Here Are the Libertarians Running for President – Outside the Bubble

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I think we’ve spent enough time mocking the Democrats running for President, and there are only two Republicans, who mock themselves enough. So let’s look at the Libertarians running for American’s highest office. Officially, 25 candidates have filed to run. Of course, not all of them are serious, so we’ll go through the ones with some legitimacy (convention appearances, spending, a website, etc.).

Adam Kokesh

Alphabetically, the first is Adam Kokesh. Technically, Kokesh is running for “Not-President,” on the platform of dissolving the federal government.

Kokesh is a longtime activist, mostly on the issue of war, being a veteran himself. Kokesh has made waves in libertarian circles for his impressive arrest record, mostly because of his activism. Kokesh raised just over $1300 [Editor: The Kokesh Campaign has indicated that the number is in fact $105,676.] in his bid for ridding the nation of its highest office, which is good for second in the Libertarian Party but obviously shadowed by any major candidate (it would be 30th among Democrats).

Third Party Watch found Kokesh in a March poll, with Kokesh receiving 34% of the vote in the 5-man field. You can read about or support Kokesh’s campaign at https://kokeshforpresident.com/.

Arvin Vohra

Second is the controversial Arvin Vohra. Vohra is notorious for his bold and radical (read, tactless) style, and he was elected Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party in 2014 but was later defeated by Alex Merced.

Vohra ran for Senate in Maryland in 2018, but finished fourth with 1%. He has also ran for Maryland House of Delegates and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Vohra was included in the aforementioned Third Party Watch poll, but gained no support. You can follow or support his campaign at http://www.votevohra.com/.

Benjamin Leder

Next is Benjamin Leder. Leder is the Chair of the Libertarian Party in Henderson County, Texas, and the state coordinator for the Radical Caucus.

He is a veterinarian and small business owner, and announced his presidential bid in March 2018, around the time he was elected to leadership positions within the party. You can follow or support his campaign at https://benleder.com/.

Dan Behrman

Dan “Taxation is Theft” Behrman is running for President, and yes, that will be his name on the ballot. At least, it’s what he put on his FEC filing.

The party activist known for his colorful hat with the saying on it has raised over $700 in his campaign, good for third in the party.

Behrman is not an anarchist, claiming on his website that “the government should work for the people.” He does believe in no coercion, and no taxation, though.

His name has not been listed on any major polls. He did previously run for state house in Texas, losing heads up to Democrat Justin Rodriguez, 77% to 23%. You can read more about Behrman and his campaign at https://behrman2020.com/.

Kimberly Ruff

Kimberly Ruff is the only candidate running with a running mate this early. Her presidential bid includes vice presidential candidate John Phillips.

She is the Secretary of the Libertarian Party Radical Caucus and is from Arizona. Phillips is the Region 6 representative.

Ruff is leading the party in fundraising with nearly $6,000, but she hasn’t been included on any major polls. Her ground effort has been substantial, though, so she certainly isn’t one to exclude. Her website is https://www.ruffphillips2020.com/ if you want to follow or support her and Phillips.

John McAfee

John McAfee, the creator of software company McAfee Associates, is running for President largely on the platform of cybersecurity, which he ran on in 2016 as well.

McAfee is best known as an eccentric millionaire. He has fled custody many times, and would likely be the first President to have been deported from Guatemala. He claims to have not filed taxes in more than 8 years, and he is being investigated for the 2012 murder of Gregory Viant Faull, a business partner, in Belize (he obviously denies this).

McAfee is a supporter of recreational hard drugs and prostitution not only politically, but in his personal life. He is married to a former prostitute and has been hospitalized for drug use on multiple occasions (and was recently in a brief coma, though he denies that it was drug related). He polled at 21% in the Third Party Watch poll. You can follow or learn about his campaign at https://mcafee2020hq.com/.

Vermin Supreme

Also in the race is political satirist Vermin Supreme.

Supreme polled at 2%, and his platform has been expanded to include not only mandatory brushing laws and free ponies, but a preparedness for a zombie apocalypse, and more funding for time travel research.

I can’t find a website for Supreme, but his Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/VerminSupreme/.

Sam Seder

Last, is progressive talk radio host Sam Seder. Seder is not officially declared, but in the earlier mentioned Third Party Watch poll, he polled in first place. The irony of this, of course, is that Seder is running ironically. He is an outspoken critic of American libertarianism and the Libertarian Party. Yet, he polled first among registered Libertarians. Perhaps they all though he was Ben Leder. He is the host of the podcast “The Majority Report.”

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It appears Libertarians will either need an incredibly unlikely strong performance from one of those mentioned here, or the entrance of someone like Justin Amash if they want to have an impact on the race. Others who could run include former New York gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe, but not much separates him on paper from those listed. Previous presumed frontrunner and former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld left the Libertarian Party to run as a Republican against Donald Trump.

All other candidates have no information available or funds raised. If they wish to be included, they can reach out to us in the comments or through our Facebook page.

Editor’s note: The Kokesh Campaign has indicated that they’ve raised $105,676., not $1300 as originally indicated in this article.

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Andrew Bartholomew

Andrew Bartholomew is a politics and election news writer from Iowa City, Iowa. He has previously worked for Young Americans for Liberty and was most recently the political director for a Republican congressional bid.

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