MAGA castoffs plot 2028 spoiler bid
Thomas Massie as the Libertarian Party's 2028 presidential nominee, betting that MAGA fractures can turn a third-party candidacy into a spoiler for the Republican nominee.
Key points
- Organizers believe they can build consensus among supporters of the MAGA wing that's closer to Tucker Carlson, former Trump official Joe Kent and former Rep.
- campaign and Democratic-leaning donor; and Patricia Duggan, a MAGA Inc mega-donor and longtime LP contributor, according to FEC records.
- "The idea is if one can take 5, 10, 15% of the vote from one of these parties, then that party has to listen and cave to interest of the people," Bret Weinstein, a lead organizer of this effort, said on his podcast last week.
Aside from playing GOP spoiler, organizers believe the Libertarian Party's existing ballot access and infrastructure could help them win 5% of the national vote — which would qualify its next presidential nominee for federal funding.
Additional details
- Why it matters: Organizers see a fighter in Massie, a frequent critic of President Trump who pushed hard on releasing the Epstein files and lost a bitter primary rather than quietly walking away.
- "Libertarian Jesus is Ron Paul, and one of our saints is Thomas Massie," Larry Sharpe, a perennial Libertarian candidate and longtime third-party operative, told Axios.
- Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), as well as disillusioned "Make America Healthy Again" activists and populist-inclined voters on the right and left.
- The PAC has previously received donations from Kimbal and Christina Musk, Elon's brother and sister-in-law; Abigail Rockefeller, a former Robert F.
- The Mises PAC, which is bankrolling this "draft Massie" operation, according to the website, raised $394,000 in 2024's election cycle.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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