Libertarian Party takes a step to the left with the selection of Chase Oliver as presidential candidate

Chase Oliver will be the candidate for the Libertarian Party after gaining the support of 60% of the party's delegates at the party's convention this weekend. Although there was long speculation that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could be the chosen one, but he was eliminated in the preliminary rounds after obtaining just 2% of the vote.

'I'm extending my hand. Take it and be part of liberty'

Oliver needed seven rounds of voting over the course of a day to win the nomination. Throughout a long day with various controversies, the different factions of the party competed to obtain the candidacy, as well as leadership positions. After his victory, which he reached after a final vote in which, if he had not won, there would have been no Libertarian candidate, Oliver promised to unify the party in his acceptance speech. "I'm extending my hand. Take it and be part of liberty."

With Oliver at the helm, the Libertarian Party takes a step to the left, since the new candidate has the support of the Classic Liberal Caucus, a progressive-leaning faction. In fact, several of the delegates regretted that the polarization that the country is experiencing was also reflected in their own party convention, where there were very tense moments during the day, according to The Washington Post.

'We know that the lesser of two evils continues to give us more evil'

In his speech after the victory, Oliver presented himself as the true alternative to Trump and Biden, who he described as the "evils" of the country. "We know that the lesser of two evils continues to give us more evil. But we are done with that, and so are the voters." Additionally, he called for help to "fight the war machine," including what he called the "genocide" in Gaza.

Oliver is an openly gay political activist who works as a sales account executive. In 2022, he ran for Senate in Georgia against Raphael G. Warnock, the Democratic incumbent, and Herschel Walker, the Republican challenger, and won 2% of the vote, forcing both favorites to go to a runoff.