Libertarian Party of California | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | LPCA |
| Chairman | Loren Dean |
| Founded | 1971; 54 years ago (1971) |
| Headquarters | 428 J Street, Suite 400 Sacramento, CA 95814[1] |
| Membership(Oct 2025) |  232,855[2] |
| Ideology | Libertarianism[3] Non-interventionism[4] Fiscal conservatism[5] Economic liberalism[5] Cultural liberalism[5] Laissez-faire[5] |
| Senate | 0 / 40 |
| House of Representatives | 0 / 80 |
| U.S. Senate | 0 / 2 |
| U.S. House of Representatives | 0 / 52 |
| Statewide Executive Offices1 | 0 / 8 |
| Elected officials | 6 (June 2024)[update][6] |
| Website | |
| ca | |
1California Department of Education is anonpartisan state executive position. | |
TheLibertarian Party of California (LPC) is theCalifornia affiliate of thenational Libertarian Party (LP). The party chairman is Adrian Malagon, and is based inSacramento, California, inSacramento County.[7] As of 2016, Libertarians represent approximately 0.7% of the state's registered voters.[8]
In 1972, the party considered suing county clerks in Placer and Butte counties for refusing to allow voters to register as Libertarians.[9] In1978,Ed Clark, who had been the affiliate's chairman from 1973 to 1974 and later the national presidential candidate in 1980, ran as an independent for governor of California to gain party recognition and received over five percent.[10] However, the Secretary of State ruled that the two percent requirement was for retaining party recognition and not gaining party recognition and that since Clark had run as an independent and not a Libertarian it would not count either way.[11] The party filed a lawsuit against the decision, but it was first dismissed then ruled against on appeal. The Libertarian Party of California has hosted the Libertarian National Convention in 1977, 1979, 1980, and in2000.
Since January 2001, California has had a "modified" closed primary system in which political parties can determine whether or not to allow voters who arenot affiliated with any party (i.e. "independent") to participate in the party's primary. The passage ofProposition 14 limited this "modified" closed primary system to primaries forPresident of the United States, starting with the2012 primaries. For the first 15 years of the "modified" closed primary system, the California Libertarian Party did not allow "independent" voters to vote in Libertarian primaries. However, beginning with the2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, the California Libertarian Party has allowed "independent" voters to vote in its presidential primaries.[12]
All current Libertarian Party elected officials are in "nonpartisan" elected offices, meaning that the candidates' partisan affiliation is not listed on the ballot.
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| Year | Presidential nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | John Hospers (write-in) | 980 (0.1%) |  |
| 1976 | Roger MacBride | 56,388 (0.7%) |  0.7% |
| 1980 | Ed Clark | 148,434 (1.7%) | 1.0% |
| 1984 | David Bergland | 49,951 (0.5%) | 1.2% |
| 1988 | Ron Paul | 70,105 (0.7%) | 0.2% |
| 1992 | Andre Marrou | 48,139 (0.4%) | 0.3% |
| 1996 | Harry Browne | 73,600 (0.7%) | 0.3% |
| 2000 | Harry Browne | 45,520 (0.4%) | 0.3% |
| 2004 | Michael Badnarik | 50,165 (0.4%) | 0.0% |
| 2008 | Bob Barr | 67,582 (0.5%) | 0.1% |
| 2012 | Gary Johnson | 143,221 (1.1%) | 0.6% |
| 2016 | Gary Johnson | 478,500 (3.4%) | 2.3% |
| 2020 | Jo Jorgensen | 187,895 (1.1%) | 2.3% |
| 2024 | Chase Oliver | 65,296 (0.4%) | 0.6% |
| Year | Senate nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Joseph Fuhrig | 107,720 (1.4%) | |
| 1988 | Jack Dean | 79,997 (0.8%) | 0.6% |
| 1992 | Richard Benjamin Boddie | 247,799 (2.3%) | 1.5% |
| 1994 | Richard Benjamin Boddie | 179,100 (2.1%) | 0.2% |
| 2000 | Gail Lightfoot | 187,718 (1.8%) | 0.3% |
| 2006 | Michael S. Metti | 133,851 (1.6%) | 0.2% |
| 2012 | Gail Lightfoot | 101,648 (2.1%) | 0.5% |
| 2018 | Derrick Michael Reid | 59,999 (0.9%) | 1.2% |
| Year | Senate nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | David Bergland | 202,481 (2.4%) | |
| 1986 | Breck McKinley | 66,261 (0.9%) | 1.5% |
| 1992 | June R. Genis | 235,919 (2.2%) | 1.3% |
| 1998 | Ted Brown | 93,926 (1.1%) | 1.1% |
| 2004 | Jim Gray | 216,522 (1.8%) | 0.7% |
| 2010 | Gail Lightfoot | 175,235 (1.8%) | 0.1% |
| 2016 | Gail Lightfoot Mark Matthew Herd | 141,105 (1.9%)[a] | 0.1% |
| Year | Gubernatorial nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Ed Clark[b] | 377,960 (5.5%) | 0.6% |
| 1982 | Dan P. Dougherty | 81,076 (1.0%) | 4.4% |
| 1986 | Joseph Fuhrig | 52,628 (0.7%) | 0.3% |
| 1990 | Dennis Thompson | 145,628 (1.9%) | 1.2% |
| 1994 | Richard Rider | 149,281 (1.7%) | 0.2% |
| 1998 | Steve Kubby | 73,845 (0.9%) | 0.8% |
| 2002 | Gary David Copeland | 161,203 (2.2%) | 1.3% |
| 2003 | Ned Roscoe Ken Hamidi John Hickey | 5,887 (0.1%)[a] | 2.1% |
| 2006 | Art Olivier | 114,329 (1.3%) | 1.3% |
| 2010 | Dale Ogden | 150,898 (1.5%) | 0.2% |
| 2014 | None | None | 1.5% |
| 2018 | Zoltan Istvan Nickolas Wildstar | 26,028 (0.4%)[a] | 0.4% |
| 2021 | Jeff Hewitt | 50,378 (0.7%)[18] | 0.3% |
| Year | Lieutenant nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Bob New | 180,896 (2.1%) | |
| 1998 | Thomas Tryon | 109,888 (1.4%) | 0.8% |
| 2002 | Pat Wright | 104,920 (1.4%) | 0.1% |
| 2006 | Lynnette Shaw | 142,851 (1.7%) | 0.2% |
| 2010 | Pamela Brown | 574,640 (5.9%) | 4.2% |
| 2014 | None | None | 5.9% |
| 2018 | Tim Ferreira | 99,949 (1.5%) | 1.5% |
| Year | Attorney General nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Richard N. Burns | 274,335 (3.3%) | |
| 1998 | Joseph S. Farina | 149,430 (1.9%) | 1.5% |
| 2002 | Ed Kuwatch | 127,152 (1.8%) | 0.1% |
| 2006 | Kenneth Weissman | 177,469 (2.1%) | 0.3% |
| 2010 | Timothy J. Hannan | 246,583 (2.6%) | 0.5% |
| 2014 | Jonathan Jaech | 99,056 (2.4%) | 0.1% |
| 2018 | None | None | 2.4% |
| Year | Secretary of State nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Peggy Christensen | 248,748 (3.0%) | |
| 1998 | Gail Lightfoot | 216,853 (2.7%) | 0.3% |
| 2002 | Gail Lightfoot | 204,527 (2.8%) | 0.1% |
| 2006 | Gail Lightfoot | 171,393 (2.0%) | 0.8% |
| 2010 | Christina Tobin | 157,974 (2.2%) | 0.2% |
| 2014 | None | None | 2.2% |
| 2018 | Gail Lightfoot | 155,879 (2.4%) | 2.4% |
| Year | State Treasurer nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | John Petersen | 335,452 (4.1%) | |
| 1998 | John Petersen | 183,436 (2.3%) | 1.8% |
| 2002 | Marian Smithson | 168,401 (2.3%) | 0.0% |
| 2006 | Marian Smithson | 334,056 (4.%) | 1.7% |
| 2010 | Edward Teyssier | 217,818 (2.3%) | 1.7% |
| 2014 | None | None | 2.3% |
| 2018 | None | None | |
| Year | State Controller nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Cullene Marie Lang | 128,378 (1.6%) | |
| 1998 | Pamela Pescosolido | 147,397 (1.8%) | 0.3% |
| 2002 | None | None | 1.8% |
| 2006 | Donna Tello | 188,934 (2.7%) | 2.7% |
| 2010 | Andrew Favor | 291,657 (3.0%) | 0.77% |
| 2014 | None | None | 3.0% |
| 2018 | None | None | |
| Year | Insurance Commissioner nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Ted Brown | 346,007 (4.2%) | |
| 1998 | Dale Ogden | 169,922 (2.1%) | 2.1% |
| 2002 | Dale Ogden | 236,688 (3.3%) | 1.2% |
| 2006 | Dale Ogden | 305,772 (3.7%) | 0.4% |
| 2010 | Richard Bronstein | 362,037 (4.0%) | 0.3% |
| 2014 | None | None | 4.0% |
| 2018 | None | None | |
| Year | Number of candidates | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 46 | 343,366 (3.3%) | |
| 1994 | 35 | 166,510 (2.1%) | 1.2% |
| 1996 | 26 | 142,577 (1.5%) | 0.5% |
| 1998 | 38 | 144,427 (1.9%) | 0.3% |
| 2000 | 52 | 316,668 (2.8%) | 1.0% |
| 2002 | 36 | 162,472 (2.4%) | 0.48% |
| 2004 | 34 | 324,414 (2.9%) | 0.3% |
| 2006 | 21 | 122,036 (1.5%) | 1.3% |
| 2008 | 15 | 171,324 (1.4%) | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 18 | 115,714 (1.2%) | 0.2% |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 1.2% |
| 2014 | 1 | 30,735 (0.4%) | 0.4% |
| 2016 | 4 | 130,798 (1.0%) | 0.6% |
| 2018 | 5 | 145,514 (1.2%) | 0.2% |
Libertarian voter registration in the state of California has experienced significant growth.[19]
| Year | Registered voters | Voter gain or loss from previous year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 204,345 | 8,237 |
| 2020 | 196,108 | 42,760 |
| 2019 | 153,348 | 11,980 |
| 2018 | 141,368 | 93 |
| 2017 | 141,461 | 1,656 |
| 2016 | 139,805 | 17,929 |
| 2015 | 121,876 | 1,072 |
| 2014 | 120,804 | 11,168 |
| 2013 | 109,636 | 900 |
| 2012 | 108,736 | 16,490 |
| 2011 | 92,246 | 1,135 |
| 2010 | 91,111 | 7,748 |
| 2009 | 83,363 | 211 |
| 2008 | 83,574 | 154 |
| 2007 | 83,420 | 45 |
| 2006 | 83,465 | 503 |
| 2005 | 83,968 | 5,649 |
| 2004 | 89,617 | 77 |
| 2003 | 89,540 | 955 |
| 2002 | 90,495 | 2,865 |
| 2001 | 93,360 | 1,540 |
| 2000 | 94,900 | 12,561 |
| 1999 | 82,339 |
The Libertarian Party of California is a "political party that has detailed statutory provisions applicable to its operation", which are in division 7, part 3 of theCalifornia Elections Code.[20][21] The Libertarian State Central Committee, the governing body of the Libertarian Party of California, functions pursuant to its standing rules and bylaws.[22] The regular officers of the Central Committee are the chairman, two regional vice chairmen, secretary, and treasurer.
There are semi-autonomous county central committees for many ofCalifornia's 58 counties. The counties which currently have active affiliates are as follows:
Even more remarkably, the Libertarian party achieved this growth while consistently adhering to a new ideological creed – "libertarianism" – thus bringing to the American political scene for the first time in a century a party interested in principle rather than in merely gaining jobs and money at the public trough.
California political parties | ||
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| Major parties (ballot-qualified) |  | |
| Minor parties (ballot-qualified) | ||
| Minor parties (not ballot-qualified) | ||
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