Cabinet-level officials • Former Director
Mick Mulvaney of the
Office of Management and Budget; former acting
White House Chief of Staff; former U.S. Representative from
South Carolina Representatives • Representative
Thomas Massie of
Kentucky – described as "a Northern Kentucky Republican with libertarian leanings," Massie is a "self-styled libertarian" who has received libertarian support, although he has also described himself as a "'constitutional conservative' within the Republican Party." • Representative
Tom McClintock of
California – described as "libertarian leaning" by
Reason magazine. • Representative
Nancy Mace of
South Carolina - Described to have a "fusion" of Libertarian views
Former representatives • Former Representative
Justin Amash of
Michigan – Chairman of the
Liberty Caucus; left Republican Party in 2019 to become an Independent. In 2020, he switched to the
Libertarian Party and thus became the first Libertarian member to hold a seat in Congress. However, in 2024 he announced he would run for U.S. Senate as a Republican. • Former Representative
Matt Gaetz of
Florida – self-describes as a "libertarian
populist" and described by media as having a "strong libertarian streak". • Former Representative
Denver Riggleman of
Virginia • Former Representative
Dana Rohrabacher of
California • Former Representative
Ted Yoho of
Florida • Former Representative
Bob Barr of
Georgia • Former Representative
Kerry Bentivolio of
Michigan • Former Representative
Connie Mack IV of
Florida – described as "a staunch fiscal conservative...with libertarian tendencies." • Former Representative
Ron Paul of
Texas – longstanding Libertarian Republican icon; unsuccessfully
ran for president in 1988 as the
Libertarian nominee, and
in 2008 and
2012 as a
Republican candidate. He has been described as one of the leading figures of the late 2000s and early 2010s who helped spur the growing popularity of the
Tea Party movement. Through his presidential campaigns and time in Congress, he was also known as one of the staunchest critics of the
Federal Reserve,
U.S. surveillance state, and the wars on
terror and
drugs.
Senators •
Rand Paul,
U.S. Senator from
Kentucky (2011–present) – is sometimes regarded as libertarian-leaning, and has on multiple occasions described himself as such when discussing matters like the national debt and other economic issues, domestic surveillance, foreign military intervention, and the war on drugs. However,
David Boaz of the
Cato Institute notes that "Paul doesn't claim to be a libertarian, and he takes positions that many libertarians disagree with." •
Mike Lee,
U.S. Senator from
Utah (2011–present) – described as an economic and civil libertarian. Has often partnered with Rand Paul in the Senate on several libertarian-conservative issues. •
Cynthia Lummis,
U.S. Senator from
Wyoming (2021–present) – self-describes as a "libertarian-leaning Republican".
Former senators •
Barry Goldwater, former
U.S. Senator from
Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) •
Mark Hatfield, former
U.S. Senator from
Oregon (1967–1997) •
Jeff Flake, former
U.S. Senator from
Arizona (2013–2019)
State governors Former governors •
Chris Sununu, 82nd
Governor of New Hampshire (2017–2025) – As a Republican governor of New Hampshire, Sununu has been described as a "moderate-libertarian". •
Gary Johnson, 29th
Governor of New Mexico (1995–2003) – served two terms as governor as a Republican and ran for President as a Republican in 2011, but switched from the Republican Party to the Libertarian Party later that year, serving as the Libertarian nominee for president in
2012 and
2016 and running for the U.S. Senate as a Libertarian in 2018. •
Mark Sanford, 115th
Governor of South Carolina (2003–2011) (also a former Representative from that state) – a Republican, he's often described as holding libertarian views; claimed to have turned down an offer from
Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson to be his vice presidential
running mate in the
2016 election. During his prior years as a representative on Capitol Hill, he was often identified as an ally of libertarian/conservative
Ron Paul while they served in the House together. •
William Weld, 68th
Governor of Massachusetts (1991–1997) – As a Republican governor of Massachusetts, Weld self-identified as a libertarian Republican. Later, he drifted toward the Libertarian Party and in 2006, unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for New York governor; he gained the Libertarian Party endorsement that year before dropping out of the race. In 2016, Weld joined the Libertarian Party to run for vice president as the running mate of
Gary Johnson. In 2019, he rejoined the Republican Party to launch a primary challenge to President
Donald Trump.
State legislators •
Nick Freitas,
Virginia state Delegate (2015–present) – Unsuccessfully ran for
U.S. Senate in 2018. Described as having a "conservative voting record and libertarian streak." •
Anthony Sabatini,
Florida state representative (2018–present) – candidate for
2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida for
Florida's 7th congressional district. Described as a "libertarian-conservative".
Former •
Eric Brakey, former
Maine state senator (2014–2018) Unsuccessfully ran for
U.S. Senate in 2018. Worked for
Ron Paul's 2012 campaign, led the Defense of Liberty PAC. •
Richard Tisei, former
Massachusetts state senator and state Senate minority leader; identifies as a "traditional
Northeast libertarian" in the social and fiscal senses.
Authors and scholars • Nobel Prize–winning economist
Milton Friedman Others •
Glenn Jacobs, professional wrestler with
WWE and current
Republican Mayor of
Knox County, Tennessee. •
Kennedy, TV commentator and former MTV VJ •
Grover Norquist, anti-tax activist and Republican figure; economic libertarian identified with "support for
supply-side economics and
skepticism about climate science." •
P. J. O'Rourke, humorist, author – libertarian-conservative Republican, although he endorsed Democratic nominee
Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign. •
Austin Petersen, former Libertarian Party presidential candidate and former Republican candidate for
US Senate in Missouri in 2018. •
Wayne Allyn Root, author and radio host •
Peter Schiff, investment broker – described as "libertarian" or "libertarian-leaning"; unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the
2010 election for U.S. Senate in Connecticut. •
Mark Spitznagel, hedge fund manager •
Peter Thiel, Silicon Valley businessman,
PayPal co-founder – a registered Republican and self-described libertarian. •
Vince Vaughn, actor == See also ==