| Mises Caucus | |
| Full Name: | Libertarian Party Mises Caucus |
| Abbreviation: | LPMC[1] |
| Named After: | Ludwig von Mises |
| Formation: | 2017 |
| Founder: | Michael Heise |
| Type: | Party caucus |
| Purpose: | Political realignment of the US Libertarian Party behind the ideas of Ron Paul |
| Board Of Directors: | |
| Status: | Political Action Committee |
| Registration Id: | C00699785[3] |
| Revenue: | 568,890.55[4] |
| Revenue Year: | 2021 |
| Disbursements: | 484,907.97 |
| Headquarters: | Norristown, Pennsylvania |
The Libertarian Party Mises Caucus (LPMC) is a caucus within the Libertarian Party in the United States that promotes paleolibertarianism,[5] as well as a more radical version of American libertarianism associated with the presidential campaigns of former U.S. congressman Ron Paul. It was founded in 2017 by Michael Heise, mainly in opposition to Nicholas Sarwark's position as party chairman and the pragmatic faction of the party associated with the presidential campaigns of former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. It is named after economist Ludwig von Mises.
The caucus has support of some prominent libertarians, such as comedian Dave Smith, political commentator Tom Woods, and radio host Scott Horton.[6] [7] Ron Paul once called the caucus "the libertarian wing of the Libertarian Party."[8] The caucus has also been highly controversial, and has been accused by their critics of harboring bigotry or being plants of the Republican Party, which the Mises Caucus denies.[9]
The Mises Caucus has shifted the Libertarian Party further toward the right ever since their party’s national convention in May 2022. As of 2022, the Mises Caucus is the largest caucus of the Libertarian Party, and controls all leadership positions on the Libertarian National Committee as well as 37 state affiliates.[10]
In August 2017, in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally, Libertarian National Committee chairman Nicholas Sarwark and vice-chairman Arvin Vohra criticized the leadership of the Mises Institute think tankspecifically president Jeff Deist and senior fellow Tom Woods – for making nationalist statements in the weeks prior to the rally, particularly in an article written by Deist which included the phrase "blood and soil". Sarwark also criticized Woods's defense of Murray Rothbard's paleolibertarian strategy, while Vohra accused the Mises Institute of being white nationalist and alt-right. The Mises Caucus formed in the aftermath of this feud to oppose Sarwark, and became one of the fastest-growing factions within the Libertarian Party.[11] [12] The caucus is named after the economist Ludwig von Mises and is "dedicated to [his] beliefs and works".[13]
In February 2018, the Mises Caucus endorsed LNC member Joshua Smith to challenge Sarwark for party chair in the 2018 Libertarian National Convention. Sarwark defeated Smith 65-22%. The day prior to the convention, Woods and the caucus organized a parallel event called the Take Human Action Bash, featuring Scott Horton and Ron Paul as speakers, with the latter calling the caucus "the libertarian wing of the Libertarian Party".
In 2019, the Mises Caucus launched a political action committee, Mises PAC, to raise money for Libertarian candidates.[14]
The caucus supported Jacob Hornberger's campaign in the 2020 Libertarian Party presidential primaries and again endorsed Smith for party chairman.[15] [16] Both were defeated in their respective races at the 2020 Libertarian National Convention.[17] [18]
In June 2021, the Mises-controlled New Hampshire state affiliate (LPNH) made controversial tweets calling for "legalizing child labor", repealing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and re-opening Gitmo "so that Anthony Fauci and every governor that locked their state down can be sent there".[19] In response, LPNH chair Jilletta Jarvis took control of the state party's digital assets and Twitter account and disavowed the Mises Caucus members of the state party committee.[20] [21] This move was widely condemned by many in the caucus (and some in the party outside the caucus), including 2020 vice presidential nominee Spike Cohen and former U.S. congressman Justin Amash. LNC Chair Bishop-Henchman moved for the LNC to disaffiliate the LPNH, alleging that the Mises faction had violated the national party's Statement of Principles. Both Jarvis and Bishop-Henchman resigned from their positions after the LNC rejected the disaffiliation motion.[22]
In 2021, Mises Caucus board member Angela McArdle announced her intention to run for party chair.[23] She was later endorsed by the caucus.[24] At the 2022 Libertarian National Convention, McArdle won the party chair election with over 69% of the vote. The caucus also won all the leadership positions on the LNC, and thus completed the takeover of the Libertarian Party by the Mises Caucus.[25]
In response to the Mises Caucus-controlled LNC, the Libertarian Party affiliates in the States of New Mexico, Virginia, and Massachusetts disaffiliated from the national Libertarian Party; in late 2022, the former affiliates formed the Association of Liberty State Parties.[26]
In April 2022, the Keystone Party of Pennsylvania splintered off from the Libertarian Party as a result of the that year's Mises Caucus takeover in the state.[27]
In 2023, the Libertarian Party of Michigan entered a leadership dispute stemming from the July 2022 removal of its Michigan Mises PAC-affiliated chair.[28] [29] This led to a subsequent trademark lawsuit filing by the LNC.[30]
Since the 2022 takeover of the LNC, the largely Mises Caucus-aligned leadership has overseen a decline in party revenue.[31]
The Mises Caucus has backed Michael Rectenwald in the 2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries.
The Mises Caucus platform states that they:
Prior to the 2022 Libertarian National Convention, the Mises Caucus was highly critical of the Libertarian National Committee and the pragmatic faction of the party, and stated their goal was to "takeover" the Libertarian Party and realign it closer to Ron Paul's presidential campaigns and the Mises Institute. The caucus has accused many in the party outside their caucus of supporting political correctness and "wokeism" and being "SJW friendly".
Angela McArdle, a board member of the Mises Caucus, said in 2021 that the party should be ideologically closer to Ron Paul than Gary Johnson, and that Johnson didn't "put a fire in anyone's hearts".
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the caucus strongly opposed lockdowns,[33] mask mandates, vaccine passports and vaccine mandates. The Mises Caucus also criticized the wider party for being silent and "not taking a stand".[34] [35]
The Mises Caucus believes the Libertarian Party should focus running political candidates for local offices rather than the statewide or federal offices, since they view the latter as too unrealistic.[36]
| 2018 | Joshua Smith[37] | |||
| 2020 | Joshua Smith | |||
| 2022 | Angela McArdle | |||
| 2024 | Angela McArdle[38] |
The Mises Caucus has been highly controversial within and outside the Libertarian Party. The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the group as far-right.[41] The caucus has been accused of harboring racists, anti-semites,[42] and transphobes. The caucus strongly denies these claims.
In his resignation letter as LNC chair, Bishop-Henchman accused the Mises Caucus of having a "toxic culture" and "bad actors" that is "destroying and driving people away from the party". In June 2021, former congressman Justin Amash criticized the Mises-controlled New Hampshire affiliate for "edgelording" and being unprofessional in their messaging.[43] [44]
Former New Hampshire legislator Caleb Q. Dyer criticized the caucus for claiming neutrality in the culture war "while picking the right-wing side", and called it disingenuous.
In December 2021, Jeremy Thompson, Libertarian Party of Massachusetts Director of Operations explained to the Libertarian National Committee how the comments from Mises-controlled Libertarian Party of New Hampshire were not just "mean words" but “actual harassment”.
In May 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) said that "Members of the Libertarian Party are concerned about the Mises Caucus winning control of the party at the May 26 national convention, ushering in an era of collaboration between the U.S.'s largest third party and the hard-right movement inside the Republican Party”.[45] The SPLC said that Caucus chair and founder Michael Heise had cited donations received from Patrick M. Byrne and nominated Daryl Brooks for Governor of Pennsylvania. Both Byrne and Brooks promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, the SPLC said.[46] [47]