2016 Libertarian Party presidential debates and forums

none January 2025 A series of political debates were held between the Libertarian candidates for US president in the 2016 presidential election. Presidential debates Schedule The following presidential candidates participated in debates: Thomas Clements, JD Donaghe, Marc Allan Feldman, Cecil Ince, Gary Johnson, Steve Kerbel, John McAfee, Kevin McCormick, Darryl W. Perry, Austin Petersen, Derrick Michael Reid, Jack Robinson, Jr., Sam Sloan, Rhett Smith, Shawna Sterling, Vermin Supreme, Joy Waymire, and Heidi Zeman. Will Coley, a vice-presidential candidate, also appeared in one presidential debate. + Debates among candidates for the 2016 Libertarian Party U.S. presidential nomination Date Place Host Participantsblack #99ff99  P  Participant, main debate. black #ccffcc  S  Participant, secondary debate only. black #ffffdd  A  Absent. black #ff9999  N  Confirmed non-invitee. grey #ececec  O  Out of race (exploring, suspended, or not yet entered)ClementsFeldmanInceJohnsonKerbelMcAfeeMcCormickPerryPetersenReidRobinsonSmithSterlingothers October 17, 2015Presidential candidate debate at the Massachusetts LP convention https://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/presidential-candidate-debate-at-the-massachusetts-lp-convention Libertarian Party 3 March 2016 23 October 2015Worcester, MALibertarian Party of MassachusettsOPAOPOOPOPAAAnone February 27Alabama and Mississippi LP host Presidential debate February 27 https://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/alabama-and-mississippi-lp-host-presidential-debate-february-27 Libertarian Party 3 March 2016 17 February 2016Biloxi, MSLibertarian Party of AlabamaLibertarian Party of MississippiSPSPAPOPPSSSSnone March 5Libertarian Party of Georgia http://www.lpgeorgia.com/ Libertarian Party of Georgia 3 March 2016Marietta, GALibertarian Party of GeorgiaPAAAJim Gray stood in for Johnson.APAAPAADavid Robinson stood in for Robinson.APnone March 5Libertarian Party of Virginia http://www.lpva.com/ Libertarian Party of Virginia 6 March 2016 28 January 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210128095244/http://lpva.com/ deadSandston, VALibertarian Party of VirginiaAAAPAAAPAPPPAnone March 7Libertarian Party Presidential Debate https://www.lp.org/event/libertarian-party-presidential-debate-0 Libertarian Party 3 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160308054402/http://www.lp.org/event/libertarian-party-presidential-debate-0 8 March 2016 dead dmy-allRaleigh, NCGoogle HangoutsLibertarian Party of North CarolinaNNNPPPNPPNPNNnone March 11Illinois Libertarian Convention 2016 http://lpillinois.org/convention/ Libertarian Party of Illinois 3 March 2016 7 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160307140944/http://lpillinois.org/convention/ deadSpringfield, ILLibertarian Party of IllinoisAPPPAAAAPPAPPnone March 122016 Convention http://lpcolorado.org/convention/ Libertarian Party of Colorado 13 March 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160313202813/http://lpcolorado.org/convention/ 13 March 2016Colorado Springs, COLibertarian Party of ColoradoASSPPAChris Thrasher stood in for McAfee, and made the second debate round.ASPAPASnone March 19The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania http://www.lppa.org/ The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania 3 March 2016Philadelphia, PALibertarian Party of PennsylvaniaAPOPOAAPAPAAAnone March 25Libertarian Party of Oregon https://www.facebook.com/Libertarian-Party-of-Oregon-117437244984733 Facebook 22 March 2016Hillsboro, ORLibertarian Party of Oregon PACAAOPOAAAPAAAAnone March 29Libertarian presidential debate to air on Stossel Show in April http://www.lp.org/news/press-releases/libertarian-presidential-debate-to-air-on-stossel-show-in-april Libertarian Party 3 March 2016 3 March 2016April 1 and 8 (air)New York, NYStosselFox Business NetworkNNOPOP NNPNNNNnone April 1Marc Allan Feldman https://www.facebook.com/marc.a.feldman?fref=nf Facebook 3 April 2016 3 April 2016Washington, D.C.Public Square, Inc.NPONON NPNNNNNnone April 22016 Convention http://ca.lp.org/2016-convention/ Libertarian Party of California 3 March 2016Los Angeles, CALibertarian Party of CaliforniaAPOPOPSAStarchild read a statement from Perry.PSASASloanWaymireZeman April 8LPTexas Straw Poll Results https://libertynow.org/event-info/presidential-straw-poll Liberty Now 3 March 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160309173717/https://libertynow.org/event-info/presidential-straw-poll 9 March 2016San Antonio, TXLibertarian Party of TexasNPOPOPNNPNNNPnone April 9Presidential Debate https://conf.lpf.org/presidential-debate/ LP Con Florida 3 March 2016Palm Beach, FLLibertarian Party of FloridaAPOPOAAPPAAAAnone April 16Libertarian Party of Louisiana http://www.lplouisiana.org/ Libertarian Party of Louisiana 18 March 2016Baton Rouge, LALibertarian Party of LouisianaPAOAOAAPAAPPAnone April 16Maple Grove, MNLibertarian Party of MinnesotaAAOPOAAAAAAAPnone April 30The Libertarian Party of New York http://ny.lp.org/ The Libertarian Party of New York 3 March 2016Libertarian debate https://www.facebook.com/LPNewYork/videos/615944388568959/ The Libertarian Party of New York Facebook 7 May 2016New York, NYLibertarian Party of New YorkASOPOPAPPSAAAColeySupreme May 16Penn Jillette to host Libertarian presidential debate Monday http://www.lpnevada.org/penn_jillette_to_host_libertarian_presidential_debate_monday Libertarian Party of Nevada 10 May 2016http://reason.com/blog/2016/05/17/libertarian-candidates-moderated-by-penn Libertarian Candidates, Moderated by Penn Jillette, Debate in Las Vegas Doherty Brian 17 May 2016 Reason Reason 18 May 2016May 20 (air)Libertarian Party of Nevada https://www.facebook.com/lpnevada/posts/1205572256134356 Facebook 16 May 2016Las Vegas, NVLibertarian Party of NevadaTheBlazeNNOPOPNNPNNNNnone May 26Lesiak Krzysztof Videos of today's presidential debate at the Libertarian Party convention http://independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/05/videos-of-todays-presidential-debate-at-the-libertarian-party-convention/ Independent Political Report 26 May 2016 26 May 2016Orlando, FLLibertarian Party National ConventionSPFeldman was promoted to the primary debate from the secondary debate.OPOPSPP???SDonaghe May 28Debates – Presidential Candidates http://libertarian.nationbuilder.com/saturday_debates_presidential 2016 Libertarian Party National Convention Libertarian National Committee 22 May 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160508074930/http://libertarian.nationbuilder.com/saturday_debates_presidential 8 May 2016 deadC-SPAN TV Schedule http://www.c-span.org/schedule/ C-SPAN 22 May 2016Orlando, FLLibertarian Party National ConventionC-SPANNPOPOPNPPNNNNnone April 1 and 8 – New York – Fox Business Network section March 2019 The first nationally televised Libertarian Party presidential debate was hosted by Fox Business Network on John Stossel's show Stossel. The two-hour debate was divided into two one-hour segments which were televised on April 1 and 8 at 9:00 Eastern Time. The debate featured the three highest-polling candidates, as measured by the Libertarian Party's own online poll. The candidates featured in the debate were former Republican Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson, "The Libertarian Republic" founder Austin Petersen and anti-virus software developer John McAfee; John Stossel moderated the debate which featured questions from himself, Fox media personalities (second part) and people who submitted their questions on social media. All three candidates were afforded about the same amount of time to speak at the debate. In the first hour of the debate, the main focus was on religious liberty and discrimination. Johnson said: I think that if you discriminate on the basis of religion, I think that is a black hole. I think you should be able to discriminate for stink or you're not wearing shoes or whatever. If we discriminate on the basis of religion, to me, that's doing harm to a big class of people. Petersen then asked whether a Jewish baker should be required to bake a Nazi-themed wedding cake, to which Johnson replied: "That would be my contention, yes." However, McAfee said: If you're the only baker in town, it may be a problem. But no one is forcing you to buy anything or to choose one person over another. So why should I be forced to do anything if I am not harming you? It's my choice to sell, your choice to buy.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/31/inside-the-beltway-gary-johnson-john-mcafee-austin/ Inside the Beltway: Libertarian hopefuls spar over Nazi-themed wedding cake on Fox forum The Washington Times Petersen's responded to Johnson's statement: This portrays a fundamental lack of understanding of the free market. You have to allow the marketplace to work. The government cannot stamp out bigotry. The government is not supposed to make us into better peoplethat's not what the United States was founded on.http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2016/03/31/fbn-s-john-stossel-hosts-libertarian-presidential-forum-featuring-johnson-mcafee-petersen.html FBN's John Stossel Hosts Libertarian Presidential Forum Featuring Johnson, McAfee & Petersen Fox Business 2016-03-31 Another topic was foreign policy, specifically the United States' role in military intervention. Johnson said we should go to war only "when attacked;" Petersen said we should cut "every penny" of foreign aid, and McAfee questioned why we need to go to war and told Stossel that he is running for president "because our bodies and our minds belong to ourselves".http://reason.com/blog/2016/03/31/are-you-ready-for-the-first-nationally-t Are You Ready for the First Nationally Televised Libertarian Party Presidential Debate? Reason.com – Hit & Run 2016-03-31 On the issue of marijuana, Johnson advocated for the legalization of marijuana, saying that it "will lead to less overall substance abuse". Furthermore, he noted that he is the highest official to advocate for the legalization of marijuana. On the contrary, Petersen said that "the federal government should have absolutely no role [in determining the legality of drugs]" and that it should be left to the states. On the issue of social security, Petersen said that "the government stole our money in the first place and they should give it back" and even proposed an option to "let young people opt out of social security". Other topics discussed during the first hour were abortion, Social Security, gender-pay equality and the national debt. While there was some disagreement over abortion, Social Security, and gender-pay equality, all of the candidates on the stage agreed on the need to balance the federal budget in order to reduce the national debt. Towards the end of the debate, Stossel grilled the candidates on their past. For Johnson, Stossel noted that he is the CEO of a marijuana company and that in 2012 he only got 1% of the vote as the Libertarian Party nominee. Johnson responded by citing that marijuana is soon going to be legalized nationwide and that he received the most votes of any Libertarian Party candidate in the history of their party (1.2 million). For McAfee, Stossel made him clarify what happened when his property was raided in Belize. McAfee explained that the government wanted him to pay the extra money and that they were the ones that raided his home. McAfee also had to clarify that his DUI was self-inflicted and that he took all responsibility for his actions. Petersen was asked how he is only 35 years old and would be the youngest president ever elected. Petersen responded by noting the ages of the Founding Fathers at the Constitutional Convention and how they were all in their twenties or thirties.http://reason.com/archives/2016/03/30/a-better-choice-for-2016 A Better Choice for 2016 2016-03-30 On Twitter, Stossel polled users on who they thought had won the debate and what the candidates best lines were. Out of the 1,704 votes Petersen won with 49% saying that he performed the best, he was followed by Johnson at 29% and McAfee at 22%. A similar poll was conducted by the Libertarian Party on their website showing similar results.http://www.lp.org/poll/who-won-the-libertarian-presidential-debate-on-stossel Who won the Libertarian Presidential debate on Stossel? Libertarian Party 2019-03-23 2016-10-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20161002060002/http://www.lp.org/poll/who-won-the-libertarian-presidential-debate-on-stossel dead Johnson received high marks when he said: "I advocated for legalizing marijuana, I'm the highest official to do that." Petersen's best line was that "all humans deserve the same right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". McAfee's stand out line came when talking about cyber security "we are 20 years behind the Chinese in potato security...we'll be speaking Chinese in 5 years."May 2016 A notable moment was when Johnson kissed McAfee on the cheek, in stark contrast from the infighting from the two major parties.http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/19511-stossels-libertarian-debate-highlights-the-goodand-bad-of-the-third-party-option Stossel's Libertarian debate highlights the good...and bad of the third party option United Liberty Free Market - Individual Liberty - Limited Government 2019-03-23 2019-03-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20190323234437/http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/19511-stossels-libertarian-debate-highlights-the-goodand-bad-of-the-third-party-option dead Part two of the Libertarian Party presidential debate was broadcast on April 8 at 21:00 Eastern Time on the Fox Business Network. Social media responses were similar in the hours after the debate. During the second hour of the debate, candidates took questions about immigration, free trade, jobs, using phones to prevent non-state terrorism (specifically the Apple case in San Bernardino, California), environmental issues by the government, Keystone XL pipeline, eminent domain, drug legalization, drug addiction, prostitution, protecting the Constitution, where they agreed almost identically. The main point of contention came during a discussion about gun rights where Johnson raised the question about taking guns away from the mentally ill. Petersen quickly blasted the Governor stating the second amendment rights, and McAfee took Petersen's side. McAfee questioned how you can determine who is "mentally ill". Petersen questioned Governor Johnson on his stance on background checks. Johnson replied by talking about his record as Governor of New Mexico where he passed concealed carry laws. However, he failed to come up with a way to address how someone is "mentally ill".https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58xP9PHekMU YouTube YouTubehttp://www.foxbusiness.com/shows/stossel.html Stossel with John Stossel Fox Business www.foxbusiness.com 14 January 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20160112033116/http://www.foxbusiness.com/shows/stossel.html 12 January 2016 dead It was estimated that the viewing audience was around 200,000.http://press.foxbusiness.com/2016/02/fox-business-network-scores-highest-rated-month-ever/ Media Relations Fox Business May 12 – Washington, DC – RT America 200px|right On May 12, a second televised Libertarian debate was aired and hosted by RT America. It was televised live.https://alibertarianfuture.com/2016-libertarian-party-primaries/libertarian-party-debate-hosted-by-rt-america/ Wilson, J. The Second Televised Libertarian Party Debate Will Be Hosted By RT America 18 May 2016 5 May 2016 4 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160604105813/https://alibertarianfuture.com/2016-libertarian-party-primaries/libertarian-party-debate-hosted-by-rt-america/ dead The three main candidates were invited but did not participate. Instead, Marc Allan Feldman, Darryl W. Perry and Kevin McCormick appeared in the event. The debate was moderated by Tyrel Ventura (son of former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura) and Tabetha Wallace. RT America also hosted a televised debate for the Green Party three days prior. Perry surprised the moderators during the debate when he said he wanted to end the United States federal government, going as far as to say "the United States government is the world's largest terrorist organization".https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ugtes7ZYA Libertarian presidential candidates face off in RT-hosted debate YouTube 20 May 2016 12 May 2016 May 20 – Las Vegas – TheBlaze 250px|right On May 16, the three leading Libertarian candidates (Johnson, Petersen and McAfee) participated in a debate held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Longtime Libertarian and entertainer Penn Jillette hosted the debate, which was aired by TheBlaze cable channel on May 20. The candidates were asked questions by other celebrities, including comedians Drew Carey, Carrot Top, Jeff Ross as well as Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and The Five co-host Greg Gutfeld.https://reason.com/2016/05/17/libertarian-candidates-moderated-by-penn/ Libertarian Candidates, Moderated by Penn Jillette, Debate in Las Vegas 17 May 2016 The debate focused on corporate greed, the War on Drugs and the government's use of force, both at home and abroad. "The government is, by definition, force, and there are certain things you need to do. You need to do defense, you need to do courts, you need to do police. But beyond that, I don't know if we have to use a lot of force to decide how people make their lawns look," Jillette said. On the issues Johnson said, "The fact that we have the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world, the War on Drugs is really about Black Lives Matter. With regard to our military interventions, I think that they have the unintended consequence of making things worse, not better," Johnson said. "They're probably fine human beings, but the two-party system takes the soul of a man or woman," McAfee said. "That has to change. It is why we, as Americans, are so dissatisfied. Where will they turn? There's only us." Huber Craig http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/31988038/libertarian-candidates-square-off-in-las-vegas-debate#ixzz49PL0423L Libertarian candidates square off in Las Vegas debate Fox5 Vegas – KVVU 2016-08-03 2016-08-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20160802072844/http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/31988038/libertarian-candidates-square-off-in-las-vegas-debate#ixzz49PL0423L dead May 26 and 28 – Orlando – Libertarian National Convention 350px|right On May 26 and May 28, the presidential candidates debated during the Libertarian National Convention. The preliminary May 26 debate was not televised, and included three tiers. The top tier debate included candidates Feldman, Johnson, McAfee, Perry, and Petersen. Participants in the May 28 debate were determined by a token system. To be invited, a candidate had to earn the tokens of at least 10% of registered delegates.Mattson Alicia LP News May 2016: Token Tips http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2016/05/lp-news-may-2016-token-tips/ Independent Political Report 10 May 2016 LP News 22 May 2016 Feldman, Johnson, McAfee, Perry, and Petersen all earned enough tokens to participate in the May 28 debate.http://www.c-span.org/video/?409916-1/libertarian-party-holds-presidential-debate&live C-SPAN 28 May 2016 Larry Elder moderated the debate. C-SPAN televised the May 28 debate live. The debate stirred some criticism when Gary Johnson was met with boos after saying he would've signed/voted on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/29/politics/libertarian-party-debate/ Libertarian Party Convention tests former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson 29 May 2016 CNN 29 May 2016 Much of the Libertarian audience opposes the bill because of its contents on private discrimination. He was also booed for supporting drivers' licenses. Vice-presidential debates vertical right 100x100 px Images of the main vice presidential debate at the Libertarian National Convention on May 27 VP debate Libertarian Convention (27266650516).jpg VP debate Libertarian Convention (27230103801).jpg May 17 – Freedom Gulch On May 17, Freedom Gulch hosted a Libertarian vice-presidential debate on Google Hangouts featuring the candidates: Will Coley, Alicia Dearn, Larry Sharpe, and Judd Weiss.Hammer Will Freedom Gulch's LP VP Debate http://www.freedomgulch.com/freedom-gulchs-lp-vp-debate/ Freedom Gulch 19 May 2016 This occurred before Gary Johnson announced William Weld as his vice-presidential pick. May 26 and 27 – Orlando – Libertarian National Convention On May 26, at the Libertarian National Convention, the vice-presidential candidates held a preliminary debate after the preliminary presidential debate. It was a two-tiered debate, with the top tier featuring candidates William Weld, Will Coley, Larry Sharpe, Alicia Dearn, and Judd Weiss.LP Convention Debate Straw Poll Results: Johnson & Weld Both Clinch Wins https://alibertarianfuture.com/2016-election/libertarian-national-convention/libertarian-convention-debate-straw-poll-results-johnson-weld-clinch-wins/ A Libertarian Future 27 May 2016 29 May 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160529132859/https://alibertarianfuture.com/2016-election/libertarian-national-convention/libertarian-convention-debate-straw-poll-results-johnson-weld-clinch-wins/ dead The next day on May 27, the vice-presidential candidates had their main debate, featuring Weld, Coley, Sharpe, and Dearn.Debate – Vice Presidential Candidates http://libertarian.nationbuilder.com/friday_debate_vice_presidential_candidates 2016 Libertarian National Convention Libertarian National Committee 22 May 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160528153945/http://libertarian.nationbuilder.com/friday_debate_vice_presidential_candidates 28 May 2016 dead Post-convention town halls and forums June 22 – New York – CNN On June 22, CNN hosted a Libertarian prime time town hall with Libertarian nominees Gary Johnson and William Weld. It was held at CNN's headquarters, inside the Time Warner Center in New York City. The town hall was moderated by Chris Cuomo.https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/06/cnn-to-host-town-hall-with-libertarian-candidates-224387#ixzz4Bg18DB1i CNN to host town hall with Libertarian presidential candidates Weprin, Alex 15 June 2016 Politico 15 June 2016 Over 900,000 people watched the broadcast.http://reason.com/blog/2016/08/01/cnn-to-host-second-town-hall-with-gary-j CNN to Host Second Town Hall With Gary Johnson and William Weld This Wednesday August 1, 2016 August 1, 2016 Welch, Matt Reason.com August 3 – CNN CNN again hosted a Libertarian town hall, on August 3, featuring Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, this time moderated by Anderson Cooper. The town hall was viewed by more than 1.6 million viewers and helped lead the network to a cable news first-place rating in the 18-49 category, scoring a 0.5.http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/08/04/wednesday-cable-ratings-august-3-2016/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160805201251/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/08/04/wednesday-cable-ratings-august-3-2016/ dead 5 August 2016 Wednesday cable ratings: 'Mr. Robot' falls 4 August 2016 August 12 – Las Vegas – AAJA Presidential Election Forum On August 12, Gary Johnson participated in a Presidential Election Forum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas during the Asian American Journalists Association's annual conference. Former president Bill Clinton was also a participant, representing his wife, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/bill-clinton-gary-johnson-address-asian-american-pacific-islander-groups-n625056 Bill Clinton, Gary Johnson to Address Asian American and Pacific Islander Groups at Presidential Forum NBC News August 17 – Fusion Libertarian Forum On August 17, Fusion hosted a forum featuring Johnson and Weld and was moderated by Jorge Ramos and Alicia Menendez.http://wearefusion.tumblr.com/post/148855872264/fusion-to-host-libertarian-presidential-forum-on FUSION to Host Libertarian Presidential Forum on August 17 August 2016 August 26 – New York – Fox Business Network On August 26, the Fox Business Network aired a town hall featuring Gary Johnson and William Weld and hosted by John Stossel.http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160809006147/en/FOX-Business-Network's-John-Stossel-Host-Libertarian Fox Business Network's John Stossel to Host Libertarian Town Hall on August 26th 9 August 2016 September 12 – Philadelphia – Sirius XM On September 12, Gary Johnson and William Weld participated in a town hall at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, moderated by Michael Smerconish and broadcast on the Sirius XM channel P.O.T.U.S.http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siriusxm-to-host-forum-with-libertarian-presidential-and-vice-presidential-candidates-gary-johnson-and-william-weld-300323827.html SiriusXM to Host Forum with Libertarian Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates Gary Johnson and William Weld September 13 – Purdue University On September 13, Gary Johnson participated in a discussion at Purdue University hosted by Purdue president and former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels.http://www.jconline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/08/09/gary-johnson-speak-purdue/88472684/ Purdue moves Gary Johnson forum to larger venue September 28 – University of New Hampshire – MSNBC On September 28, MSNBC aired a town hall featuring Gary Johnson and William Weld, moderated by Chris Matthews and taking place at the University of New Hampshire.http://www.concordmonitor.com/Hillary-Clinton-comes-to-UNH-to-woo-young-voters-with-bernie-sanders-5025537 UNH is a hot campaign stop for politicians looking to woo young voters 28 September 2016 References 30em Category:2016 United States presidential debates Category:Libertarian Party presidential debates