The Freedom Party on Sunday, the party nominated activist Chase Oliver for president, rejecting former Presidents Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. each one spoke at the party congress.
Third parties have rarely contested US presidential elections, and four years ago the Libertarian candidate won 1% of the vote. But the party’s decision is getting more attention this year because of the rematch between Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden, which again could hinge on narrow margins in several contested states.
“We did it! I’m officially running for president,” Oliver wrote on Sunday on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s time to unite and march forward for freedom.”
Trump appeared at the convention in Washington on Saturday evening give a speech that is repeatedly praised by many in the room. On Sunday, Republican allies praised him for choosing to go before an unfriendly crowd, but it didn’t come with the approval he sought.
Kennedy received more kindly when he spoke on Friday and attacked both Trump and Biden for their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has touted his support for the Libertarians, and an endorsement could help him speed up the process of getting on the ballot, possibly in all 50 states. is the biggest obstacle he faces in the qualifying round For the first presidential debate hosted by CNN in June.
Libertarians favor small government and individual liberties, with a mix of political positions that can be seen as liberal, conservative, or neither.
Oliver is an activist from Atlanta who previously ran for the US Senate and the US House of Representatives from Georgia. His campaign website calls for major cuts in the federal budget to balance the budget, abolish the death penalty and close all overseas military bases and end military support to Israel and Ukraine.