MAGA castoffs plot 2028 spoiler bid
· Axios
An unusual coalition wants to recruit outgoing Rep. 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.
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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.
- Massie raised almost $10 million in the process and has a large online donor list and base.
- For his parting act in Congress, Massie is pushing an impeachment vote against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Driving the news: For months, Libertarian Party operatives and MAGA defectors have been privately and publicly encouraging Massie to run under a rebranded party.
- "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. Sharpe has spoken with Massie several times about a potential presidential run.
- 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.
- Massie didn't respond to several requests for comment.
The big picture: The plan is for libertarians to claim dibs on the "America First" agenda, mainly focusing on anti-war sentiment.
- 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. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), as well as disillusioned "Make America Healthy Again" activists and populist-inclined voters on the right and left.
- "A party that would speak clearly about the disaster of the war in Iran, that would speak clearly about the mistake to continue to give military aid, taxpayer-funded military aid, to Israel — that would perk up a lot of ears among young people," said James Fishback, a former GOP gubernatorial candidate in Florida who met with the organizers in October.
- "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.
Zoom in: LP operative Michael Heise, a leader and founder of the Mises Caucus, is a main organizer for this rebranded party. Heise's caucus took over the LP in 2022.
- The LP picks its presidential nominee at conventions by delegates voting on the floor. Those who bring the most delegates can take over a convention.
Heise is also a skilled fundraiser — by third party standards. The Mises PAC, which is bankrolling this "draft Massie" operation, according to the website, raised $394,000 in 2024's election cycle.
- The PAC has previously received donations from Kimbal and Christina Musk, Elon's brother and sister-in-law; Abigail Rockefeller, a former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign and Democratic-leaning donor; and Patricia Duggan, a MAGA Inc mega-donor and longtime LP contributor, according to FEC records.
- Heise declined to comment.