The Libertarian Party of Illinois is the Illinois affiliate of the Libertarian Party. The state chair is Lex Green. As of 2017, there are eight Libertarian officeholders in Illinois,[1] all of them in municipal, school/college board, or library offices.
Mission statement
Libertarian Party of Illinois mission is: To elect Libertarians to office and move public policy in a libertarian direction.[2]
Key tenets of the party platform
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Key tenets of the Libertarian Party platform include the following:[3]
- Adoption of laissez-faire principles which would reduce the state's role in economic government. This would include, among other things, markedly reduced taxation, privatization of Social Security and welfare (for individuals, as well as elimination of "corporate welfare"), markedly reduced regulation of business, rollbacks of labor regulations, and reduction of government interference in foreign trade.
- Protection of property rights.
- Minimal government bureaucracy. The Libertarian Party states that the government's responsibilities should be limited to the protection of individual rights from the initiation of force and fraud.
- Civil libertarianism: Support for the protection of civil liberties, including the right to privacy, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and sexual freedom.
- Opposition to civil rights laws that regulate the private sector, such as affirmative action and non-discrimination laws.
- Support for the unrestricted right to the means of self-defense (such as gun rights, the right to carry mace, pepper spray, or tasers etc.).
- Opposition to the censoring and the engineering of foreign radio pathways.
- Abolition of laws against "victimless crimes" (such as prostitution, driving without a seatbelt, use of controlled substances, fraternization, etc.).
- Opposition to regulations on how businesses should run themselves (e.g., smoking bans)
- A foreign policy of free trade and non-interventionism.
- Support for a fiscally responsible government including a hard currency (commodity-based money supply as opposed to fiat currency).
- Abolition of all forms of taxpayer-funded assistance (welfare, food stamps, public housing, Health care, etc.)
- A belief that abortion is a personal issue, and should not be part of government.[4]
However, Chad Grimm, the 2014 Nominee for governor is pro-life on abortion and rejects the current plank in the present platform.
In a Facebook post, he stated, “I am pro life, as I believe there should be no crime so long as no one is harmed and I consider the murder of an unborn child as the worst kind of harm committed on the most innocent among us!” [5]
State and student affiliates [6]
- Bond-Fayette County Libertarians
- Carroll County Libertarians
- Champaign County Libertarian Party
- DuPage Libertarians
- Eastern Illinois University
- Elmhurst College
- Fox Valley Libertarian Party
- Illinois State University
- Libertarian Party of Chicago
- Libertarians of Western Illinois University
- Loyola University
- McLean County Libertarian Party
- Metro-East Libertarians
- Northwestern University
- Northern Illinois University Libertarians
- Outright Libertarians of Illinois
- Rockford Area Libertarian Part
- Rock Valley College Libertarians
- Sangamon County Libertarian Libertarian Party
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Will County Libertarian Party
- Western Illinois University
Electoral history 2000-2016
Official vote totals:[7]
2016 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| President |
Gary Johnson |
209,596 |
3.79% |
| Vice President |
William Weld |
| US Senate |
Kenton McMillen |
175,988 |
3.20% |
| Comptroller |
Claire Ball |
187,017 |
3.46% |
2014 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| US Senate |
Shanna Hansen |
135,316 |
3.76% |
| Governor |
Chad Grimm |
121,534 |
3.35% |
| Lt. Governor |
A.J. Cummings |
| Attorney General |
Ben Koyl |
99,903 |
2.77% |
| Secretary of State |
Christopher Michel |
104,498 |
2.89% |
| Comptroller |
Julie Fox |
170,534 |
4.76% |
| Treasurer |
Matthew Skopek |
146,654 |
4.16% |
2012 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| President |
Gary Johnson |
209,596 |
3.79% |
| Vice President |
William Weld |
2010 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| Governor |
Lex Green |
34,170 |
0.9% |
| Lieutenant Governor |
Ed Rutledge |
34,170 |
0.9% |
| Secretary of State |
Josh Hanson |
113,813 |
3.1% |
| Attorney General |
Bill Malan |
53,858 |
1.5% |
| Treasurer |
James Pauly |
67,958 |
1.9% |
| Comptroller |
Julie Fox |
119,638 |
3.3% |
| US Senate |
Mike Labno |
86,185 |
2.4% |
2008 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| President |
Bob Barr |
19,645 |
0.4% |
| Vice President |
Wayne Root |
19,645 |
0.4% |
| US Senate |
Larry Stafford |
50,228 |
0.9% |
2006 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| Congress 2 |
Anthony Williams |
5,422 |
3.3% |
2004 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| President |
Michael Badnarik |
32,442 |
0.6% |
| Vice President |
Richard Campagna |
32,442 |
0.6% |
| US Senate |
Jerry Kohn |
69,253 |
1.4% |
| Congress 2 |
Stephanie Sailor |
26,990 |
11.5% |
| Congress 4 |
Jake Witmer |
4,845 |
3.9% |
| Congress 12 |
Walter Steele |
4,794 |
1.7% |
| State Rep 11 |
Jason Briggeman |
1,770 |
4.0% |
| State Rep 53 |
Scott Bludorn |
3,673 |
8.2% |
| State Rep 64 |
Jim Young |
2,022 |
4.0% |
| State Rep 85 |
Austin Hough |
7,945 |
25.1% |
| State Rep 95 |
Steve Dubovik |
1,317 |
2.9% |
2002 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| Governor |
Cal Skinner |
73,794 |
2.1% |
| Lieutenant Governor |
Jim Tobin |
73,794 |
2.1% |
| Secretary of State |
Matt Beauchamp |
78,830 |
2.2% |
| Attorney General |
Gary Shilts |
87,949 |
2.5% |
| Treasurer |
Rhys Read |
66,593 |
1.9% |
| Comptroller |
Julie Fox |
144,066 |
4.2% |
| US Senate |
Steven Burgauer |
57,382 |
1.7% |
| Congress 1 |
Dorothy Tsatsos |
4,741 |
2.6% |
| Congress 4 |
Maggie Kohls |
4,328 |
5.2% |
| Congress 5 |
Frank Gonzalez |
6,638 |
4.3% |
| Congress 7 |
Martin Pankau |
2,436 |
1.5% |
| Congress 9 |
Stephanie Sailor |
4,779 |
2.9% |
| State Rep 11 |
John Yackley |
3,371 |
12.8% |
| State Rep 28 |
Jerome Kohn |
1,241 |
4.2% |
| State Rep 41 |
John Tepley |
1,034 |
2.8% |
| State Rep 42 |
Michael Mandel |
1,123 |
3.3% |
| State Rep 48 |
Chandler Hadraba |
3,440 |
11.2% |
| State Rep 52 |
Matthew Paul Burns |
1,190 |
3.9% |
| State Rep 64 |
Jim Young |
2,214 |
7.4% |
| State Rep 85 |
Eric Ferguson |
4,922 |
20.3% |
| State Rep 95 |
Steve Dubovik |
4,191 |
14.6% |
2000 campaigns
| Office |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percentage |
| President |
Harry Browne |
11,623 |
0.3% |
| Vice President |
Art Olivier |
11,623 |
0.3% |
| Congress 4 |
Stephanie Sailor |
11,476 |
11.3% |
| Congress 5 |
Matt Beauchamp |
20,728 |
12.7% |
| State Rep 34 |
R. Brian Poynton |
1,230 |
4.0% |
| State Rep 39 |
Elizabeth Quaintance |
10,103 |
26.2% |
See also
External links
