Sarvis Notches 3rd Best Libertarian Gubernatorial Mark in US History

The Virginian has the best showing in a gubernatorial race for a Libertarian in 11 years and easily records the third best showing in party history

Although he fell short of the highly-prized 10 percent mark – which would have given his party a ballot line in Virginia elections through 2021 – Libertarian gubernatorial nominee Robert Sarvis accomplished something only two of the more than 200 previous candidates from his party have achieved over the last four-plus decades.

Sarvis won 6.5 percent of the vote Tuesday in a competitive contest won by Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe over Republican Ken Cuccinelli.

That marks the third best ever performance by a Libertarian in a gubernatorial election since the founding of the party in the early 1970s.

(Note: Excluded are write-in candidates or candidates appearing on the ballot as an independent who may have received a Libertarian endorsement (e.g. Ed Clark’s independent bid in California’s 1978 race where he won 5.5 percent of the vote)).

A total of 208 candidates have appeared on the gubernatorial general election ballot as Libertarians over the decades through the 2013 cycle, and only two won a larger percentage of the vote than Sarvis.

The best ever showing by a Libertarian gubernatorial candidate came in Alaska in 1982 with nominee Dick Randolph.

Randolph was a former Republican State Representative in the early 1970s who became the first Libertarian elected to state government in the country, winning two additional terms as a Libertarian in the Alaska House in 1978 and 1980.

In 1982, Randolph was the Libertarian nominee for governor and won 14.9 percent behind Democratic winner Bill Sheffield and Republican Tom Fink.

Wisconsin’s Ed Thompson (brother of former four-term GOP governor and then Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson) owns the silver medal with the 10.5 percent he won in 2002 as Republican incumbent Scott McCallum fell to Democrat Jim Doyle by just 3.7 points.

Prior to Sarvis, the only other Libertarian to reach 5 percent in a race for governor was Arizona’s Sam Steiger in 1982.

Steiger was a former five-term Republican U.S. Representative and the GOP 1976 U.S. Senate nominee (losing to Dennis DeConcini) and received 5.1 percent of the gubernatorial vote in 1982 in a race won by Democratic incumbent Bruce Babbitt.

Interestingly, Democrats were victorious in each of these four races in which Libertarians captured at least five percent of the vote.

Overall, 20 Libertarians have reached three percent of the vote in races for governor since the 1970s.

Top 20 Libertarian Gubernatorial Performances in U.S. History

Rank	Year	State	Candidate	Percent
1	1982	Alaska	Dick Randolph	14.9
2	2002	Wisconsin	Ed Thompson	10.5
3	2013	Virginia	Robert Sarvis	6.5
4	1982	Arizona	Sam Steiger	5.1
5	1990	New Hampshire	Miriam Luce	4.9
6	1997	New Jersey	Murray Sabrin	4.7
7	2002	Oregon	Tom Cox	4.6
8	1994	New Hampshire	Steven Winter	4.4
9	1992	North Carolina	Scott McLaughlin	4.1
9	1994	South Dakota	Nathan Barton	4.1
11	2010	Georgia	John Monds	4.0
11	2012	Indiana	Rupert Boneham	4.0
11	1992	New Hampshire	Miriam Luce	4.0
14	1998	Wyoming	Dave Dawson	3.9
15	2012	Montana	Ronald Vandevender	3.8
15	2006	Georgia	Garrett Hays	3.8
17	1998	Georgia	Jack Cashin	3.4
18	1984	Montana	Larry Dodge	3.3
18	1990	Texas	Jeff Daiell	3.3
20	1994	Arizona	John Buttrick	3.1

Table compiled by Smart Politics.

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