LIBERTARIAN PARTY HISTORY

July 5, 2000
		The following is a history of the Libertarian Party since its founding in 1971. Since then, the party has grown to the country's third largest.

Online NewsHour Special Report: Election 2000 July 5, 2000: A look at Libertarianism July 5, 2000: Libertarian Party history July 5, 2000: The 2000 Libertarian Party presidential candidates July 24, 1997: A Gergen dialogue with Charles Murray on "What It Means to Be a Libertarian" July 10, 1996: An interview with presidential candidate Harry Browne June 26, 2000: The Green Party nominates Ralph Nader. April 27, 2000: Texas Governor George W. Bush. March 14, 2000 Vice President Al Gore Browse the NewsHour's coverage of politics     News for Students: Submit a question for the 2000 presidential candidates   The Libertarian Party Harry Browne for President	1971 Libertarian Party is founded December 11 by David Nolan. 1972 First national convention held in June in Denver, Colorado. John Hospers, a philosophy professor at the University of Southern California, is nominated as presidential candidate. LP vice presidential candidate Tonie Nathan becomes the first woman in U.S. history to receive an electoral vote. 1975 National convention in New York City. Roger MacBride is nominated as the LP's presidential candidate, David Bergland as his running mate. 1976 Party earns ballot status in 32 states, and receives over 170,000 votes in presidential election. 1978 Ed Clark receives 5 percent of the vote in his race for governor of California. Dick Randolph of Alaska becomes the first elected Libertarian state legislator. 1979 Presidential convention held in Los Angeles. Ed Clark and David Koch named as presidential and vice presidential candidates. Permanent ballot status achieved in California; more than 80,000 voters register Libertarian.
	Party history since 1980
	1980 Libertarian Party appears on the ballot in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, and receives almost one million votes. Clark campaign runs extensive national television ads, offering many Americans their first look at the party. Dick Randolph is reelected to Alaska state legislature; Ken Fanning elected to first term. 1982 Louisiana congressional candidate James Agnew receives 23 percent of the vote. Alaska gubernatorial candidate Dick Randolph receives 15 percent. Arizona gubernatorial candidate Sam Steiger receives 5 percent. 1983 David Bergland is nominated in New York City as the presidential candidate; Jim Lewis is running mate. 1984 On the ballot in 39 states, David Bergland and Jim Lewis come in third for president for the first time in party history. Bergland publishes Libertarianism in One Lesson, a campaign book that eventually sells over 75,000 copies, and is still used by the party as an introductory text. Andre Marrou becomes the third Libertarian elected to the Alaska legislature. Libertarians are elected to 11 more local offices around the country. 1986 More than 200 candidates across the United States receive 2.9 million votes. Ray Cullen, candidate for treasurer in California, gets 570,000 votes, the largest vote total ever for a third party candidate in California. 1987 Doug Anderson is elected elections commissioner in Denver. Libertarians are elected to every seat on the city council in Big Water, Utah. Former U.S. Congressman Ron Paul resigns from the Republican Party and joins the Libertarian Party. Seattle convention nominates Ron Paul for president, Andre Marrou for vice president. 1988 Ron Paul, on the ballot in 46 states and the District of Columbia, comes in third, receiving more than 430,000 votes nationwide -- almost twice the total of any other "third" party. 1990 Approximately 2 million people vote for Libertarian candidates. Election Day is "Double Digit Day," as numerous Libertarian candidates for U.S. Congress and state house draw percentage numbers in teens, 20s, and 30s. New Mexico state legislature candidate Illa Mae Bolton gets 31 percent of vote. California congressional candidate Joe Shea receives 27 percent of vote. More than 440,000 Texans vote for Court of Criminal Appeals candidate Carol Caul. 1991 New Hampshire state legislators Calvin Warburton and Finlay Rothhaus resign from the Republican Party and join Libertarian Party. Chicago nominating convention names Andre Marrou and Nancy Lord as presidential/vice presidential ticket. 1992 In the general election, four Libertarian state legislators are elected in New Hampshire, with Don Gorman and Andy Borsa joining Warburton and Rothhaus who were reelected. Party's presidential nominees are on ballot in all 50 states, D.C., and Guam, the only party other than the Democrats and Republicans to achieve this goal. The more than 700 party candidates nationwide receive more than 3.7 million votes for state and federal offices. The 23 Libertarian candidates for U.S. Senate receive more than 1 million votes, the highest total for a nationally organized third party since 1914. Party retains ballot status in 16 states following the 1992 election, two more than it had after the 1988 election. 1993 In "off-year" elections, 15 Libertarians win public office, scoring victories in local and county races across the country. Miriam Luce is appointed to the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission, Bonnie Flickinger wins election as Mayor of Moreno Valley, Calif., and Dr. Jimmy Blake wins a seat on the City Council in Birmingham, Ala. 1994 In New Hampshire, Jim McClarin elected to state legislature; incumbent Don Gorman is reelected. 1995 In November, Libertarians are elected to city councils in Avondale Estates, Ga., Auburn, Ga., and Brighton, Colo. 1996 The Libertarian Party becomes the first third party in American history to earn ballot status in all 50 states two presidential elections in a row. At the nominating convention in Washington, DC, best-selling author Harry Browne receives nomination. He wins 485,759 votes in the general election, the second-best showing in party history. 1997 Another record-setting "off-year" election for the Libertarian Party, with 39 Libertarians elected to office in November -- including four city council winners: Fred Collins (Berkley, Michigan); Ron Wittig (New Meadows, Idaho); Bob DeBrosse (Piqua, Ohio); and John Gearhart (Palous, Washington). In all, 64 party members join the ranks of Libertarian office-holders during the course of the year. 1998 African-American civil rights leader Roy Innis and talk radio powerhouse Art Bell join the party. In November, the party sets a new record by running 853 candidates in 44 states. 19 win seats. 1999 Fourteen Libertarians are elected to office in local spring elections, and more than 200 Libertarian candidates are on the ballot in state and local elections in November. Source: Libertarian Party Web site

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