FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RALEIGH (Dec. 16) - The 2024 election season has officially kicked off and the Libertarian Party of North Carolina (LPNC) has mobilized to give voters a chance to choose prosperity and Liberty. This December, 46 Libertarian candidates filed for 44 races, ranging from the highest office in North Carolina to a number of local elections. There will be two NC Libertarian primaries this year, in addition to the presidential preference poll. Ryan Brown, Chair of the LPNC, said, “It is easy to be proud of what we accomplished today, and we are happy with the results. But I am much more proud of the hard work all our staff and volunteers have put in for months. They built the foundation, and getting these candidates filed is just the first step.

“North Carolinians are sick of partisan fighting. They’re sick of outrageous inflation and the disappearing power of their paychecks. They’re sick of political gamesmanship while their rights are dismissed by people who claim to be our leaders. North Carolina is at a breaking point and Liberty is the only way out. I am honored and humbled to be able to serve this amazing field of candidates, and North Carolina is lucky to have them fighting for us.”

Four Council of State races will have a Libertarian on the ballot this year.

Governor: Mike Ross and Shannon Bray will primary each other
Lieutenant Governor: Dee Watson
Auditor: Bob Drach
Director of Agriculture: Sean Haugh

Four Libertarians in total filed for federal congressional districts:

US District 1: Tom Bailey
US District 3: Gheorghe Cormos
US District 4: Guy Meilleur
US District 10: Steven Feldman

In particular, Gheorghe Cormos is in a two-way race against noted big-government Republican Greg Murphy, who sits on the Alcoholic Beverage Control committee, as well as eight other committees where he is a member or chair. Among the highlights of Murphy’s career in the political machine are his criticism of Davidson college for its support of religious freedom, and his tweet claiming that rape was not a real thing. Against this backdrop, the LPNC is anticipating Cormos receiving a record-high number of votes for a Libertarian in North Carolina.

The LPNC will field 30 candidates for the NC State Legislature, including two in the Fayetteville, House 44 district, where Angel Yaklin and Christina Aragues will face off in a primary. Regardless of who earns the nomination, the voters of NC would be well served by either of these dedicated women and champions of Liberty. In Wake County, the Libertarian Party will run more state legislature candidates than the GOP, which chooses not to dedicate time or resources unless they can consolidate political power. 

The 2024 NC state legislature Libertarian candidates are:

Senate:

District 2: Maria Cormos
District 7: John Evans
District 10: Christopher Sessions
District 13: Susan Hogarth
District 14: Sammie Brooks
District 15: Kat McDonald
District 17: Patrick J. Bowersox*
District 18: Brad Hessel
District 19: Steven Swinton
District 22: Ray Ubinger
District 30: Daniel Cavender
District 32: Zac Lentz
District 34: Thomas B. Hill 

House:

District 7: Gavin Bell
District 11: Matthew Kordon
District 15: Matthew Feehan
District 25: Nick Taylor
District 26: Kevin Terrett
District 32: Ryan Brown
District 33: Chris Costello*
District 34: Ed George*
District 35: Michael Oakes
District 36: Travis Groo
District 37: Christopher Robinson
District 40: Mike Munger
District 41: Matthew Laszacs*
District 44: Angel Yaklin
District 44: Christina Aragues
District 66: Michael Nelson
District 99: Rob Yates

* These will be two-way races since the Wake GOP did not field a candidate.

Following on the LPNC’s success in 2023, seven Libertarians are running in the all-important local races. The LPNC is optimistic about these candidates’ chances, and we expect the recent surge in enthusiasm to translate into volunteers and support. Michael Barrick, Justin Vocke, and Melvin B. Poole will face a Republican challenger, but no Democrats have filed in their races, as the uniparty does its thing, and the Dems also ignore voters who don’t fall in line with their expressed groupthink.

Eric M. Scott is in a win three race, but the Democrats have fielded only one candidate. 

Avery County Board of Education: Ivy Vance Stafford**
Caldwell County Board of Education: Michael Barrick
Catawba County Board of Education: Eric M. Scott
Davie County Board of Commissioners: Justin Vocke
Richmond County Board of Commissioners: Richard Robinson
Scotland County Board of Commissioners At-Large: Samuel Levinson
Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large: Melvin B. Poole

**Ivy Vance Stafford will have her final race March 5th, with no primary.

At the federal level, Libertarians will have more choice in their primary in the presidential preference poll than any other party in NC. The Democratic Party submitted only one name, Joe Biden, anointing their dear leader by default. So much for democracy being on the ballot. The Republicans submitted seven names, though it remains to be seen how long they will keep up the illusion of choice before those candidates join the recent dropouts and fall in line behind their respective chosen demagogue.

The Libertarian candidates for president, who are not included among the 46 candidates who filed this December in NC, are below. Please note that the NC presidential preference poll is a non-binding primary. Delegates to the national convention will choose the candidate: 

No Preference
David TrimeTaveler Dunlap
Jacob Hornberger
Lars Mapstead
Chase Oliver
Michael Rectenwald
Joshua Smith
Mike ter Maat
Toad
Charles Ballay

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Dee Watson
Political and Policy Director
[email protected]