Libertarian Party

On the political map: Right economically · socially centrist

Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party is the largest U.S. third party. It applies one principle — maximize individual liberty, minimize government — to both economic and social life: free markets and deep spending cuts on one side; civil liberties, drug decriminalization, and non-intervention abroad on the other. That combination places it off the usual left–right line.

Founded

1971

In government

The largest third party by ballot access; it has elected hundreds of local officials and appears on most presidential ballots, but holds no seats in Congress.

Official party site →

Signature positions

Deep cuts to taxes, spending, and the national debt
Minimal business and financial regulation
Strong civil liberties and privacy protections
End the drug war and decriminalize personal choices
Keep government out of abortion and marriage
A non-interventionist foreign policy and a smaller military

The platform, issue by issue

Taxes & Fiscal

Strongly right

Healthcare

Strongly right

Immigration & Border

Left

Guns

Strongly right

Abortion & Reproductive Rights

Left

Environment & Energy

Center

Crime & Policing

Left

Defense & Veterans

Strongly left

Economy & Labor

Strongly right

Foreign Policy & Trade

Strongly left

Civil Rights & Social

Center

Education

Right

Government & Democracy

Left

Judicial & Nominations

Right

Each issue runs left ↔ right(−1…+1), distilled from the party's most recent national platform. A simplified, directional read — not a substitute for the platform itself.

Members of Congress most aligned with this platform

Every current member ranked by how closely their voting record matches this platform, using the same issue-by-issue similarity as the My Politics quiz. No sitting member belongs to this party, so these are the members whose records land closest to it.

Where it sits on the political map

Party platforms:Libertarian Party

Each small dot is a current member (Dem · Rep); the larger dots are the party platforms. Economic axis: taxes, healthcare, labor, energy. Social axis: abortion, guns, immigration, civil rights, crime.