Discovery before persuasion

I want to make the Libertarian Party equal to the Democrats and Republicans in size, money, visibility, and electoral success in less than ten years.

I want to do this by taking yes for an answer. If people want to say yes to less state aggression, more individual liberty, and increased personal responsibility, then I want to say yes back to them. This means I want to prioritize...

Discovery before persuasion

If you first find the people who mostly agree with you, that will give you the resources you need to persuade those who disagree.

Do the discovery first and the persuasion second. Not discovery instead of persuasion, but discovery before persuasion.

It really is that simple.

What's the potential?

The potential is huge. Eleven different studies suggest that 30-60 million Americans already self-identify as libertarians and/or hold mostly libertarian positions on the issues. I list all of these studies under my signature below. But I want to highlight five here...

Nate Silver says 11% of Americans self-describe as libertarians. I rounded that to 30 million for my low-end estimate.

Pew found that 14% self-identified as libertarian in 2014 = 34 million

Nate Silver further estimates that 22% hold libertarian views = 54 million

A Reuters study found that 20% self-identify as libertarian and know what the word means = 49 million

A Public Religion Research Institute study found that 7% (17 million) of the population is “hardcore libertarian” while 15% (37 million) lean libertarian. 17 million + 37 million = 54 million.

Still other studies push the numbers higher. You may ask...

Are these people the same kind of libertarian you are?

A tiny percentage are probably voluntarysts. A larger number are limited-state libertarians like Ron Paul. And even more are probably classical liberal types like Gary Johnson. ALL of them are people who can help you move in the direction you want to go. I will show you how to make that happen in a big way.

Perhaps you have another question...

Are the studies still valid?

The Nolan Chart Quiz showed similar results decades before, and continues to do so now. And the word libertarian is far better known and understood than it was in the 80s or 90s. Libertarian characters constantly appear in movies and TV shows, and the word libertarian is often used in conversations. We even have a libertarian president making global headlines in Argentina, with prospects for more in South and Central America.

How many libertarians do we need to find?

Recruiting even one hundred thousand of the currently dormant libertarians would transform the LP's viability. And one million would revolutionize the impact our party has on elections and American culture. But it gets better...

Can you really doubt that our discovery of already existing libertarians would stop at just 100,000 or one million?

Isn't it true that each new libertarian we discover can help us find even more, and also persuade some non-libertarians to move in our direction?

What are we waiting for?

We've spent decades focused on external persuasion and internal faction fighting, while doing little to discover and recruit the people who already mostly agree with us. Do you want to change that?

Do you want to find the 30-60 million Americans who already self-identify as libertarians, or who hold mostly libertarian positions on the issues?

Do you want to equalize with the Democrats and Republicans in size, visibility, and electoral success in less than ten years? If so, FUND IT!

Show your support with a donation or a monthly pledge. We can only do what libertarians are willing to fund. >>>

Second, make a commitment to do a simple volunteer task. Open every single message we send you, even if you don't have time to read it immediately. This simple act will help prevent Google and Yahoo from delivering our messages into spam and side folders. But, please, also read what we send you. That's how you'll become a part of the change we're going to cause.

More information is coming. This email is only one in a series that describes this new undertaking. Keep yourself informed about what we're doing.

Sincerely,

Steven Nekhaila

Chair, Libertarian National Committee

Nate Silver says 11% of Americans self-describe as libertarians. I rounded that to 30 million for my low-end estimate.
Political scientist Jason Weeden agrees that the number is about 11%
Cato Institute estimated the number at 14% back in 2010 = 34 million
Pew found that 14% self-identified as libertarian in 2014 = 34 million
Political scientists Stanley Feldman and Christopher Johnson estimated the number at 15% = 37 million
A more recent Cato study puts the estimate at around 19% = 47 million
Nate Silver further estimates that 22% hold libertarian views = 54 million
A Reuters study found that 20% self-identify as libertarian and know what the word means = 49 million
A Public Religion Research Institute study found that 7% (17 million) of the population is “hardcore libertarian” while 15% (37 million) lean libertarian. 17 million + 37 million = 54 million.
A 2011 Reason magazine study says that 24% are libertarians. That equals 59 million adults. I rounded that to 60 million to arrive at an upper estimate.

But some studies exceed 60 million...

American National Election Studies has counted libertarians equal to 25% of the populace = 61 million.
Numerous Gallup surveys have found 20-27% libertarians = 49-66 million.
A Zogby study found that a whopping 44% (108 million) have libertarian views on the issues and don't object to being described by that label.

Putting the horse in front of the cart

A personal message from Steven Nekhaila

Chair, Libertarian National Committee