Hello Liberty Lovers, I hope your summers are all going well!

It is with great enthusiasm and immense pride that I can say, thus far this year has been a phenomenal one for our party. We have grown in numbers, in influence, and in impact. Our voice for Liberty is being heard louder and clearer across the state, and our message of individual freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government is resonating with more North Carolinians than ever before.

I say this with pride because, wow, what a $%!7show the two sides of the uniparty have been. We had a near-assassination of an ex-president and presidential candidate that everyone seems to have forgotten, except to mention the resignation of the head of the Secret Service who didn't seem to think the assassination attempt was a big deal. We had the sitting president step down from the race after it became impossible to hide his advanced dementia, and his VP anointed as the new candidate despite some of the lowest primary support in history.

I am especially proud of our candidates, the heart and soul of our movement. They come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and dedication to the table. Whether they are running for local school boards, city councils, state legislature, or congressional seats, they share a common goal: to fight for the rights of every individual and to challenge the status quo that has held our state back for too long.

Among our exceptional candidates we have four council of state candidates, who hosted the first of a series of planned townhall meetings, and so many others at all levels, who are making waves on radio, podcasts, appearances, and other places around the state. We have highlighted those for you as they come up, and will continue to do so. 

Our fight is not just at the ballot box, though. One of the most significant challenges we face is the entrenched corruption within the North Carolina State Board of Elections. This body, which should be the guardian of free and fair elections, has instead become a tool for the two major parties to maintain their grip on power. We have seen firsthand how they manipulate rules, obstruct our candidates, and attempt to silence our voices.

But we are not deterred. We are fighting back with all our might. Transparency and accountability are essential for a healthy democracy, and we will not rest until the State Board of Elections is reformed and operates with integrity.

While we have achieved much, there is still a long road ahead. To continue our momentum and to ensure that our candidates can run effective campaigns, we need your support now more than ever. Here are a few ways you can help:

1. Volunteer: Our campaigns need boots on the ground. Whether it's canvassing, phone banking, or helping with events, your time and effort can make a significant difference.

2. Donate: Running a campaign requires resources. Your financial contributions, no matter the size, can help us print materials, run advertisements, and support our candidates' efforts to reach voters.

3. Spread the Word: Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about our candidates and our message. Social media is a powerful tool – share our posts, engage with our content, and help us reach a broader audience.

4. Stay Informed: Keep up with our candidates and campaigns. Attend our events, participate in our meetings, and stay engaged with the issues that matter most to our community.

We stand at a pivotal moment in our party's history. The progress we have made is incredible, but there is so much more we can achieve together. The fight for Liberty, justice, and a government that truly serves the people is ongoing, and I am confident that with your continued support, we will overcome any obstacle in our path.

Let's continue to build on our successes, support our remarkable candidates, and push forward in our mission to create a freer, fairer North Carolina. Together, we can and will make a difference.

Thank you for your unwavering dedication and commitment to the Libertarian cause.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

Hello North Carolina, and happy end of June.

If you think similarly to me in any way, you watched that debate this week in disbelief that these two are the best our country can do for major party candidates. Barring some unforeseen and major event, one of those two will be the president of the United States, the leader of the free world, and responsible for the nuclear codes… again.

In the face of this sad reality, and against the backdrop of a Congress that seems determined to one-up itself for which party can strip your rights more quickly and aggressively, it can be difficult to keep up the energy and the momentum on an individual level. Especially as we get into the long, hot days of North Carolina summers, I understand that the staggering weight of the uniparty can weigh on our shoulders and discourage even the most ardent Liberty warriors.

I am here to empathize, and then to tell you that we are winning. Look at the big wins just this week at a federal level. We saw Julian Assange finally freed. While I suspect most of us would have preferred a full pardon to the plea deal, an innocent journalist who exposed war crimes is now able to see his family again.

The Supreme Court has reversed its authoritarian Chevron doctrine, a terrible miscarriage of justice that gave the administrative state potentially unlimited power within the context of certain regulation. Now, al the problems that we have failed to solve because unelected bureaucrats overstepped their knowledge and ability to make and enforce rules that cost money and stifled innovation.

And locally, we are seeing progress. As noted in the newsletter below, local elections have opened up, a number of which will be uncontested.

The State Board of Elections does not provide a list of all the available positions but your county board of elections website should tell you what races are available to you. Just go to your local, county, city, or town website to see what might be available, and we are here to help you with your run. A bit of diligence on the part of everyone reading this over the next four-year election cycle could lead to dozens or even hundreds of Libertarians elected to local positions, where the greatest opportunity to drive change lies.

The LPNC is working relentlessly to fight for the cause of Liberty, but our organization is the sum of its parts, and you all are the power behind this engine. Thank you for everything you do, and for everything you will do. Our brightest days remain in front of us.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

Hello North Carolina, and happy end of May.

Summer is coming to the Tar Heel State, and the campaigns are heating up in line with the weather. We currently have 47 candidates running for federal, state, and local elections, and every single one of them needs help. Reach out, by email, on social, or in person, and we can help you find something that fits your time, skills, and budget needs. No amount is too small, and we appreciate all of it.

As I look back on May, I find myself reflecting on the nature of sacrifice. Keeping a third-party moving forward – growing membership, running successful candidates, fundraising, organizing, messaging, events, and everything else our wonderful volunteers do – requires sacrifice. I am deeply grateful for the sacrifice of our volunteers and I try to do everything I can to minimize disruptions to your daily lives. Ultimately, we want a world where politics is barely an afterthought, and we are working to spread Liberty to that end everyday.

But May is ushered in by Mother’s Day and Memorial Day is its bookend. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the incredible sacrifice offered by so many, willingly and with love. Our moms sacrifice so much to help us become the people that we are, and the only reward they seek is for us to have the best lives we possibly can. To all those of you in the Liberty movement, you are making that a reality.

Of course, since Crispus Attucks became the first American to die fighting for freedom, the tree of Liberty has too often drank the blood of patriots, and we honor their sacrifice on Memorial Day, today, and every day. So many veterans end up in the LPNC or the Libertarian Party, and I think it is because they are individuals who understand how important protecting our Liberty is. Eventually, they see through the mendacity of the military industrial complex. They never give up their fight for Liberty, though, and that’s why they end up Libertarian. Of course, this month, while we acknowledge those who are fighting for Liberty, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Theirs is a debt that can never be repaid, but we are here, doing our best.

As many of you know, the National Libertarian Party convention was this past weekend. Results were mixed, and convention was nothing if not eventful, which is in line with being Libertarian. On a personal note I want to say congratulations to the LPNC’s very own Sarah Brady and Dan Johnson. They first met at the 2018 national convention, and, in the most heart-warming moment of convention, closed the loop on the first part of their story when Dan proposed on stage and Sarah said yes. Watch the clip here or keep an eye out for a recording in the Liberty iNC that comes out this weekend.

We also elected a new Executive Committee and nominated a President and Vice President campaign. I want to extend my congratulations to Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat for winning the nominations, and I wish them well as they represent the party on a national level. All of our candidates campaigned hard for more than two years, and they all deserve our appreciation. I am looking forward to a spirited presidential campaign season. If you are interested in getting involved with their campaigns, let us know, and we can connect you with volunteers in the LPNC.

Of course, if you feel your efforts would be better served elsewhere in the party, closer to home, there is still plenty to do locally, and we need it. I promise, your sacrifice in joining the fight for Liberty will not be taken for granted.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

Much of North Carolina took a few hours early this month to watch the solar eclipse that crossed a significant portion of our state. It served as a powerful reminder that there is beauty and wonder out there, and the best lives we can lead are those where we are free to explore the world in the way best suited to each of us. 

We preach a principled philosophy. It is wide ranging in policy interpretations, but laser focused in its underlying requirement. You can do as you see fit provided you don't hurt other people or take their property without consent. 

Elements of the NAP are fun to debate philosophically, and we all know how much Libertarians love to debate endlessly over the punctilious details of what makes us different from the other parties. At our core, though, we don't need to share values to share a common principle, and we can unite around that.

When we don't, we are faced with increasing aggression and intrusion by a state that leverages people's fear to get them to vote away their rights, often without them realizing what they are doing. We have voters supporting congressional reps in our own state who voted that the federal government can spy on you without a warrant. We have reps who want to lock people in cages for using a plant in their own homes. We have reps who want to criminalize who you love, where you work, how you stay warm, and how you defend yourself. 

As always, there are so many ways to stand up and push back against this relentless onslaught of state overreach. We have national convention late next month, and we are happy to be sending a full contingent of delegates and then some. We have an extraordinary group of candidates, all of whom could use your support. We have open positions in the LPNC, and we can use your time, whether its an hour a week or a hundred.

Even seemingly small acts, in representing the party well and promoting our ideas with messaging that resonates with a people who are tired of fighting with each other and having its rights trampled all over by elected officials who care only for the demands of their donor and lobbyist backers. 

After you read this, my challenge to you is to find one thing, big or small, that you can do to advance Liberty. Then do the same the next day, and so on. Soon, it will become second nature, and you will become part of the resistance that will never back down. 

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

I want to start off by wishing everyone who celebrates a Happy Easter! If you are a Christian like I am, it is by far the biggest holiday on the calendar and the foundation of our faith. If you are not, it is a wonderful story of the triumph of good over evil, freedom over tyranny, and life over death. I hope everyone experiences peace, happiness, and prosperity today and every day. In fact, I am dedicated to help work towards a future where we all have that opportunity.

Ah March… in like a lion, without question. Starting on March 5, when we had our first primary in a long time (congrats to Mike Ross on winning the candidacy, and thank you to both Mike and Shannon Bray for running brilliant Libertarian campaigns), we are now looking at potentially more than 50 Libertarian candidates running for office – federal, state, and local – by July.

Now much of NC is glued to televisions with North Carolina schools well represented in this year’s college championship tournament. App State didn’t quite make it this year, but I remain confident that we will be hoisting the trophy any year now…

That might sound a little crazy, but the real madness this March is that we continue to accept the over-reach of the uniparty. Just look at the primaries earlier this month. How many races involved Republican or Democrat candidates anointed for victory by the state party; how many potentially good candidates were ignored for their unwillingness to bend to red or blue orthodoxy; how many people have dropped out, announced candidacies, or faced a changed electorate based on gerrymandering?

We don’t live in a democracy. I am sick of hearing both parties scream about the need to protect something that disappeared long ago. Instead, we live in an oligarchy, where deep pockets carefully curate elected officials who represent their interests. Of course, there are exceptions, but they seem few and far between, and almost all those who win somehow eventually end up breaking down and joining the big club that we aren’t part of.

NC State is now in the Final Four, beating much-higher-ranked opponents by relying on relentless teamwork and a gritty set of performances where they left nothing unchallenged and gave it their all every second of every game. Our opponent is a machine that never stops. We have a chance to end the madness, but we need teamwork and a relentless focus on victory.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

Today, the extra day granted once every four years, and a week away from the state-mandated time change – significant increase in heart attacks be damned – we are faced with the overwhelming intrusion of the government into every aspect of our lives. But there is something else important about today – we have a chance to fight back in a very tangible way.

Tuesday, March 5, is election day for the North Carolina primary. Early voting has been going for weeks. We have two candidates in a primary for governor for the first time in decades, and we have a significant opportunity to send a message that we are sick of the uniparty fighting over which side gets to take our rights. But we can only send this message if you all show up and vote.

We also have the most substantial slate of presidential candidates, and you have the chance to opine on which you would prefer represent the Libertarian Party in the national election. Again, if you don’t exercise your right to vote, then your voice will not be represented as we make this crucial decision that sets the path for the party’s future, not just this year, but for the next several years.

We have provided polling places for early and day of voting in this edition of the Tar Heel, and we have given you all the material you need to review the candidates and make your decision. Now it’s up to y'all.

The LPNC is doing all it can to fight for Liberty in our great state, and we held our annual state convention earlier this month. The event was an overwhelming success, and I am so thankful to the volunteers and party members who came out and made our convention not just possible, but so successful.

In particular, I want to thank Zac Lentz and Dee Watson for their tireless work on all the details of the convention, making sure everything went smoothly from end-to-end. I want to thank Angela Humphries for all her work helping to raise money and set up the auctions. I want to thank Eric Rowell and Michael Gibson for giving extraordinary talks about their roles in the Liberty movement – and how we can emulate their successes. I want to thank Barbara Howe, Shannon Bray, and Mike Ross for the governor grilling. I want to thank Dan Smotz and all the presidential candidates for the Sunday morning presidential debate. And I want to thank the Village Inn for again being top notch hosts for our annual convention.

I am keeping it short this week, as there is plenty for you all to read below, and I don’t want to take one extra second that you could be using to get to your local polling station. Things are picking up for the LPNC this year, but it starts with you. Please, get out there and vote.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

Every election, we hear the same thing. "This is the most important election of our lifetimes!" It is repeated, ad nauseum, trumpeted by both sides who warn vociferously, but deadly serious, how life as we know it will come to an end if you don't support the person they do.

Whether it is the end of democracy, or climate disaster, infiltration by terrorists or immigrants, death by communism or death by fascism, there is always a new boogieman to rally support, trying to drum up enough votes to hoard more power through the perceived legitimacy of the ballot box. 

But what if every election really is the most important election, not for massive existential reasons, but because that is the election right in front of us, right now. What if the next election is the one where the tide turns, in some small way, and the long, gradual slide into tyranny stops. What if the next election is the one where we choose Liberty?

If we don't, I am not going to fear-monger and tell you the world will end because of it (though we should be aware of the war hawks circling around federal office and what that might entail). I will tell you that, without Liberty, we will continue the slide into muddling mediocrity, stagnation, and ruin. Without Liberty, innovation will stifle and suffocate, and will be replaced by government mandates, formed at the direction of corporate profit margins. 

This month's episode looks at these issues. We have two articles on how the government has deliberately and willfully destroyed the value of your money and made it much more difficult for you to accrue assets that hold their value or use those assets to participate in the financial system. We have another article that looks at how the politics of fear is used to take ever more of our rights, all in the name of an ultimately illusory safety. 

Instead of fear, I want to push back with hope. We have a slate of incredible candidates running for office right here in North Carolina, and this is the year, with your help, that we get them elected! We have allies, and people willing to push back against the overreach of the state. Just in the next few weeks, we have two governor candidate debates, one including three other parties. The Liberty message is spreading.

We have our annual convention right around the corner, and our keynote speaker wrote a book about how government schools have killed innovation and progress, and so he and his partners found a way to break the system. 

We have so many reasons to be hopeful, and I am optimistic. However, we can't do any of it without help. If you are reading this, reach out. Give your time or your money. We don't need hundreds of dollars or hours upon hours. Just a little here and there makes a huge difference, especially if everyone reading this got involved.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

I will keep my message short this month, because our accomplishments speak for themselves, and anything I say I am worried might only take away from what we have achieved. 

First of all, Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and joyful tidings of peace to everyone, no matter what or how you celebrate, we wish you well. We are the party of peace, but that does not make us the party of weakness, and it certainly does not make us passive. We proved how dedicated we are on Friday when filing closed, and I am so proud of everyone, I really can't say it enough. Rob has written a deep article reflecting on the meaning of the holidays and how embracing peace and non-aggression is actually an act of rebellion.

Speaking of rebellion, we have our convention theme, "Cheers to Rebellion!" If you haven't registered yet, I don't know what you're waiting for, but all the details are included below, including our keynote speaker, who we are really excited will be hosting the gala and after.

The whole newsletter this month is worth checking out, even more than normal, with a bunch of good articles, lots of information about what has happened, what comes next, and how you can help, and a few different places where you can find the perfect gift for that picky Libertarian in your life.

Everyone likes receiving gifts, and I am no exception. But the gift that you all have given me this year is one for which I will never be able to truly say thank you enough, never repay, never fully acknowledge or address. You have given the gift of sacrifice, of your time and your money, of moments with family and friends that you spent instead working on helping build and advance the party, of sleepless nights and painful next days at work. I see how much you have sacrificed, and it is a gift I do not take lightly. I promise, I will do all I can to make it worthwhile.

Mostly though, you have given the gift of your friendship, your compassion, and your commitment to Liberty. This is something that is beyond value, and it is why I am confident that we are going to win. 

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

We have accomplished so much this year, and we have so much left to do. I am in awe of the volunteers who work tirelessly to bring success to the LPNC. You all show up for events, for candidates, for protests, and more, driving our success, even when that success seems tiny compared to the machine we are up against.

Nevertheless, success breeds success, and our journey in Liberty is for our lifetime. It is something inherent to who we are, each of us. We are the ones who can’t hold our tongue when we see injustice, who can’t ignore tyranny, who can’t turn off our minds when we see victims of authoritarianism, and who can’t sit back and do nothing as life and Liberty are casualties in the State’s insatiable lust for power.

I know that this is a calling for most of you, and that you are exactly where you want to be. That doesn’t take away from the time you dedicate, the money you give, or the sacrifices you make, though. So, in the spirit of this month, I want to take some time to say thank you.

First of all, coming off the 2023 election cycle, I want to thank all the candidates who ran for office. Ultimately, the biggest opportunity we have to drive change is through elections, and the biggest opportunity to win elections is at the local level. That doesn’t mean that running is easy. We had some wins, and we had some campaigns not end up how we wanted, but I am proud of all of you. I am proud to be the Chair of the party you represented and I am thankful for everything you did. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I want to thank the rest of the Executive Committee for giving your time to help keep the party functioning. You all show up week in and week out, keeping me on point and making sure the LPNC is heading in the right direction. I know it takes time and energy, and you all have other things you could be doing, and I appreciate it.

I especially want to thank Dee, Christina, Brad, and Daniel for the work you did with the candidates, not just for this cycle, but in considering how we will approach elections in the future. Your help and advice are invaluable to me, and I want to make sure you know that you have my gratitude.

To all of our affiliates, and the people making them work, thank you and thank you again. As Libertarians, we recognize the value of cohesion around ideas and decentralized applications, and you are proving us right. While I want you to hold me to the highest standard of making sure you have what you need to flourish, I am constantly reminded of how much gets done on the ground, organized and implemented by you all. Without you, there is no LPNC. Thank you.

We had a big year in 2023, and we have a huge year in 2024, which we discuss more in this newsletter and will cover next month as well. We have state and national convention, presidential and gubernatorial elections, platform changes to consider, strategy to refine, successes to build on, opportunities to learn from misses, and work to be done in so many different places.

Today, though, I am pausing for a moment to say thank you to all of you. Thank you to each volunteer who gave time, thank you to each donor who gave money, thank you to each voter who made sure to show up at the polls. Thank you to all of you who make up this party. Without you, we are nothing. Together, we are going to change the world.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair

Every so often, events occur that remind me why I am Libertarian. Obviously, things like the authoritarian lockdown during the covid tyranny reaffirm my philosophy, but I mean things like what we saw this weekend.

Libertarians are pro-human. We defend life and Liberty, and we are opposed to any aggression against someone else’s life and Liberty. This includes all acts of war and terrorism.

Like most of you, I was sickened to see the videos of terrorists from Hamas wantonly attacking and killing Israeli civilians. I am similarly sickened when I see images of Palestinian children maimed from an air strike. Or Yemeni children as thin as skeletons from malnutrition caused by bombings and sanctions. Or children from Ukraine, or Syria, or South Africa, or Venezuela, or anywhere else in the world where violence, ultimately perpetrated by the State, the world’s monopoly on violence, is inflicted on children.

Where innocents suffer from the aggression of psychopathic power-mongers, this is where we need to stand strong in our principles, and let the light of Liberty shine bright. We must be the beacon of hope that leads people away from millennia of seething hatred. We must be the paragons of hope.

It is hard to write about things in North Carolina this close on the backs of those horrific images. But I remember that these atrocities are going on around the world. And, while I call for peace in Israel, Gaza, the Middle East, and everywhere people live, I also remember that where we can make a difference, really drive change, is right here, in our beautiful home state.

Then, when Liberty in North Carolina rings clarion and true across the whole world, maybe we can be the source of change that spreads and lasts. At the very least, we can make sure we, in our state, never have to face the kind of violence and the uncertainty that comes with it, like we saw this weekend.

So, on that note, I have to mention the candidates we have running all across the state. This is the last time I will get to address you in the newsletter before the 2023 elections. By the November Tar Heel, I hope to share with you the good news of elected Libertarians. To get there, we need your help.

JJ Campbell, Justin Herbe, Mitch Bridges, and Andrew Kinzie all have non-partisan elections today, winnowing down the fields in each of their races. JJ and Andrew were the guests on this week’s Liberty iNC, just released. Check them out, make a donation, volunteer to help. For us, a little goes a really long way.

Mostly though, considering everything that just happened, I want you all to know how much I appreciate you, every one of you. From the volunteers who show up day in and day out to keep us growing, to all of our donors, to the people fighting to spread Liberty in everything. I see you, I appreciate you, and I thank you. I remember what we are fighting for, and why you are in this. And I promise, the best is yet to come.

-Ryan Brown, LPNC Chair