The Libertarian Party of Indiana is the

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

affiliate of the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

History and operations

The founding meeting of the Libertarian Party of Indiana was held on July 14, 1974, at the Holiday Inn at Weir Cook Airport (now called the

Indianapolis International Airport Indianapolis International Airport is an international airport located seven miles (11 km) southwest of downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. The ...

). Approximately 20–25 people attended including Paul Hyatt, Tom Duncan, Marvin Lazaro, Brian Bernstein, Dick Smith, Steve Butterbaugh, and Charlie Reisert. Reisert made the motion to start the Libertarian Party of Indiana. The first headquarters was located at 1430 N. Capitol Avenue in Indianapolis. The LPIN became a minor political party in 1994 after achieving ballot access when Steve Dillon received more than 2% of the vote running for Secretary of State. In 2008, the Libertarian presidential ticket of

Bob Barr Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an American attorney and politician. He served as a federal prosecutor and as a United States House of Representatives, Congressman. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Re ...

and

Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root (born July 20, 1961) is an American conservative television and radio host, author, activist, conservative political commentator and conspiracy theorist. He is the host of two new television shows, daily at 7 PM ET on Lindell TV ...

had their strongest showing in Indiana, receiving 1.1% of the vote (19,243 votes). The party's best finish in a statewide race came in 2006 when

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

candidate

Steve Osborn The Libertarian Party of Indiana is the Indiana affiliate of the Libertarian Party. History and operations The founding meeting of the Libertarian Party of Indiana was held on July 14, 1974, at the Holiday Inn at Weir Cook Airport (now called the ...

received about 13% of the vote. Osborn had the best result for a third-party candidate running for the Senate in the 2006 elections.

Officials and staff

State Central Committee

National Committee Representative

Current elected officeholders

, there are eight Libertarian members who hold elected office in Indiana. # Susan Bell – Town Judge, Hagerstown # Cheryl Heacox – Advisory Board, Clay Township # Larry Walters – Town Council,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

# Jessica Wallace – Town Council, at large, Larwill # Renee Sweeney – Town Council,

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined under t ...

# Jamie Jo Owens – Trustee, Liberty Township # Terry Coffman – Advisory Board, Liberty Township # Dean Hartley – Advisory Board, Franklin Township # Ryan Coby – Town Council,

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

# Nathan Kring – County Council, Tipton County # Patricia Warner – Clerk-Treasurer, Claypool # Matthew Kennedy – City Council,

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

Appointed officeholders

Several Libertarians have been appointed to offices in Indiana: * Mark W. Rutherford – Chairman, Indiana Public Defender Commission (Since 2007) * Scott Baker – Elkhart County Innkeepers Tax Commission (Since 2006) * Joyce Morrell – Rush County Fiber Optic Board (Since 2016) * Tom Monka – Rush County Planning Commission (Since 2016) * Michael Dowden – Town of Brownsburg Economic Development Commission (2017–2020); Town of Brownsburg Improvement Committee (2017); Town of Brownsburg Redevelopment Authority (2014–2016) * Paul Morrell – Chairman, Rush County Sheriff's Officer Merit Board (Since 2017) * Jeffrey Mauer – Carmel Economic Development Commission (Since 2020); Home Place Advisory Board (Since 2018) * Anna Elliott – Martinsville Board of Zoning Appeals, Vice-chair (Since 2019) * Shane Lemler – Vincennes Urban Enterprise Association Board (Since 2020) * Joel Samuelson – Culver Planning Commission (Since 2020) * Joseph Bachman – New Chicago Planning Commission (Since 2020); New Chicago Parks Board (Since 2020) * Jennifer Meador – Mooresville Board of Zoning Appeals (Since 2021) * Ryan Patterson – Secretary, Franklin County Economic Development Commission (Since 2021)

Past state chairs

Past candidates

* Donald Rainwater was the 2020 LPIN nominee for Governor for Indiana. He lost to incumbent Governor

Eric Holcomb Eric Joseph Holcomb (born May 2, 1968) is an American politician who is the 51st and current governor of Indiana, serving since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 51st lieutenant governor of Indiana from 2016 to 2017 unde ...

, but he made a huge impact in the election having received 11.4% (345,567 votes) of the vote after polling as high as 25%. His success has invigorated the Libertarian Party of Indiana, especially in the light of his 2nd-place finish in 1/3 of the 92 counties. Their motto in the 2021 convention, "Level Up" has inspired them to make serious moves to be a party of contention in Indiana politics., url=https://ballotpedia.org/Donald_Rainwater * Steve Osborn is an American politician. He was the 2006

nominee for

from Indiana. He lost to incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Senator Dick Lugar in the 2006 United States Senate election in Indiana. He was Lugar's only opponent on the ballot in that election, as the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

did not field a candidate. Osborn received about 13% of the vote, the best result for a Libertarian in the 2006 U.S. national-level elections.''Osborn''
; Muncie Free Press online; accessed . His previous political experience includes attempted bids for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Representative in his home district in 2000 and 2002. Steve Osborn is from

La Porte, Indiana La Porte (French for "The Door") is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, India ...

. * Paul Hager ran for the U.S. Representative in Indiana's 8th district in 1994, 1996, and 1998. Also, he ran for US Senate in 2000. In 2002, he ran for Indiana Secretary of State on the issue of voting reform.

Awards

Awards are presented at the LPIN Convention each year. With the exception of one award, all winners are granted their award by a vote of the LPIN membership. ;Dr. Barbara Bourland Light of Liberty Award : The recipient is honored as the person most responsible for the growth of the party and dedication to the libertarian cause. ;Susan Bell Officeholder of the Year Award : Awarded to a current elected officeholder of the Libertarian Party that best promotes libertarian principles and values through public service. ;Ken Bisson Outreach Award : Awarded to a party member who has striven to spread the message of libertarian principles to as many potential voters as is possible. ;Joe Hauptmann Campaign Leadership Award: : Awarded to a campaign volunteer who has worked above and beyond in an extraordinary fashion, and has significantly contributed to the success of a campaign. ;Phil Miller Candidate of the Year: : Awarded to a Libertarian Candidate that has shown an extraordinary ability to reach and connect with voters, as well as further the cause of libertarianism. ;Steve Dasbach Chairman's Award for Extraordinary Service: : Awarded to an individual that has helped grow the Libertarian Party of Indiana in extraordinary ways over many years. This award is not voted on by LPIN membership, and it is the sole privilege of the Chair of the LPIN to award it to the recipient. ;Bill Bean County Affiliate of the Year Award: : In recognition of an outstanding county affiliate for their electoral success, fundraising and membership contribution to the LPIN, and contribution to LPIN ballot access.

References

External links

Libertarian Party of Indiana homepage

Libertarian Party of Indiana – LPedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Libertarian Party Of Indiana Politics of Indiana Political parties in Indiana

1974 establishments in Indiana