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|3.0%||
|Pennsylvania|2.2%|4.4%|0.1%|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**19.0%**|style="background:#E3D493;"|**22.6%**|16.1%|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**28.5%**|6.6%|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|||||
|rowspan=4|March 5|North Carolina|3.6%|7.0%|3.5%|style="background:#E3D493;"|**13.3%**|3.8%|7.0%|2.7%|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**18.7%** <small>946 votes</small>|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**40.5%**||||
|California|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**98.6%**|colspan=2 style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#E3D493;"|**1.4%**|colspan=5 style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_||||||||||
|Oklahoma|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#E3D493;"|**38.9%**|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**61.1%**|colspan=5 style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_||||||||
|Massachusetts|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**11.0%**|4.0%|style="background:#E3D493;"|**14.6%**|5.5%|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|3.2%|21.7%|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**40.0%**||||
|April 2|Connecticut|**0.0%**|style="background:#E3D493;"|**34.4%**|**0.0%**|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**65.6%**|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**0.0%**|**0.0%**|**0.0%**|**0.0%**|**0.0%**|||||
|May 5|Maine|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|0.0%|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**73.3%**|style="background:#E3D493;"|**13.3%**|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**6.7%**|0.0%|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**6.7%**|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|
|May 14|Nebraska|style="background:#E3D493;"|**21.2%**|style="background:#F0E3C7;"|**18.2%**|16.1%|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**27.6%**|10.7%|style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|6.2%|colspan=2 style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_||||
|June 4|New Mexico|colspan=2 style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#E6CF54;"|**56.5%**|colspan=5 style="background:lightgrey;"|_Not on ballot_|style="background:#E3D493;"|**43.5%**|||||||||
|colspan=2|**Totals as of June 5** (See Above)|**55.1%**|**5.0%**|**3.0%**|**8.6%**|**2.3%**|**1.0%**|**1.5%**|**7.7%**|**15.7%**||||||||

## Candidates

**<big>Nominee</big>**

### Eliminated at Convention

The major candidates meet at least one of these criteria:

A. Significant media coverage. B. Included in 2 different primary polls. C. Participated in at least 5 LNC-sanctioned Presidential Debates. D. Listed as a major candidate or included in polling averages by LNC or FOX News. E. Earned a significant number of votes. F. Won a primary contest.
|Image|Name|Born|Experience|Home state|Campaign|Ref.|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||**Charles Ballay**|January 1, 1970 (age 53)|**Otolaryngologist**|Louisiana|Campaign ----**August 23, 2023** FEC filing||
||**Jacob Hornberger**|January 1, 1950 (age 73) Laredo, Texas|**Attorney** Candidate for President of the United States in 2000 and 2020 Nominee for U.S. Senator from Virginia in 2002|Virginia|Campaign ----**February 20, 2023** FEC filing||
||**Lars Mapstead**|Big Sur, CA|**President of Fupa Games**|California|Campaign ----**March 23, 2021** FEC filing||
||**Art Olivier**|1957 (age 66) Lynwood, California|**Nominee for United States Vice President Nominee for California Governor in 2006 Mayor and member of the Bellflower, California city council 1994-1999**|California|**December 11, 2023** FEC filing||
||**Mike ter Maat**|Portland, Oregon|**Hallandale Beach police officer** Economist Nominee for FL-20 in 2022|Virginia|Campaign ----**April 18, 2022** FEC filing||
||**Michael Rectenwald**|January 29, 1959 (age 65) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|**Author and Scholar** Former New York University professor (2008–2019)|Pennsylvania|Campaign **August 28, 2023** FEC filing||
||**Joseph Collins Jr**.|February 23, 1964 (age 60)|**Buisnessman**|California|Campaign **October 26, 2023** FEC Filing||
||**Joshua Smith**|March 13, 1983 (age 41) Antioch, California|**Vice Chair of the Libertarian National Committee** (2022–2023)|Iowa|Campaign **July 24, 2023** FEC Filing||
||**Jodian “Jody” Jones**|Jacksonville, Florida|**Activist and Economist**|Florida|Campaign **January 6, 2024** FEC Filing||
||**Joshua “Toad” Anderson**|Boston, MA|**Activist**|Massachusetts|Campaign **July 24, 2023** FEC Filing||
**<big>Withdrew during Convention</big>**
|Image|Name|Born|Expirience|Home State|Campaign|Ref.|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||**Jason Karroll**|1974 Homosassa, Florida|**Preacher, Activist, and Wireless Advocates Manager**|North Carolina|Campaign **October 1, 2023**↵FEC Filing Withdrew May 26, 2024 (running as Independent)||

### Withdrew before primaries

|Image|Name|Born|Experience|Home state|Campaign|Ref.|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||**Joe Exotic**|March 5, 2023 (age 60) Garden City, Kansas|**Businessman and media personality** Owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park (1998–2018) Independent nominee for President of the United States in 2016 Candidate for Governor of Oklahoma in 2018|Indiana|Campaign ----**March 10, 2023** (withdrew on April 11, 2023) FEC filing||
||Keenan Dunham|July 16, 1981 (age 42) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Former Chairman of the Horry County, South Carolina Libertarian Party Candidate for President of the United States in 2016 and 2020|South Carolina|Campaign ----**July 18, 2023** FEC filing||

### Declined to be candidates

The following candidates expressed interest in a run or were rumored that they would run, but publicly declined to a run:

• Justin Amash, former United States Repersenative from MI-03 (2011–2021), member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 72nd district (2009–2011) _(running for U.S. Senate as a Republican)_

•Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental lawyer and founder of Children's Health Defense _(previously ran for the Democratic nomination; currently running as an independent)_

•Vivek Ramaswamy, Entrepreneur and CEO of Roivant Sciences (2014–2021) _(ran as a Republican; endorsed Trump)_

•Dave Smith, stand-up comedian, libertarian political commentator, and podcaster (endorsed Rectenwald)

• Vermin Supreme, performance artist, activist, political satirist, perennial candidate, and candidate for the 2020 Libertarian presidential nomination _(ran for the Democratic and Legal Marijuana Now nominations)_

## Primary Polling

**<big>Averages</big>**
|Pollster|Last Updated|Ballay|Oliver|Hornberger|Mapstead|Others|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|The George Micro Polls|May 7, 2024|63.31%|21.28%|4.25%|4.01%|3.18%|
**<big>Polls</big>**
|Poll Source|Sample Size|Date(s)|Hornberger|Mapstead|Oliver|Ballay|Rectenwald|ter Maat|Others|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Iowa State Fair Presidential Straw Poll|143|August 21, 2023|4%|2%|**19%**|||2%|**74%**|
|Suffolk University Massachusetts Poll|10|February 2, 2024 -February 5, 2024|**10%**|0%|**10%**||0%|0%|70%|
|2024 Iowa Youth Straw Poll|1,664|Unknown|4%|1%|6%|3%|1%|4%|**81%**|
|The George Micro Polls|169|April 19, 2024- April 21, 2024||6%|24%|**63%**|1%|4%|3%|

## Infobox (election)

- **election name**: 2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries
- **country**: United States
- **type**: primary
- **ongoing**: no
- **party name**: no
- **previous year**: 2020 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, 2020
- **election date**: January 13 to June 4, 2024
- **next year**: _2028_
- **image size**: 125px
- **votes for election**: Non-binding preferential vote
- **before election**: Jo Jorgensen
- **after election**: Chase Oliver
- **title**: Libertarian nominee
- **image1**:
- **candidate1**: Charles Ballay
- **colour1**: DDA9FF
- **home state1**: Louisiana
- **states carried1**: 1
- **popular vote1**: **22,337**
- **percentage1**: **55.1%**
- **image2**:
- **candidate2**: None of the above
- **colour2**: 000000
- **home state2**: —
- **states carried2**: 2
- **popular vote2**: 6,384
- **percentage2**: 15.7%
- **image3**:
- **candidate3**: **Chase Oliver**
- **colour3**: 218DDA
- **home state3**: Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia
- **states carried3**: **6**
- **popular vote3**: 3,498
- **percentage3**: 8.6%
- **image4**:
- **candidate4**: Jacob Hornberger
- **colour4**: DAA520
- **home state4**: Virginia
- **states carried4**: 0
- **popular vote4**: 2,043
- **percentage4**: 5.0%
- **image5**:
- **candidate5**: Lars Mapstead
- **colour5**: 533BA4
- **home state5**: California
- **states carried5**: 2
- **popular vote5**: 1,222
- **percentage5**: 3.0%
- **image6**:
- **candidate6**: Michael Rectenwald
- **colour6**: C72532
- **home state6**: Pennsylvania
- **states carried6**: 2
- **popular vote6**: 943
- **percentage6**: 2.3%
- **image7**:
- **candidate7**: Mike ter Maat
- **colour7**: 6F2900
- **home state7**: Florida
- **states carried7**: 1
- **popular vote7**: 589
- **percentage7**: 1.5%
- **image8**:
- **candidate8**: Joshua Smith
- **colour8**: 10A742
- **home state8**: Iowa
- **states carried8**: 1
- **popular vote8**: 416
- **percentage8**: 1.0%
- **map caption**: **First place by first-instance vote**