Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts
Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | ULM |
| Chairperson | David Burnham[1] |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Ideology | Libertarianism |
| National affiliation | Libertarian Party (1972–present) |
| Website | |
| www | |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Libertarianism in the United States |
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The Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts (ULM), also known as the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts, is a libertarian political party in Massachusetts. It is affiliated with the national Libertarian Party. The party, which officially became the state affiliate of the national party in June 2022, claims the lineage and history of the previous Libertarian Party of Massachusetts, which was founded in 1972.
History
The original Libertarian Party of Massachusetts was formed in 1972.
Former Libertarian presidential candidate Ed Clark and Rebecca Shipman, the affiliate's gubernatorial candidate, spoke at the 1982 state convention at the Holiday Inn in Somerville for the need of a permanent ballot spot in Massachusetts; the convention was attended by the majority of the two hundred registered Libertarians in the state.[2] Later the party attempted to challenge the 40,000 signature requirement to appear on the ballot and force the Secretary of State to accept the 10,000 signatures they had gathered, but the district court rejected the injunction due to "vagueness" in their affidavits.[3]
During the 2002 Senate election, no Republican candidate appeared on the ballot for the first time in Massachusetts history (the previous Republican candidate in 1996 was future Libertarian Bill Weld), resulting in John Kerry's only opponent being Libertarian Michael Cloud. While most conservatives in Massachusetts voted for Kerry, a significant amount voted for Cloud giving him 18.4% of the vote, which at the time was the best percentage showing for a Libertarian in a Senate race. This record was later broken by Alaska's Joe Miller, who received 30% in 2016, but Cloud still holds the total vote record.[4]
At the party's 2018 convention, it formally endorsed ranked-choice voting and nominated candidates for the 2018 midterm elections.[5] Dan Fishman, the political director for the party, ran to be State Auditor of Massachusetts. His campaign was noted for securing an endorsement by the Boston Globe.[6][7][8] Fishman ultimately received 4% of vote in his run, which secured continued ballot access for the party.[9][10]
On April 16, 2019, the party's former political director, Dan Fishman, was appointed to be the executive director for the Libertarian Party of the United States.[11]
In 2022, election disputes led to two separate groups claiming to be the leadership of the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts. Each elected Massachusetts state committee claimed the same structure and membership. The Libertarian National Committee reviewed the competing claims based on the structure of the parties in their founding documents, and declared the group known as the Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts (ULM) as the state affiliate of the national party.[12][13] The ULM claims the lineage and history of the original Libertarian Party of Massachusetts. The original Libertarian Party of Massachusetts reemerged as the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts.
Electoral performance
The best Libertarian showing in Massachusetts in a vote for President of the United States was in 2016 when the Libertarian Party's ticket won 4.2% of the vote. Former Massachusetts Republican Governor Bill Weld was on that ticket as the vice president candidate, with Gary Johnson, the candidate for president.
The Libertarian Party of Massachusetts had the best percentage showing of any Libertarian candidate in a race for U.S. Senate until Joe Miller's candidacy in the 2016 United States Senate election in Alaska. Carla Howell in the 2000 United States Senate election in Massachusetts had won 11.9% and Michael Cloud in the 2002 United States Senate election in Massachusetts won 18.4% in a two-person race with Democrat John Kerry (no Republican was on the ballot).[4]
Presidential
| Year | Presidential nominee | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | John Hospers (write-in) | 43 (nil %) |
| 1976 | Roger MacBride (write-in) | 135 (nil %) |
| 1980 | Ed Clark | 22,038 (0.9%) |
| 1984 | David Bergland | Not on ballot |
| 1988 | Ron Paul | 24,251 (0.9%) |
| 1992 | Andre Marrou | 7,458 (0.3%) |
| 1996 | Harry Browne | 20,426 (0.8%) |
| 2000 | Harry Browne | 16,366 (0.6%) |
| 2004 | Michael Badnarik | 15,022 (0.5%) |
| 2008 | Bob Barr | 13,189 (0.4%) |
| 2012 | Gary Johnson | 30,920 (1.0%) |
| 2016 | Gary Johnson | 138,018 (4.2%) |
| 2020 | Jo Jorgensen | 47,013 (1.3%) |
House
| Year | House candidates | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | None | None | 
|
| 2012 | 1 | 16,668 (0.7%) |  0.7%
|
| 2014 | None | None |  0.7%
|
| 2016 | 1 | 27,511 (0.9%) | 0.9%
|
| 2018 | None | None | 0.9%
|
Senate Class I
| Year | Senate nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Michael Cloud | 369,807 (18.4%) |
|
| 2008 | Robert J. Underwood | 93,713 (3.1%) | 15.3%
|
| 2014 | None | None | 0.9%
|
Senate Class II
| Year | Senate nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Howard S. Katz | 18,878 (0.9%) |
|
| 1988 | Freda Lee Nason | 13,199 (0.5%) | 0.4%
|
| 1994 | Lauraleigh Dozier | 14,484 (0.7%) | 0.2%
|
| 2000 | Carla Howell | 308,860 (11.9%) | 11.2%
|
| 2006 | None | None | 11.9%
|
| 2012 | None | None |
|
| 2018 | None | None |
|
Gubernatorial
| Year | Gubernatorial nominee | Votes | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Rebecca Shipman | 17,918 (0.9%) | 1.7%
|
| 1986 | None | None | 0.9%
|
| 1994 | None | None |
|
| 1998 | Dean Cook | 32,184 (1.7%) | 1.7%
|
| 2002 | Carla Howell | 23,044 (1.1%) | 0.6%
|
References
- ^ "Massachusetts Directory of Political Parties and Designations" (PDF). Libertarian Party of Massachusetts. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "Mass. Libertarians aiming for permanent ballot spot". Boston Globe. February 7, 1982. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17.
- ^ "Election law challenge rejected". Boston Globe. April 16, 1982. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17.
- ^ a b "Fight for control of Senate intensifies". CNN. November 1, 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-11-21.
- ^ "A Clamor in the Commonwealth; Massachusetts Libertarians Look to the Future in Springfield". Independent Political Report. November 1, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06.
- ^ Welch, Matt (30 October 2018). "Boston Globe Endorses Libertarian Dan Fishman for Massachusetts State Auditor". Reason.com. Reason Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ Johnston, Bob (30 October 2018). "Boston Globe: "Give this Libertarian a shot"". Libertarian Party. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ "Editorial board endorsement: Dan Fishman, a Libertarian, for auditor – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ "2018 Auditor General Election". PD43+ ». Secretary of the Commonwealth of MA. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ Sarwark, Nicholas (31 December 2018). "2018 Libertarian Party victories and 2019 goals". Libertarian Party. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ Sarwark, Nicholas (16 April 2019). "Dan Fishman joins Libertarian Party staff as executive director". Libertarian Party. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- ^ Phillies, George (25 June 2022). "LNC Recognizes Cordio Board". Independent Political Report. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "Executive Summary of the Ongoing Situation in the Massachusetts Affiliate" (PDF). lpofma.org. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
External links
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