Chase Oliver: What Does the Libertarian Presidential Candidate Really Believe?
The L.P. presidential candidate clarifies his views amid criticisms that he is too "woke."
Who, exactly, is Chase Oliver? And what does he really stand for?
Oliver is the Libertarian Party's 2024 presidential nominee, selected after six rounds of voting at a contentious party convention in Washington, D.C., this weekend, which featured speeches from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, and former President Donald Trump, who suggested himself as the nominee to a chorus of boos. Oliver was not the preferred candidate of the Mises Caucus, who remains in control of the Libertarian Party, and several of their higher profile members, such as Dave Smith, have said they will not vote for him, with several accusing him of being too woke, too pro-immigration, and too soft on COVID restrictions. We'll ask him to address all of that today.
Oliver, a 38-year-old sales executive, rose to prominence in the party as the 2022 Libertarian Senate candidate in a highly competitive race in Georgia, where he pulled 2 percent of the vote and forced it into a runoff, which ultimately resulted in the Democratic candidate winning, tipping the balance of the Senate in their favor.
Watch the full conversation on Reason's YouTube channel or the Just Asking Questions podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcatcher.
Sources referenced in this conversation:
- Dave Smith saying he won't vote for Oliver
- The "anti-woke" criticism of Oliver
- Oliver's December 2021 tweet on vaccines as misrepresented by Tim Pool
- The actual tweet quoted above.
- Donald Trump's full speech at the Libertarian National Convention
Timestamps:
- 00:00 Introduction to Chase Oliver
- 01:40 Campaign Message and Strategy
- 04:02 Foreign Policy Stance
- 06:31 Internal Party Divisions
- 12:07 Controversial Positions and Clarifications
- 13:31 Transgenderism and Parental Rights Debate
- 25:41 Immigration and COVID Policies
- 30:07 Debating Vaccine Mandates and Property Rights
- 31:17 Cultural and Legal Perspectives on Mandates
- 32:37 Impact of State-Imposed Mandates
- 33:37 Economic Consequences of Mandates
- 36:34 Libertarian Views on Free Trade and Tariffs
- 38:01 Addressing Criticism and Building Unity
- 42:08 Libertarian Outreach and Big Tents
- 44:51 Trump's Speech at the Libertarian Convention
- 48:51 Libertarian Party's Strategy and Goals
- 52:16 Addressing Past Statements and Moving Forward
- 57:04 Final Questions
Photo Credit: Robin Rayne/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom
- Producer: John Osterhoudt