2018: The Year of the Libertarian Party?

Libertarians had high hopes last presidential race. The two candidates offered by the major parties were hated, so libertarians thought 2016 was their big chance.

It didn't turn out that way.

Johnson only got 3.5% of the vote. John Stossel asks, "is that really winning?" "We're growing, and they're dying," answers Sarwark. "Voter registration identity with Republicans and Democrats is dropping. Voter registration identity with Libertarians is the only party that's growing."

The fight isn't easy. Republicans and Democrats try to keep Libertarians off the ballot. But Sarwark says the plan for this year's midterm elections is "to be on the ballot in all 50 states. We'll definitely be on the ballot in all 50 states in 2020."

Gary Johnson helped the Libertarian Party get on ballots. "But it's not about any particular candidate" says Sarwark. "That's the real difference between the Libertarian Party and, say, Ross Perot. When Ross Perot gets tired of running for office, there's nothing there anymore."

Stossel talks to Nicholas Sarwark about what we can learn from the last election, and what the future holds for libertarians and the Libertarian Party.

[scawarren]

Rand Paul is way more libertarian than Gary Johnson and he runs under the Republican ticket. I'll back the person not the party.

[TotoFrancey]

John Stossel. Libertarian Presidential Candidate for 2020. Let's get it done.

[DavidPimentel]

If Johnson was the best candidate available, then this movement was doomed to fail.

[shaynebates]

"The Libertarian Party is the only party that's growing."

Yeah, by 0.1% (rounded)

[Moore-sp]

Johnson didn't make it popular, Ron Paul did!!!!

[chiefenumclaw]

If Gary Johnson is a libertarian I'm the queen of England.

[matthewdagnan]

Ron paul should have been the candidate

[davidcisco]

A Libertarian label on a candidate DOES NOT make the person a Libertarian. (For example Johnson)

[dannyduchamp]

Stop pretending Gary Johnson was anything other than a disaster.

[MentalDuck]

I honestly feel libertarians have a better chance running as Republicans and making that party more libertarian (aka Paul, Amash, Massie). We don't have the structure in the United States that allows 3rd parties to be viable. We're not Europe with proportional elections.

[gerhardbraatz]

If you want to be taken seriously you have got to elect better candidates. I, m conservative, leaning heavily toward libertarian principals, but Johnson, really.

[r.c.]

what you to do is first win some small towns, later cities and after that a state, if you win a state and this state goes well, the people will join, you need hundreds of small victories to become a political power in the US

[GretchentheAlligator]

If you follow the constitution to the T instead of screwing us over with laws and new regulations, and furthermore ignoring the constitution then I will vote for you, I want a constutionalist as president!

[unreal]

Gary Johnson is proof the libertarian party is not what they claim to be. If they had a candidate that stood for what the party says they do, it may have been different. If Johnson is the best they could come up with, it's doomed.

[KevinPlemons]

Same thing happens to the Constitution Party. Media blackout and not allowed to participate in national debates. Good ole boys gotta keep republicans and democrats in office.

[Fluff_Panda]

Even though I'm conservative, I support the libertarian movement

[chevy]

I didn't like Johnson, he sounded to much like a Democrat for my taste.

[axelolsson]

I am a libertarian, I do not associate with the Libertarian party. Gary Johnson was not a good candidate. To be honest, I am very happy with our current president given the circumstances
He is my favorite president in recent history

[nathanadams]

I changed my political party affiliation to libertarian last month.

[williambilyeu]

Gary Johnson was a good Governor of New Mexico but he was sick and dependent on marijuana during the presidential campaign. Worse the vice-presidential candidate was for gun control which is in opposition to the Libertarian Party platform.