The Libertarian Party of Oregon is a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

representing the national Libertarian Party in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. It is organized as a minor party for state election law, and recognized by the Oregon as a statewide nominating party. It was organized in 1971 as one of the first state affiliates of the newly established national Libertarian Party which nominated Oregon party member Theodora Nathan as its vice presidential candidate at the 1972 convention. Affiliated local committees have been organized in 13 of Oregon's counties. The party ranks fourth in size behind the state's two major parties, Republican and Democratic and the

Independent Party of Oregon The Independent Party of Oregon (IPO) is a centrist political party in the U.S. state of Oregon with more than 135,000 registrants since its inception in January 2007. The IPO is Oregon's third-largest political party and the first political part ...

at 0.8% of Oregon's affiliated registered voters as of 2004.

Membership

As of July 2022, there are 20,865 registered Libertarians in the state of Oregon. The state party does not set a dues requirement for membership.

History

;1972: Theodora Nathalia Nathan, the party's nominee for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...

, earns the first electoral vote ever cast for a woman. ;1998:Richard Burke ran for Governor in a seven-way race and finished third with 2% of the vote. Bruce Knight ran for US House of Representatives district 3 in a three-way race, finishing second with 10%. ;2000:Mitch Shults ran for State Treasurer, received the endorsement of the Salem

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

and got 4% of the vote in a five-way race. ;2002:20 Libertarian candidates ran for office, 14 of those for the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the ...

. The Libertarian candidate for

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

that year, Tom Cox, garnered 4.6% of the vote. ;2004:The number of Oregon Libertarian candidates rose to 32, nearly half of them recent converts to the party, according to Richard Burke, state executive director. ;2006:Libertarian Richard Morley ran for Governor, in the party's only run for statewide office. The party fielded candidate Drake Davis in

Oregon's 1st congressional district Oregon's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S state of Oregon. The district stretches from Portland's western suburbs and exurbs, to parts of the Oregon coast. The district includes the principal cities of ...

, and had candidates in 13 state legislative campaigns. None of the party's candidates was elected. ;2008:Michael Jingozian seeks the national party's presidential nomination. Although unsuccessful in this bid, Jingozian is elected vice 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 ...

. ;2012 :The Oregon Secretary of State recognized a different governing board for ballot-access purposes than the

, resulting in a split in the party. A subsequent lawsuit alleged the party's board had been infiltrated with agent provocateurs in order to disrupt organized opposition to the state's dominant political parties and that the Secretary of State's recognition of an unofficial faction was a dirty trick to weaken the state party. ;2020 : A

Mises Caucus The Libertarian Party Mises Caucus (LPMC) is a caucus within the United States Libertarian Party that promotes paleolibertarianism and a more radical version of libertarianism associated with the presidential campaigns of Ron Paul. It was fo ...

slate comes to dominate the state party board as part of a national grassroots movement. The party split is resolved through a series of bylaws amendments

Gubernatorial election results

Organization

The party is governed by a State Committee consisting of statewide party officers.. A convention is held annually at which the statewide officers, who serve two-year terms, are elected. A Judicial Committee settle disputes involving the interpretation of the party’s governing documents. The convention may serve as a nominating convention during election years. The party also recognizes County Parties and Local Affiliates organized as PACs under state election law. County parties may recommend nominations for which no nominee was chosen in the statewide primary. As of 2022, a recognized affiliate exists in Lane County and County Parties are forming in Multnomah County and Douglas County.

State chair history

* 2021-present - Tim Perkins * 2016–2021 – Kyle Markley * 2014–2016 – Lars Hedbor * 2011–2014 – Wes Wagner, or Tim Reeves * 2010–2011 – Jeff Weston * 2008–2010 – Joseph Cornwell * 2008 – H. Joe Tabor * 2007–2008 – Wes Wagner * 2007 – Don Smith * 2007 – Alfredo Torrejon * 2004–2007 – Adam Mayer * 2003–2004 – Tom Cox * 2001–2003 – Mitch Shults * 1999–2001 – Adam Mayer * 1998–1999 – Bruce Knight * 1996–1998 – Kristopher Barrett * 1996 – Tom Cox * 1996 – Daniel Wilson * 1995–1996 – Michael Wilson * 1994–1995 – Richard Burke

Controversy

1996 Election

In 1996 former Chairperson Richard Burke led an attempt to impact the outcome of the race for Oregon's first congressional district seat by not running a Libertarian candidate after the Libertarian candidate had been credited with throwing the previous race to the Democrat. Proponents of this strategy believed that as the proposed Libertarian nominee had not raised sufficient money or built a sufficient campaign organization to run a significant campaign, the Libertarian platform would be more effectively advanced by the Republican candidate who had spent time building a relationship with the Oregon Libertarian Party. Other Libertarians thought the strategy to be tantamount to a "sell out", and an intense controversy ensued. The Libertarian candidate, Richard Johnson, narrowly won the nomination. The incumbent Democrat, Elizabeth Furse, was re-elected that fall.

Fiduciary responsibilities

Wes Wagner, Libertarian Party of Clackamas County vice-chair, sued the party and its officers in December 2006. Wagner's suit alleged that the party did not obey its own bylaws with regards to its fiduciary obligations while running up a five-figure debt to Richard Burke. The case was dismissed in Washington County Court, though it was rumored it was pending appeal, for quite some time.

Reeves vs. Wagner

In 2011, the party became internally divided in two factions following two party chairs: Tim Reeves and Wes Wagner. The March 12, 2011 annual convention only had 20 members in attendance; this fell short of a quorum as defined by the 2009 by-laws. After this meeting, the chairperson Jeff Weston resigned and the vice-chairperson, Wagner, assumed the office. He called a meeting of the "State Committee" on March 31, 2011; this meeting adopted a new constitution and bylaws, with new quorum and membership requirements. Only one member of the Reeves faction was present at this meeting and objected. On April 19, 2011, the Wagner faction met and changed the scheduled May 21, 2011 annual convention into a social event at a different location. Only the Reeves faction attended the May 21, 2011 annual convention and did not achieve a quorum. Immediately after this meeting, the Reeves faction met and elected their officers with Reeves as the state Chairperson. In May 2011, the Reeves faction attempted to register their electioned officers but were rejected by the Secretary of State because the Secretary has previously recognized Wagner as the official chairperson. The Reeves faction sued the Wagner faction to obtain a court decision that they are the true officers of the state party. The Oregon courts issued an opinion May 21, 2013, that it does not have jurisdiction on the matter and that it should be determined by the Party's Judicial Committee. On December 12, 2018, the Court of Appeals in Oregon affirmed the lower court's decision.

References

External links

* Official web site
www.lporegon.org
{{Libertarian Party (United States)

Political parties in Oregon 1971 establishments in Oregon Political parties established in 1971