Mises Caucus

caucus of the U.S. Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party Mises Caucus (LPMC), also known as the Mises Caucus, is a political faction and caucus of the Libertarian Party. It was founded in 2017 by the paleolibertarian faction of the party. It was inspired by the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns of Ron Paul. The Mises Caucus got total control of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) in 2022. This caused a conflict between the LPMC and the Classical Liberal Caucus (CLC).

Libertarian Party Mises Caucus
AbbreviationLPMC
LeaderRon Paul (de facto)
ChairpersonMichael Heise
SecretaryDavid Hynes
Standing CommitteeAdvisory Board
FounderMichael Heise
FoundedAugust 2017 (2017-08)
HeadquartersNorristown, Pennsylvania
IdeologyPaleolibertarianism
Social conservatism
National affiliationLibertarian Party
Website
https://lpmisescaucus.com/

The founder and chairman of the LPMC is Michael Heise of the Mises Institute. He founded the caucus in response to the struggle between classical liberals and paleolibertarians in August 2017 triggered by the Unite the Right rally. Since then, many notable people in the Libertarian Party have joined it. Some of these people are Ron Paul,[1] Dave Smith, Tom Woods,[2] and Scott Horton. Angela McArdle, Chairwoman of the LNC, is a member of the LPMC as well.[3]

History

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Michael Heise is the founder of the Mises Caucus.

In August 2017, the Unite the Right rally occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the proposed removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. Jeff Deist, the President of the Mises Institute, supported the protest.[4] The LNC heavily scrutinized the Mises Institute as a result, accusing Deist of being a White nationalist.[5] The caucus is widely described as white nationalist.[6][7][8] The struggle that followed between self-described classical liberals and self-described paleolibertarians resulted in Michael Heise and the latter founding the Mises Caucus.

In 2022, the Mises Caucus took control of the highest positions of power throughout the LNC. Angela McArdle of the Mises Caucus was elected the new Chairwoman of the Libertarian Party with 69% of the delegates.[3] The former leadership of the party became heavily critical of the new LPMC leadership, forming the Classical Liberal Caucus in reaction. In spite of resistance from the CLC, the LPMC used their power in the LNC to bring the Libertarian Party into the anti-war movement. The Libertarian Party began working with the People's Party to organize new anti-war protests. This resulted in Rage Against the War Machine, a major anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. on February 19, 2023.[9] The rally focused primarily on the United States' involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian War and the torture of Julian Assange.[10][11]

Advisory Board

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The Advisory Board is a group of 11 individuals who, alongside Chairman Michael Heise, run the Mises Caucus. The members are:[12]

Relationship with other parties

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Republican Party

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GOP Mises Caucus
Founded2021 (2021)
IdeologyPaleoconservatism
National affiliationRepublican Party
SloganIt’s Time To Take Responsibility For Our People
Website
https://www.misesgop.org/

An offshoot of the Mises Caucus was founded within the Republican Party in 2021, known as the GOP Mises Caucus. The GOP Mises Caucus advocates for economic growth and tax resistance.[13] It is a firm opponent of COVID-19 lockdowns, referring to it as the "Covid Regime."[14]

People's Party

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In 2023, the Mises Caucus and the People's Party collaborated to launch an anti-war protest on February 19 known as Rage Against the War Machine.[9][10][11]

Election tickets

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Presidential elections

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Libertarian Party Mises Caucus candidates for president
Year Candidate Primary election vote General election vote Result
2020 Jacob Hornberger 27.8% Failed to qualify
2024 Michael Rectenwald 2.1% To be determined

LNC Chair elections

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Libertarian Party Mises Caucus candidates for chair
Year Candidate Vote Result
2018 Joshua Smith 22% Lost
2020 39%
2022 Angela McArdle 69% Won
2024 To be determined

References

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  1. Ron Paul's Message to the Mises Caucus, retrieved 2023-06-06
  2. "Tom Woods, Dave Smith, and Jason Stapleton Join the Libertarian Party". thelibertarianrepublic.com. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Doherty, Brian (2022-05-29). "Mises Caucus Takes Control of Libertarian Party". Reason.com. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  4. Ryan (2017-07-28). "For a New Libertarian". Mises Institute. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  5. "Nicholas Sarwark, Arvin Vohra call out Jeff Deist and the Mises Institute's "blood and soil" politics". Independent Political Report. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  6. Heer, Jeet (2022-06-06). "The Libertarian Party Goes Alt-Right". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  7. "MAGA "white nationalist branch" is taking over the Libertarian Party and "spreading bigotry"". Salon. 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  8. "Mises Caucus: Could It Sway the Libertarian Party to the Hard Right?". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Hudson, Matt (2023-01-20). "Rage Against the War Machine". Libertarian Party. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Anti-war rally announced for Washington". RT International. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  11. 11.0 11.1 "Former US presidential candidates rally against 'war machine'". RT International. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  12. "Libertarian Party Mises Caucus". Libertarian Party Mises Caucus. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  13. "About Us". GOP Mises Caucus. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  14. "Causes". GOP Mises Caucus. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-06.