Elections in the US make it all, but impossible for third party and independent candidates to compete in most elections. Still, for several decades there have been established third parties at the national level, including the Libertarian, Green, and Reform Parties.
These parties are ignored by legacy and mainstream media outlets, their existence is treated as nothing more than spoilers for the Republican and Democratic Parties, and on top of the many systemic mechanisms that suppress their ballot presence, they can also experience crippling internal strife.
The situation has become so dire for one party that its chair now warns that if something doesn't change, it is in danger of "full collapse."
The Ron Paul Institute reports that Libertarian Party Chair Steven Nekhaila emailed members of the Libertarian National Committee board and told them that they "may very well be the last one standing between the Libertarian National Committee and full collapse.”
The email was about a confidential and internal operational report by Strategists, Inc. that Nekhaila said was leaked by a member of the board to score political points, but nonetheless painted a dire picture for the party that -- if ignored -- would push the party off the proverbial cliff.
"We are an organization in dysfunction. We are bleeding every month. Our membership is in decline. Donor trust is shattered. Our staff, the few left, are overworked, underpaid, and somehow still showing up while we play political games and throw sand in the gears," he remarked.
Nekhaila, who took over as party chair in February after Angela McArdle resigned her position, lists several problems within the party, including factional divides. The party has also lost many members, former leaders, and influential figures. Some state affiliates have even broken away.
Little has been reported about why 2016 presidential nominee Gary Johnson and 2020 presidential nominee Jo Jorgenson have distanced themselves from party activities.
The party has also seen a significant decline in its electoral presence. Johnson garnered 3.3% of the national popular vote in the 2016 election. However, Jorgenson was only able to earn 1.2% -- in part because she had little to no visibility in the 2020 election.
In 2024, there were few voters who even knew that the Libertarian nominee was Chase Oliver -- who garnered 0.42% of the vote.
Nekhaila said in his email that the Strategists Inc report was commissioned to "get real about our condition. And the message is clear: we are at the edge of the cliff. This is not a bad month or a rough patch. This is do or die." He listed several steps he believes the party should take to rebound.
"I didn’t take on this role to manage decline. I took it to pull us out of the nosedive. And that requires more than talk. It requires discipline," he said.