Steven Nekhaila | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 23rd Chair of theLibertarian National Committee | |
| Assumed office February 2, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Angela McArdle |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Libertarian |
| Residence(s) | Key West, Florida, U.S. |
| Profession | Restaurant owner |
Steven Nekhaila is anAmerican politician andLibertarian activist, who is the 23rd and current Chair of theLibertarian National Committee, the governing body of theLibertarian Party, since February 2025.
Nekhalia previously served in various positions within theLibertarian Party of Florida and the LNC before he won the2025 LNC Chair special election, which followed the resignation of his predecessorAngela McArdle.
Nekhaila worked as a franchise owner of severalchain restaurants before becoming involved in the Libertarian Party in 2014 as a founding member of the Libertarian party of theFlorida Keys which would merge into theLibertarian Party of Florida.[1] Since 2016 Nekhaila has been a member of the Libertarian Party national board.
In 2022 he applied to become a commissioner ofMonroe County but would lose out to Jim Scholl.[2][3][4] He also voiced opposition to the inundation of the Keys withCruise Ships during theCOVID-19 lockdowns, arguing instead that businesses should stay open.[5][6]
Nekhaila had served as a "delegate at large" of the Libertarian National Convention.[7] Although not a consistent party-line supporter of theMises Caucus, Nekhaila had been included on their endorsed slate at the2024 Libertarian National Convention.[7] Nekhaila stated that he wasn't opposed to the Caucus, but that it and it's supporters needed to assimilate into the world of politics, and that ideally some of Mises' positions should be incorporated into the national party line. He positioned himself as a "unity" Libertarian, instead of a Mises or Orthodox Libertarian. During the convention Nekhaila had attempted to oust incumbent chairwomanAngela McArdle but placed fourth in the first round of voting and withdrew.[1] At that convention he also denouncedDonald Trump speaking as a candidate saying he "barely aligns with the conservative camp" and that he "is a far cry from the Libertarian Party."[8]
Following the election of Donald Trump in the2024 United States presidential election, Angela McArdle suddenly resigned on January 24, 2025, after being credited with Trump's decision to pardonRoss Ulbricht.[7] McArdle, who was highly controversial for her efforts to dehumanize her internal opponents in the party, as well as potentially funneling tens of thousands of dollars from campaigns to her family, endorsed Michael Heise who was also backed by theMises Caucus which has had absolute control over the party since their hostile takeover in 2022.[7] Over aZoom call, the Libertarian National Committee voted 9-6 to vote Nekhaila as the new chairman instead of Heise.[7]
Although Nekhaila supported the pardon of Ulbricht, he warned of further creeping influence of the Republican party over the Libertarians, and denounced Trump over his treatment ofThomas Massie.[9]
One of Nekhaila's first acts was to denounce Donald Trump and his proposals toannex Gaza stating that it not only violates international law, but also the fundamental rights and dignity of the Palestinian people, while also denouncing the "Israeli lobby" as being in conflict with party's principles of liberty and non-interventionism.[10]
