Libertarian Party of Washington

Founding

The Libertarian Party of Washington was founded in 1972. H. W. "Skip" Barron's biography in Washington's 1974 voters' pamphlet identified him as the party's founder and state chairman.

Legal advocacy

The party challenged Washington's requirements for minor-party access to the ballot in Libertarian Party of Washington v. Munro. The lawsuit concerned procedures requiring minor-party candidates to announce their candidacies earlier than major-party candidates, as well as differences in the rules for filling vacancies on party tickets. In July 1994, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the challenged procedures.

In 2005, the party joined the Washington Republican and Democratic parties in litigation challenging Initiative 872, which established the state's top-two primary system. The parties argued that allowing candidates to identify a party preference without that party's endorsement infringed their freedom of association. In Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party, the United States Supreme Court rejected the facial constitutional challenge in March 2008.

The party also participated in litigation concerning same-sex marriage. Together with the Log Cabin Republicans of Washington, it submitted an amicus brief in Andersen v. King County supporting marriage rights for same-sex couples. The Washington Supreme Court upheld the state's prohibition on same-sex marriage in 2006.

Organizational changes

At its May 31, 2014 convention, the party replaced its executive committee and elected C. Michael Pickens as chairman, Chris Strong as vice chairman, Sean Treasure as treasurer, and Steven Nielson as secretary. The reorganization replaced five at-large representatives with seven regional representatives and changed leadership terms from two years to one. Regional representatives were assigned responsibility for establishing county organizations within their respective regions.

Recent developments

In April 2024, the party held its annual convention at the Woman's Club of Spokane. Reporting on the convention, The Inlander described a decline in dues-paying membership to approximately 180, compared with approximately 400 in 2020, according to outgoing chair Anna Duque.

Before the March 2026 convention in Ruston, proposals were introduced to dissolve the party and revise its organizational purpose. According to the party's April newsletter, the dissolution motion failed, delegates adopted an amended purpose statement, and Pickens returned as chairman. The adopted changes permitted community and educational activities outside electoral politics while retaining support for ballot access for the national party's presidential ticket.

Later in 2026, the party described its membership as growing and promoted recruitment through its website, volunteer programs, and local affiliates. Its October newsletter invited members to help organize committees for membership recruitment, convention planning, candidate support, and bylaws review.

In March 2026, the party revived its monthly newsletter, The Washington Libertarian, following a hiatus. Monthly issues continued through October, with coverage of party business, local events, public policy, and commentary from members. The publication was made available through the party's website in PDF format, with later issues also offered as online articles. The party recruited volunteers to contribute writing, photography, artwork, editing, and local reports.

The party used its social media accounts to publicize events and distribute updates, alongside its website and newsletter. Its online outreach also included a Discord community and a Reddit forum, r/LPWA, announced in July 2026 for discussion of Washington issues, local activities, and opportunities to participate.

Youth outreach included a dedicated website page for Young Libertarians of Washington, linking to the group's Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts.

Local activities during 2026 included recurring county meetups, public forums, and social gatherings. The October newsletter listed meetings in Skagit, Kitsap, Thurston, Spokane, Clark, and Pierce counties, and reported on a camping trip and events with former Libertarian presidential nominee Chase Oliver in Burien and Mountlake Terrace.

1972 elections

The Libertarian Party of Washington was founded in 1972. In that year's general election, the national Libertarian presidential ticket of John Hospers and Tonie Nathan received 1,537 votes (0.10%) in Washington. David Odden received 154 votes (0.51%) for House position 1 in the 36th legislative district.

1974 elections

Richard R. Dyment received 697 votes (3.21%) for House position 1 in the 36th legislative district, finishing behind incumbent Helen Sommers and Republican Edward Lubin. Contemporary reporting in Reason also identified Skip Barron as a Libertarian legislative candidate and reported that he received approximately 12% of the vote.

1976 elections

Richard K. Kenney received 19,373 votes (1.30%) for the U.S. Senate, while Maurice W. Willey received 4,133 votes (0.27%) for governor. Libertarian congressional candidates included Alan M. Gottlieb, who received 4,230 votes (1.88%) in the 1st district, and D. E. Bear Sandahl, who received 1,959 votes (0.94%) in the 5th district. The presidential ticket of Roger MacBride and David Bergland received 5,042 votes (0.32%) in Washington.

1977 elections

Richard K. Kenney was listed as a Libertarian congressional candidate in Washington in 1977.

1978 elections

John H. Addison ran as the Libertarian candidate in Washington's 1st congressional district. He received 3,545 votes, finishing behind Republican incumbent Joel Pritchard and Democrat Janice Niemi.

1980 elections

The Libertarian presidential ticket of Ed Clark and David Koch received 29,213 votes in Washington. In congressional races, Maurice Willey received 8,229 votes in the 1st district and William L. McCord received 9,047 votes in the 2nd district. Neither congressional candidate was elected.

1982 elections

Libertarian legislative candidates included H. W. (Skip) Barron, who received 1,160 votes (3.48%) for the State Senate in the 36th district; Phyllis R. Clark, who received 1,027 votes (5.05%) for House position 1 in the 29th district; and John Trinnes, who received 526 votes (2.73%) for House position 2 in the same district. None won their contests.

1984 elections

The Libertarian presidential ticket headed by David Bergland received 8,844 votes (0.47%) in Washington. Dan Blachly received 2,953 votes (1.57%) in the 6th congressional district, finishing third behind incumbent Norm Dicks and Republican Michael H. Lonergan.

1986 elections

Karen Allard received 787 votes for House position 1 in the 26th legislative district. Democrat Ron Meyers won with 15,016 votes, ahead of Republican Cathy Shaffer's 13,479 votes.

1988 elections

The Libertarian presidential ticket headed by Ron Paul received 17,240 votes (0.92%) in Washington.

1990 elections

William L. McCord received 15,165 votes (8.25%) in the 2nd congressional district, finishing third behind incumbent Democrat Al Swift and Republican Doug Smith.

1992 elections

The Libertarian presidential ticket headed by Andre Marrou received 7,533 votes (0.33%) in Washington. Jim Horrigan received 4,075 votes (1.71%) in the 6th congressional district, finishing behind incumbent Norm Dicks, Republican Lauri J. Phillips, and independent Tom Donnelly.

1994 elections

John Gearhart received 6,386 votes (21.24%) for House position 1 in the 9th legislative district. Republican incumbent Larry Sheahan won with 23,676 votes (78.76%).

1995 elections

Art Rathjen contested the special election for the State Senate in the 43rd legislative district. Contemporary reporting put his share at approximately 10%. The same report identified Jim Campton as a Libertarian candidate for the Federal Way City Council and reported that he received approximately 22% of the vote.

1996 elections

Arthur (Art) Rathjen received 39,277 votes (1.84%) for lieutenant governor, and Richard Shepard received 58,672 votes (2.75%) for attorney general. Neither was elected. The presidential ticket of Harry Browne and Jo Jorgensen received 12,522 votes (0.56%) in Washington.

1997 elections

John Gearhart was elected to the Palouse City Council in an uncontested nonpartisan race. A contemporary Libertarian publication identified his election as one of the party's local victories.

1998 elections

Mike Harrington ran for House position 1 in the 8th legislative district. A compilation of official primary returns submitted in federal court recorded 2,105 primary votes (13.04%) for Harrington, identifying him as a Libertarian.

1999 elections

Ballot Access News reported five Libertarian victories in nonpartisan local races in Washington: Mark Taff and Eva Hart for the Colville City Council, Mike Hihn for a water commissioner position in King County, and Heidi Duty and Morgan Duty for cemetery board positions in Spokane.

2000 elections

Jeff Jared received 64,734 votes (2.63%) for the U.S. Senate, and the presidential ticket of Harry Browne and Art Olivier received 13,135 votes (0.53%) in Washington. Libertarians also contested eight state executive offices. Ruth E. Bennett received 179,567 votes (7.81%) for lieutenant governor, Steve Layman received 125,985 (5.40%) for commissioner of public lands, and Chris Caputo received 123,058 (5.47%) for auditor.

2001 elections

Michael Enquist and Thomas Kinnebrew ran as Libertarians in legislative special elections. Enquist received 516 votes (1.59%) for House position 2 in the 21st district, and Kinnebrew received 779 votes (2.76%) for House position 2 in the 38th district. In Snohomish County Council races, Frank V. Ball Sr. received 1,006 votes (2.96%) in district 1, and Don Polson received 1,085 votes (3.32%) in district 5. None was elected.

2002 elections

Seven Libertarian candidates appeared in Washington's congressional general elections. Rob Chase received 10,379 votes (5.13%) in the 5th district, and Bruce Guthrie received 4,326 votes (2.14%) in the 2nd district. None of the seven won a seat.

2003 elections

Ballot Access News reported that one Libertarian won a nonpartisan local election in Washington on November 4, 2003.

2004 elections

Ruth Bennett received 63,464 votes in the gubernatorial election after the recounts. J. S. Mills received 34,055 votes (1.21%) for the U.S. Senate. The presidential ticket of Michael Badnarik and Richard Campagna received 11,955 votes (0.42%) in Washington.

2005 elections

Judi Roberts Fiest ran as a Libertarian in the special election for House position 1 in the 19th legislative district. The certified returns recorded 1,687 votes for Fiest, 12,807 for Republican Dawn Courtney, and 21,763 for winning Democratic incumbent Dean Takko.

2006 elections

Bruce Guthrie received 29,331 votes (1.41%) for the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell won reelection.

2008 elections

Ruth Bennett received 5,017 votes (10.56%) for House position 2 in the 37th legislative district, losing to incumbent Eric Pettigrew. John H. Beck received 3,673 votes (2.14%) in the primary for the 5th congressional district and did not advance. The presidential ticket of Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root received 12,728 votes (0.42%) in Washington.

2010 elections

The national Libertarian Party included incumbent Richard B. Sanders on its published list of candidates in the 2010 election. His race for Washington Supreme Court position 6 was nonpartisan. Sanders received 971,803 votes (49.66%) in the certified general-election results, losing to Charlie Wiggins, who received 984,948 votes (50.34%).

2012 elections

The Libertarian presidential ticket of Gary Johnson and James P. Gray received 42,202 votes (1.35%) in Washington.

2013 elections

Sean Olson appeared on the primary ballot for Snohomish County Council district 1 with the preference "Ind. Libertarian Party". He received 1,153 votes (5.87%), finishing fifth and not advancing to the general election.

2014 elections

Eight candidates listing a Libertarian preference contested legislative general elections. Steven Nielson received 9,734 votes (28.16%) for House position 2 in the 2nd district, and David A. Steenson received 12,838 votes (33.05%) for House position 1 in the 19th district. None of the eight was elected.

2015 elections

Candidates identified as Libertarians in contemporary reporting included Barbara Brenner and Joshua Penner. Brenner won reelection to Whatcom County Council district 3, position B, receiving 39,852 votes as the only named candidate. Penner won Orting City Council position 6 with 754 votes (58.40%), defeating Arlene Dannat, and also won Pierce County Charter Review Commission district 1, position 3, with 10,613 votes (56.45%). Former party chair C. Michael Pickens reported that the party supported 17 campaigns in 2015 and that five newly elected Libertarians won office.

2016 elections

Joshua B. Trumbull advanced to the general election for attorney general and received 979,105 votes (32.86%), losing to incumbent Bob Ferguson. In other statewide primaries, Paul Addis received 26,304 votes (1.99%) for lieutenant governor, Tim Turner received 80,570 (5.98%) for secretary of state, Steven M. Nielson received 63,056 (4.84%) for commissioner of public lands, and Justin Murta received 99,181 (7.50%) for insurance commissioner. Each listed a Libertarian preference; none of these four advanced. Mike Luke received 20,988 votes (1.52%) in the U.S. Senate primary and did not advance. The presidential ticket of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld received 160,879 votes in Washington.

Ten candidates listing a Libertarian preference reached legislative general elections; none won.

2017 elections

Michelle Darnell and Ciaran Dougherty advanced to the general election in special elections in the 48th legislative district. Darnell received 9,553 votes (31.05%) for the State Senate, losing to Patty Kuderer; Dougherty received 7,812 votes (25.91%) for House position 1, losing to Vandana Slatter.

In nonpartisan local elections, the national Libertarian Party identified Kevin Cline, Paul Addis, Ed Pace, and James Blair as Libertarian candidates. Cline won Long Beach City Council position 4 with 209 votes (58.87%). Addis, Pace, and Blair lost their respective council races. Libertarian Casey Carlisle also ran for mayor of Seattle, receiving 1,309 votes (0.71%) in the primary and failing to advance.

2018 elections

The 2018 primary included nine legislative candidates and three federal candidates who stated a Libertarian Party preference. Brian Luke finished second in the six-candidate primary for the 2nd congressional district and advanced to the general election, where he received 84,646 votes (28.71%) against incumbent Rick Larsen. Allen Acosta, Bryan Simonson, Sydney Gillman Wissel, and Matt Dubin also reached the legislative general election; all four lost.

2019 elections

James Blair, whom the national Libertarian Party had identified as a Libertarian candidate in 2017, was elected to Yelm City Council position 1 in 2019. He received 693 votes (50.84%), defeating incumbent EJ Curry, who received 663 votes (48.64%).

2020 elections

In 2020, Libertarian presidential nominees Jo Jorgensen and Jeremy "Spike" Cohen received 80,500 votes (1.97%) in Washington. Twelve candidates stated a Libertarian preference in the state executive, congressional, and legislative primaries. Anthony Welti received 324,921 votes (13.67%) for insurance commissioner, finishing third and failing to advance. Brett Borden, Marliza Melzer, and David Wiley reached the legislative general election, receiving 16,091 votes (24.67%), 15,123 (25.98%), and 20,810 (32.20%), respectively. All three lost.

2022 elections

David Wiley ran for State House district 38, position 2, receiving 1,004 votes (3.25%) in the primary. Justin Greywolf ran for the U.S. House in the 8th congressional district and received 1,518 votes (0.74%). Neither advanced to the general election.

2023 elections

Former state party chair Randy McGlenn II contested Spokane City Council district 3, position 1, in the 2023 nonpartisan primary. He received 772 votes (4.09%), finishing sixth among the named candidates and failing to advance. Alan Rubio, identified by The Everett Herald as a Libertarian Party member in 2023, ran for Alderwood Water and Wastewater District commissioner position 3. He received 4,074 votes (13.46%) and did not advance.

2024 elections

Libertarian presidential nominees Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat received 16,428 votes (0.42%) in Washington in 2024. Michael DePaula ran for governor, receiving 3,957 votes (0.20%) in the primary and failing to advance. Four candidates stated a Libertarian preference in legislative races. Justin Greywolf and Matt McCally reached the general election, receiving 12,508 votes (22.16%) and 6,115 votes (8.51%), respectively. Both lost to Democratic incumbents.

2025 elections

The party endorsed members Cobi Clark for Auburn City Council position 6 and Alan Rubio for Everett City Council district 4 in the 2025 nonpartisan elections. Both advanced to the general election. Clark received 5,588 votes (40.93%) across King and Pierce counties, losing to Lisa Stirgus, who received 8,000 votes (58.60%). Rubio received 997 votes (47.27%), losing to Luis Burbano, who received 1,104 votes (52.35%).

2026 elections

In 2026, the party listed Cobi Clark as a candidate for the Washington House of Representatives in the 47th legislative district, position 1, and Bruce Guthrie in the 21st legislative district, position 2.

Clark finished second in the August 4 primary with 8,361 votes (29.87%), behind incumbent Debra Entenman, who received 10,619 votes (37.94%). Guthrie also advanced to the general election, against incumbent Lillian Ortiz-Self.

State Executive Committee

As of October 2026, the party lists the following committee members, with terms expiring at its 2027 convention:

Presidential

The following table shows the Libertarian presidential ticket’s results in Washington. Changes are in percentage points compared with the preceding presidential election, using the displayed rounded percentages. Positions are among named tickets and exclude aggregated write-in totals.