Nicholas Joel Sarwark (born August 27, 1979) is an American attorney and businessman who served as the 19th chair of the
Libertarian National Committee
The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) controls and manages the affairs, properties, and funds of the United States Libertarian Party. It is composed of the party officers, five at-large representatives elected every two years at the national ...
(LNC), the governing body 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 ...
. Prior to his election in 2014,
he served on several LP national committees and as chair of the
Libertarian Party of Maryland State Committee and vice chair of the
Libertarian Party of Colorado State Committee.
[ Doherty, Brian (May 27, 2016]
"The Libertarian Party's National Committee Chair Race: Meet the Contenders"
''Reason
Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...
''.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022. , he is the only LP chair to have served three consecutive terms.
Sarwark declined to run for another term as LNC chair in 2020, and was succeeded by
Joe Bishop-Henchman.
Early life and education
Sarwark was born on August 27, 1979,
in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
.
He graduated from
Washington Adventist University
Washington Adventist University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Takoma Park, Maryland.
History
Washington Adventist University was established in 1904 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as Washington Training College. In ...
in 1998 with a
BS in computer science and a minor in philosophy, later receiving his
juris doctor from
American University Washington College of Law
The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of nort ...
in 2008.
While attending law school, Sarwark clerked for the libertarian law firm
Institute for Justice
The Institute for Justice (IJ) is a libertarian non-profit public interest law firm in the United States. It has litigated ten cases before the United States Supreme Court dealing with eminent domain, interstate commerce, public financing for ...
.
In the early 1990s, Sarwark's father brought him to
Maricopa County
Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...
Libertarian gatherings, and Sarwark subsequently joined the party in 1999.
Political career and campaigns
Sarwark was chairman of the
Libertarian Party of Maryland from 2001 to 2003, holding numerous LP officer and local-level roles there. Prior to being elected chairman of the
Libertarian National Committee
The Libertarian National Committee (LNC) controls and manages the affairs, properties, and funds of the United States Libertarian Party. It is composed of the party officers, five at-large representatives elected every two years at the national ...
in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
Sarwark served as a deputy
public defender in Colorado and as vice-chairman of the
Libertarian Party of Colorado. He was re-elected in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, and again in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
.
While serving as LNC chair, Sarwark made appearances on multiple national media outlets, including
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...
and
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, to discuss
libertarian perspectives on various topics.
Sarwark ran in the 2018
Phoenix mayoral special election. His campaign platform included opposition to
light rail, addressing the city's pension debt, and working with
Republicans and
Democrats on the city council. He garnered 10.5 percent of the vote, placing fourth among four candidates,
and did not advance to the 2019 run-off.
After moving to New Hampshire, Sarwark ran for
Hillsborough County Attorney in 2020 under the Libertarian Party. His major issues included clearing the criminal case backlog. He received 5.6 percent of the vote, placing third among three candidates.
Sarwark ran for the same office in 2022 under both the Libertarian and Democratic parties. He placed second in a two-candidate race with 45.25 percent of the vote.
Personal life
Sarwark married his wife, Valerie in 2009. After building a family in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, he returned to Phoenix in 2014 to join his family's independent car dealership, where he served as vice-president. Sarwark and his wife have four children.
In 2019, Sarwark and his family moved to
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644.
Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...
, to become a part of the
grassroots libertarian movement the
Free State Project.
Electoral history
References
External links
*
* at the Libertarian Policy Institute, of which Sarwark is Executive Director
* at Wedge Squared Strategies, of which Sarwark is Principal
*
* (archived)
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarwark, Nicholas
1979 births
Living people
American automobile salespeople
Arizona Libertarians
Candidates in the 2018 United States elections
Candidates in the 2020 United States elections
Colorado Libertarians
Lawyers from Phoenix, Arizona
Libertarian National Committee chairs
Maryland Libertarians
New Hampshire Libertarians
People from Denver
Politicians from Phoenix, Arizona
Public defenders
Washington College of Law alumni