If Libertarians Won’t Stand for Liberty,
Who Will?

Tom Woodard, the only Libertarian candidate for Governor, withdrew from the race and threw his support behind Steve Hilton.

“As a Libertarian candidate, I know Libertarians don’t have a chance except to ally ourselves with the one person who has a chance to change California governance for good.”

I have a few problems with that.

First, Tom knew from the beginning he wasn’t going to win. Most Libertarian candidates know that going in. Libertarians rarely run because they expect immediate victory. We run to shape the debate, advance pro-liberty ideas, and slowly build a movement.

Why Run If We Probably Won’t Win?

Because somebody has to raise the issues the major parties either won’t touch or can’t touch.

Especially in California, the two major parties are deeply tied to powerful special interests, unions, lobbying organizations, activist coalitions, and institutional political machines.

Libertarians should not be afraid to address issues the older parties avoid: drug legalization, economic deregulation, property rights, the unintended consequences of minimum wage laws and rent control, and the broader principle that free people should be allowed to live their lives without endless government interference.

Many of these ideas are unpopular at first glance because most people are taught to look to government first and freedom second.

And if we consistently ran principled candidates willing to unapologetically defend liberty, even when unpopular, the movement would grow.

Why This Exit Hurts

That is why Tom Woodard’s exit hurts.

It damages the Libertarian brand.

It reinforces the perception that Libertarians eventually fall back into becoming “Republican Lite” instead of offering a genuinely independent alternative.

And worst of all, it risks validating critics who claim the Libertarian Party is not a serious political movement, but merely a temporary refuge for politically frustrated Republicans.

But it does need candidates willing to stand for liberty even when losing is likely.

That is how movements grow. That is how public opinion changes. And that is how people slowly rediscover that freedom works — and that government is not always the answer.