Austin Petersen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Petersen in 2018 | |
| Born | Austin Wade Petersen (1981-02-19)February 19, 1981 (age 44) Independence, Missouri, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Southwest Missouri State University |
| Occupation(s) | Political activist, radio show host, writer, publisher, political commentator, film and television producer |
| Political party | Republican (2017–present) Libertarian (before 2017) |
| Spouse | |
| Website | austinpetersen |
Austin Wade Petersen (born February 19, 1981) is an American nonfiction writer, politician, activist,commentator, and broadcaster. He is the host of the Wake Up America show daily newscast. He was the runner-up for theLibertarian Party's nomination forPresident of the United States in2016,[1] finishing second place toGary Johnson with 21.9% of the vote.[2][3]
On August 7, 2018, he finished third in theU.S. Senate Republican primary in Missouri with 8.3% of the vote, behind winnerJosh Hawley and runner-up Tony Monetti.[4]
Petersen was raised on a farm inPeculiar, Missouri, the son of Donna and John D. Petersen. He attendedSouthwest Missouri State University, where he graduated with a degree inmusical theater.[5][6]
Petersen's early career included stints as amodel and as a product demonstrator atFAO Schwarz; at the latter position, he briefly appeared during aLate Night with Conan O'Brien sketch filmed at the store.[5]
In 2008 Petersen worked for theLibertarian National Committee and theAtlas Network, assisting on the2008 and2012 presidential bids of formerU.S. Representative fromTexas,Ron Paul.[5] He was anassociate producer at theFox Business programFreedom Watch with Judge Napolitano, which aired from 2010 to 2012, and later went to work as director of production at the conservativeadvocacy groupFreedomWorks.[5][6] Petersen has also been a frequent guest on theRT programThe Big Picture with Thom Hartmann.[7]
Petersen served as an executive producer of the 2014 filmAlongside Night, an adaptation of the novel of the same name which promotedagorism, ananarcho-capitalist political philosophy. Several prominent Libertarian figures, such asRon Paul andAdam Kokesh, appeared in the film.
As of 2018, Petersen was the owner and CEO of a photo and video consulting firm called Stonegait LLC[citation needed] and is the founder ofThe Libertarian Republic andLiberty Viral – bothlibertarian news and commentary websites.[citation needed] Heran for the United States Senate as a Republican in2018, but was defeated in the primary by Missouri's Attorney GeneralJosh Hawley.[8] In 2019, Austin Petersen took over as the host of the KWOS Morning Show on Jefferson City but stepped down to host the Wake Up America show in September 2022.
By 2015, Petersen was living inKansas City, Missouri, "behind a midtownQuikTrip" when he announced his candidacy in the2016 Libertarian Party nominating convention forPresident of the United States.[5][9][10] Writing in theLos Angeles Times, he was described byReason editorMatt Welch as "an eager libertarian dudebro on the make".[11]
Petersen called himself theBernie Sanders of the Libertarian Party due to hisgrassroots fundraising strategy.[12][13] AfterTed Cruz terminated his campaign for theRepublican Party's nomination for president, Petersen received the backing ofMary Matalin andErick Erickson.[14][15] In many polls, he placed in the top three presidential choices for his party, along with opponentsJohn McAfee andGary Johnson. On May 29, 2016, at the Libertarian National Convention, Petersen lost the nomination to Johnson, getting second place on the second ballot.[16] Petersen congratulated Johnson on the win and gave him a replica ofGeorge Washington's pistol. Petersen then criticized Johnson's vice presidential pickBill Weld, in response to which Johnson placed the replica into a garbage can.[17][18]
Petersen, thereafter, endorsedJohnson for president.[19]
In late June 2017, Petersen filed anexploratory committee to consider running for the U.S. Senate seat in Missouri.[20] On July 4, 2017, Petersen formally announced his bid for the Republican nomination in the2018 Missouri Senate race.[21]
In September 2017, Petersen was banned fromFacebook during his senate campaign for giving away anAR-15 style rifle as a promotion and criticizing hisDemocratic opponentClaire McCaskill's positions ongun rights.[22] The ban was lifted afterFox News[23] and theNew York Post[24] reported that Facebook's COOSheryl Sandberg had made max donations to McCaskill's campaign. The raffle drew renewed controversy in February 2018 when theschool shooting in Parkland, Florida caused theSpringfield News-Leader to investigate.[25]KMOV inSt. Louis scrutinized Petersen over his views on gun control in light of the shooting.[26]
Petersen also reportedly received the national record for the largestBitcoin donation in American campaign history.[27] Fox News reported in January 2018 that Petersen was one of two "potential general election challengers" in the election.[28]
Petersen officially filed with theMissouri Secretary of State for the US Senate seat as a Republican on February 28, 2018.[29]
On March 6, Petersen announced a new AR-15 raffle on Facebook. His personal page was banned after the livestream was recorded.[23] In July he announced a raffle for a machine, similar to a 3-D printer, that can produce "untraceable gun parts". His campaign said 3-D printing technology has been described as the "end of gun control".[30]
In the runup to the Republican primary election in August, PresidentDonald Trump endorsed Petersen's rivalJosh Hawley and campaigned for him. Petersen expressed displeasure about Trump's involvement in the primary.[31] In the August 7 primary Petersen came in third with 8.3% of the vote.[32]
Petersen has voiced and published his rejection of thenon-aggression principle.[34][35][36][37] Petersen describes himself as aminarchist.[38] During his presidential campaign, he maintained that he had a "consistent pro-life ethic," meaning he is bothpro-life and anti-death penalty.[10] He opposes thewar on drugs.[12] He is anon-interventionist on most matters of foreign policy[39] and applies afree-market capitalist approach to economics.
On social media and in interviews, Petersen has described himself variously as anagnostic and anatheist.[40][41][42] He grew up as aChristian, though in a 2016 interview withGlenn Beck, Petersen spoke about how the death of his mother changed his religious views: "When I was a young man my mother died, and she was victimized by a pharmacist who diluted her chemotherapy drugs. I lost my faith and I never went back."[43]
Petersen resides inJefferson City, Missouri.[5][6]
Petersen married Stephanie Renee Cole on October 23, 2021.[44]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Josh Hawley | 389,878 | 58.6% | |
| Republican | Tony Monetti | 64,834 | 9.8% | |
| Republican | Austin Petersen | 54,916 | 8.3% | |
| Republican | Kristi Nichols | 49,640 | 7.5% | |
| Republican | Christina Smith | 35,024 | 5.3% | |
| Republican | Ken Patterson | 19,579 | 3.0% | |
| Republican | Peter Pfeifer | 16,594 | 2.5% | |
| Republican | Courtland Sykes | 13,870 | 2.1% | |
| Republican | Fred Ryman | 8,781 | 1.3% | |
| Republican | Brian Hagg | 6,871 | 1.0% | |
| Republican | Bradley Krembs | 4,902 | 0.7% | |
| Total votes | 664,889 | 100% | ||
