Don't like Biden or Trump? Libertarian nominee campaigning in NJ brings 'fresh ideas'

PARSIPPANY — While a groundswell of Americans are expressing deep doubts about both major-party candidates for president, a very different candidate is on the campaign trail to remind voters they don't have to settle for Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Libertarian Chase Oliver, 38, was in North Jersey on Friday for campaign stops at a gun range, a 9/11 memorial and, of course, a Jersey diner. After shooting some rounds in Woodland Park, the Atlanta resident visited the Morris County 9/11 Memorial, where he spoke to a small group of supporters on a hot and sticky afternoon.

"As we enter the election season I want us to be bold, to be brave, to fight on behalf of liberty and not act out of fear," Oliver said. "That's the kind of campaign I'm running. To let voters know they don't have to be afraid anymore. They can vote for something, not just against something."

A native of Georgia with a GED diploma, some college credits and a resume that goes from dishwasher to restaurant consultant, Oliver describes himself as a “pro-gun, pro-police reform, pro-choice Libertarian” who is “armed and gay.”

A lifelong "observer of politics," he became an antiwar activist during the war in Iraq. His opposition to President George W. Bush led him to register as a Democrat and even campaign for Al Gore in 2000.

Oliver voted for President Barack Obama in 2008, but "he didn't follow through any of his antiwar promises. That shoved me out of the party. I became an independent for a while until I discovered the Libertarian Party."

That discovery came when he met Libertarian party members at the 2010 Atlanta Pride Festival who shared his antiwar views. Soon after he became "a partisan big L Libertarian."

Oliver said he campaigned in all 50 states before he earned the Libertarian nomination in May. His low-budget travels saw him driving around in a 2010 Toyota Corolla with almost 200,000 miles that lost a rear bumper in Florida. He's still driving it.

"Still gets over 30 miles to the gallon so it's very economical for campaigning," he said with a smile.

A 'spoiler' and dark-horse candidate

Oliver faces long odds to break through the traditional two-party system. Third-party candidates rarely earn more than a few percentage points in presidential elections. Libertarians run a candidate every cycle and are more successful than most. But 2016 candidate Gary Johnson , while finishing third, carried less than 1% of the popular vote, while 2020 candidate Jo Jorgensen received 1.2% of the popular vote.

Oliver, though, was seen by some as a spoiler in the pivotal 2022 U.S. Senate race in Georgia, when he received 2% of the vote. That helped force a runoff election between incumbent Democrat Rafael Warnock and Republican Hershel Walker. Warnock eventually won, preserving the Democrats' thin majority in the Senate.

"Chase is young and dynamic and he's got a proven track record in the Georgia Senate race," said Ken Kaplan of Parsippany, who is on the New Jersey ballot as the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate. "He's younger than all of our past candidates and adds something new to this race. You have two old men from the Democrats and Republicans, and you have this young man with fresh ideas."

The audience at the 9/11 Memorial included Lana Leguia of Stanhope, who is running on the Libertarian ticket for Congress in New Jersey District 7.

"We're starting to see cracks in the two-party system that we've not seen since the '70s," Oliver said. "The other thing is, we're starting to change the way we vote across the country. Maine and Alaska have ranked-choice voting, where you put your first choice first, your second choice, on down. They have it in New York City. I think as that idea spreads that removes the spoiler effect entirely."

Oliver on the issues

During his stop at the 9/11 memorial, Oliver stopped for an interview with the USA TODAY Network and outlined some of his positions.

"I think it's time to move ourselves forward and I think the American public is ready for that, too," he said. "I think it's time we reexamined our policies, bring our freedom back for each and every individual, and we quit insisting the state has to protect us — we can protect ourselves and our communities — I urge you to vote for us."

On the immigration crisis at the U.S. Southern border: "My solution is to create a 20th-century Ellis Island. I see the crisis at the border but what most people fail to recognize is the immigrants are not creating the crisis. The government is by their inability to quickly process people who want through and work. I say if you want to work, come through a port of entry, submit to a basic background check, and if you are good to go, come in and get to work. Come in and live in peace."

On Israel-Gaza: "The truth is no American president can come up with a solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The best we can do is be a neutral arbiter. If they need somebody in the middle to play referee, I would be willing to do that. But what I'm never going to do is put my thumb on the scale of one solution or another. I'm going to say 'You have to figure it out.' "

On the two-party system: "I think the two-party system is what led to Trump. When we only have two choices and it's either/or, it leads to lower quality candidates, and leads to us excusing all sorts of terrible behavior because they are doing it 'against them.' I don't try to attack. I try to provide a better path forward and I think that will break through the static."

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Don't like Biden or Trump? Libertarian nominee campaigning in NJ brings 'fresh ideas'