2008 Libertarian National Convention
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Libertarian National Convention was held from May 22 to May 26, 2008 at the Sheraton Hotel (formerly the Adam's Mark Hotel) in Denver, Colorado. The delegates at the convention, which was sponsored by the United States Libertarian Party, nominated Bob Barr
for the presidency
and Wayne Allyn Root
for the vice-presidency
in the 2008 presidential election
through the convention process, televised nationally by C-SPAN.
Libertarians hold a National Convention every two years to vote on party bylaws, platform and resolutions and elect national party officers and a judicial committee. Every four years it nominates presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
In 2006 the self-styled Libertarian Party "reformers" at the convention in Portland, Oregon took out 46 platform planks detailing party positions, leaving just fifteen. In 2008 more "radical" libertarians wanted to restore that platform. They did not succeed, but they narrowly prevented the reformers from watering down the non-aggression principle
in the party's “Statement of Principles”. The revised platform did replace the plank on secession
, deleted in 2006, with a definition of self-determination
drawn from the Declaration of Independence
: “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.”
. Barr thus won the nomination with 51.8% of the final vote.
Ruwart made a concession speech following the announcement of the results with her campaign staff on the stage.
Bob Barr
Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of...
for the presidency
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and Wayne Allyn Root
Wayne Allyn Root
Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination...
for the vice-presidency
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
in the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
through the convention process, televised nationally by C-SPAN.
Libertarians hold a National Convention every two years to vote on party bylaws, platform and resolutions and elect national party officers and a judicial committee. Every four years it nominates presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Platform
Non-aggression principle
The non-aggression principle , or NAP for short, is a moral stance which asserts that aggression is inherently illegitimate...
in the party's “Statement of Principles”. The revised platform did replace the plank on secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
, deleted in 2006, with a definition of self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
drawn from the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
: “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.”
First ballot
After the first round, six of the eight candidates running moved onto the second round of voting. Mike Jingozian and Christine Smith were both eliminated due to their small percentage of votes. Jingozian endorsed Fmr. Sen. Mike Gravel, and Smith presented a speech attacking Bob Barr after the results were announced.| Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | ||||||||||||
| Bob Barr Bob Barr Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of... |
153 | 24.6% | ||||||||||||
| Mary Ruwart Mary Ruwart Mary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart... |
152 | 24.5% | ||||||||||||
| Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination... |
123 | 19.8% | ||||||||||||
| Mike Gravel Mike Gravel Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a former candidate in the 2008 presidential election.... |
71 | 11.4% | ||||||||||||
| George Phillies | 49 | 7.9% | ||||||||||||
| Steve Kubby Steve Kubby Steven "Steve" Wynn Kubby is a Libertarian Party activist who played a key role in the drafting and passage of California Proposition 215. The proposition was a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana which was approved by voters in 1996. Kubby himself is well-known as a cancer patient who... |
41 | 6.6% | ||||||||||||
| Mike Jingozian | 23 | 3.7% | ||||||||||||
| Christine Smith | 6 | 0.9% | ||||||||||||
| Daniel Imperato Daniel Imperato Daniel Imperato is an American businessman, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Libertarian Party nomination for President of the United States in 2008. Imperato has also unsuccessfully sought the Green Party, Reform Party, and Constitution Party nominations... (write-in) |
1 | 0.2% | ||||||||||||
| Penn Jillette Penn Jillette Penn Fraser Jillette is an American magician, comedian, illusionist, juggler, bassist and a best-selling author known for his work with fellow illusionist Teller in the team Penn & Teller, and advocacy of atheism, libertarian philosophy, free-market economics, and scientific skepticism.-Early... (write-in) |
1 | 0.2% | ||||||||||||
| Ron Paul Ron Paul Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes... (write-in) |
1 | 0.2% | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Second ballot
After the second round, five of the six candidates running moved onto the third ballot. Steve Kubby, after receiving only 5% of the total vote, dropped out of the race and endorsed Dr. Mary Ruwart.| Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | |||||||||||
| Bob Barr Bob Barr Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of... |
188 | 29.7% | |||||||||||
| Mary Ruwart Mary Ruwart Mary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart... |
166 | 26.2% | |||||||||||
| Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination... |
138 | 21.8% | |||||||||||
| Mike Gravel Mike Gravel Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a former candidate in the 2008 presidential election.... |
73 | 11.5% | |||||||||||
| George Phillies | 36 | 5.7% | |||||||||||
| Steve Kubby Steve Kubby Steven "Steve" Wynn Kubby is a Libertarian Party activist who played a key role in the drafting and passage of California Proposition 215. The proposition was a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana which was approved by voters in 1996. Kubby himself is well-known as a cancer patient who... |
32 | 5.0% | |||||||||||
| Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an... (write-in) |
1 | 0.2% | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Third ballot
After the third round of voting, four of the five remaining candidates moved on to the fourth ballot. Dr. George Phillies was eliminated after receiving approximately 5% of the vote.| Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | |||||||||
| Bob Barr Bob Barr Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of... |
186 | 29.7% | |||||||||
| Mary Ruwart Mary Ruwart Mary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart... |
186 | 29.7% | |||||||||
| Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination... |
146 | 23.3% | |||||||||
| Mike Gravel Mike Gravel Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a former candidate in the 2008 presidential election.... |
78 | 12.4% | |||||||||
| George Phillies | 31 | 4.9% | |||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Fourth ballot
After the fourth vote, three of the four candidates went onto the fifth round of voting. Fmr. Sen. Mike Gravel was eliminated after not getting a sufficient number of votes, and subsequently announced that his political career was over.| Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | ||||||||
| Bob Barr Bob Barr Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of... |
202 | 32.1% | ||||||||
| Mary Ruwart Mary Ruwart Mary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart... |
202 | 32.1% | ||||||||
| Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination... |
149 | 23.7% | ||||||||
| Mike Gravel Mike Gravel Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a former candidate in the 2008 presidential election.... |
76 | 12.1% | ||||||||
|
||||||||||
Fifth ballot
After the fifth ballot, the final two of three candidates continued on to the sixth ballot. Wayne Allyn Root was therefore eliminated, and after the vote, he made a speech endorsing Barr and stating that he would like to be Barr's candidate for Vice-President. Barr and Root then stated that they would run together.| Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | ||||||||
| Mary Ruwart Mary Ruwart Mary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart... |
229 | 37.1% | ||||||||
| Bob Barr Bob Barr Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of... |
223 | 36.1% | ||||||||
| Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination... |
165 | 26.7% | ||||||||
|
||||||||||
Sixth ballot
With only Barr and Ruwart remaining on the ballot, Barr received 324 votes to Ruwart's 276 and 26 NOTANone of the above
None of the Above or against all is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system...
. Barr thus won the nomination with 51.8% of the final vote.
Ruwart made a concession speech following the announcement of the results with her campaign staff on the stage.
| Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | |||||||
| Bob Barr Bob Barr Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of... |
324 | 51.8% | |||||||
| Mary Ruwart Mary Ruwart Mary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart... |
276 | 44.1% | |||||||
| NOTA None of the above None of the Above or against all is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system... |
26 | 4.2% | |||||||
|
|||||||||
Voting for Vice Presidential nomination
A separate vote was held for the Vice Presidential nomination. Presidential nominee Barr endorsed Root, while Presidential runner-up Ruwart endorsed Kubby.First ballot
After the first ballot, three of the six active candidates running moved on to the second ballot.| Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | |||||||||
| Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination... |
269 | 47.7% | |||||||||
| Steve Kubby Steve Kubby Steven "Steve" Wynn Kubby is a Libertarian Party activist who played a key role in the drafting and passage of California Proposition 215. The proposition was a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana which was approved by voters in 1996. Kubby himself is well-known as a cancer patient who... |
209 | 37.1% | |||||||||
| Daniel Williams | 40 | 7.1% | |||||||||
| Jim Burnes | 27 | 4.8% | |||||||||
| Gail Lightfoot | 14 | 2.5% | |||||||||
| NOTA None of the above None of the Above or against all is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system... |
2 | 0.4% | |||||||||
| Mike Ferguson (write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | |||||||||
| Mary Ruwart Mary Ruwart Mary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart... (write-in) |
1 | 0.2% | |||||||||
| Leonard Schwartz | 1 | 0.2% | |||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Second ballot
After the second ballot, Wayne Allyn Root was nominated as the vice presidential candidate, prevailing by a difference of 30 votes over Steve Kubby, and 279 votes over Daniel Williams.| Candidate | Total votes cast | Percent of votes cast | ||||||||
| Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root Wayne Allyn Root is an American politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. In June 2009 Richard Winger wrote he was the front runner for the 2012 Libertarian Presidential nomination... |
289 | 51.0% | ||||||||
| Steve Kubby Steve Kubby Steven "Steve" Wynn Kubby is a Libertarian Party activist who played a key role in the drafting and passage of California Proposition 215. The proposition was a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana which was approved by voters in 1996. Kubby himself is well-known as a cancer patient who... |
259 | 45.7% | ||||||||
| Daniel Williams | 10 | 1.8% | ||||||||
| NOTA None of the above None of the Above or against all is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system... |
6 | 1.1% | ||||||||
| Richard ??? (write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | ||||||||
| Mike Ferguson (write-in) | 1 | 0.2% | ||||||||
| Mary Ruwart Mary Ruwart Mary J. Ruwart, Ph. D. is a research scientist and libertarian speaker, writer, and activist. She was a leading candidate for the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nomination and is the author of the award-winning international bestseller "Healing Our World."-Biography:Born in Detroit, Ruwart... (write-in) |
1 | 0.2% | ||||||||
|
||||||||||