The Libertarian Party of Maine (LPME) is the

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

affiliate 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 ...

. The LPME was granted status as an affiliate of the Libertarian party in 1975 and ran its first candidate for elective office in municipal elections in Portland, Maine in 1979. The LPME has had a repeating cycle of activity and hiatus since its founding. It has been active since the 2012 election cycle, with a fully constituted State committee, securing the placement of 2012 Libertarian Party Presidential Nominee

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, and politician. He served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for Presid ...

onto the

general election ballot for the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

and the endorsement of Andrew Ian Dodge the United States Senate election in Maine, 2012. In 2015, the LPME sought to become a ballot-qualified political party by registering 5,000 or more voters into the party by December of that year. The party submitted over 6,400 registration forms to the Secretary of State. However, approximately 2,000 were found to be invalid. The party sued and, in May 2016, a judge in U.S. District Court allowed the Libertarian Party to register more voters into the party to obtain the 5,000 registrant minimum needed to receive a spot on the 2016 ballot for their presidential nominee. It was announced that they met the threshold on July 13, 2016, allowing Presidential candidate Gary Johnson to appear on the ballot. To maintain their status, they needed 10,000 registered Libertarians to vote in November 2016. In November 2016,

Libertarian Party (United States) The Libertarian Party (LP) is a political party in the United States that promotes civil liberties, non-interventionism, ''laissez-faire'' capitalism, and limiting the size and scope of government. The party was conceived in August 1971 at m ...

Presidential candidate

received at least 5% of the state presidential votes. This gave the LPME official party status in the state of

, becoming the fourth recognized party by the state. On 8 September 2017, Androscoggin County commissioner Zakk Maher became the LPME's first elected official when he defected from the

Maine Republican Party The Maine Republican Party is an affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Maine. It was founded in Strong, Maine, on August 7, 1854. The party currently does not control the governor's office or either chamber of the Maine Legislature ...

. After the 2018 election, the LPME lost party status as it did not receive 10,000 cumulative votes of registered Libertarians. On December 11, 2020, the party's declaration of intent to form a recognized party was recognized by the State of Maine. To become a qualifying party and participate in primary elections, the party must have 5,000 registered voters by January 2, 2022. In order to maintain this status, the party must have 10,000 registered voters cast ballots in the November 2022 state election. On December 14, 2020, Maine State Representative, John Andrews of House District 73, announced his intent to leave the Republican party and enroll as a Libertarian, becoming Maine's first Libertarian state legislator, although he rejoined the GOP in 2022 and will run for re-election as a Republican.

LPME state committee

''As of May 7, 2022 State Convention in Westbrook, ME'' * Chair: Harrison Kemp * Vice Chair: Tyler Rowe * Treasurer: Marco Frias * Secretary: Kate Brooks * North Region Representative: Bonnie Young * Central Region Representative: Jeremy Lizzotte * Western Region Representative: William Sampson * Southern Region Representative: Dane Courtois

References

External links

Libertarian Party of Maine
– official website {{Libertarian Party (United States)

Political parties in Maine