Libertarian Party (United States)

Libertarian Party (United States)

The Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in the United States in terms of the popular vote in the country's elections and number of candidates run per election. It is also identified by many as the fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects the ideas of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated markets, a less powerful state, strong civil liberties (including support for same-sex marriage and other LGBT rights), the legalization of cannabis, separation of church and state, open immigration, non-interventionism and neutrality in diplomatic relations (i.e., avoiding foreign military or economic entanglements with other nations), freedom of trade and travel to all foreign countries, and a more responsive and direct democracy. The Libertarian Party has also supported the repeal of NAFTA, CAFTA, and similar trade agreements, as well as the United States' exit from the United Nations, WTO, and NATO. The party has no official stance on abortion as its members are divided on the issue.

Although there is not an explicitly-labeled "left" or "right" designation of the party, it is considered by many to be more left-wing than the Republican Party but more right-wing than the Democratic Party when comparing the parties' positions to each other. On the two-axis Nolan Chart, the party appears in the uppermost quadrant.

In the 30 states where voters can register by party, there are over 282,000 voters registered as Libertarians. Hundreds of Libertarian candidates have been elected or appointed to public office, and thousands have run for office under the Libertarian banner. The Libertarian Party has many firsts in its credit, such as being the first party to get an electoral vote for a woman in a United States presidential election. The party has no current representation in the House of Representatives or the Senate and controls no governorships or other state-wide elected positions. At the state legislature level, the party controls no seats in any upper house and a single seat in a lower house.