The Libertarian Party was on the ascendancy in the second Nixon and the Ford administration. The party did not do well in its first election. Its presidential nominee only received 3,673 votes, and its single candidate for the U.S. House received 2,028 votes. The single event which brought the party into the spotlight was the decision of Roger MacBride to cast his electoral vote for the Libertarians in 1972.

The Libertarian Party immediately began to organize new state chapters. This activity took quite a bit of time, and in the 1974 mid term election, the party fielded only one candidate - for the U.S. House in UT.

As the year 1976 opened, however, the party was becoming more organized and was planning to field the largest third party set of candidates in the country.

2d Libertarian National Convention

The second Libertarian National Convention assembled in the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York City.

Roger L. MacBride was nominated for President on the first ballot as shown here. David P. Bergland was nominated for Vice President on the third ballot.

The 1976 Campaign

MacBride gained media publicity in his own right in 1976 by criticizing the recent campaign finance bill. In his fundraisers, he argued that the government did not have the authority to regulate campaign spending and that he would burn any check sent to him by the Federal Elections Commission.

MacBride campaig

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The Libertarian Party was on the ascendancy in the second Nixon and the Ford administration. The party did not do well in its first election. Its presidential nominee only received 3,673 votes, and its single candidate for the U.S. House received 2,028 votes. The single event which brought the party into the spotlight was the decision of Roger MacBride to cast his electoral vote for the Libertarians in 1972.

The Libertarian Party immediately began to organize new state chapters. This activity took quite a bit of time, and in the 1974 mid term election, the party fielded only one candidate - for the U.S. House in UT.

As the year 1976 opened, however, the party was becoming more organized and was planning to field the largest third party set of candidates in the country.

2d Libertarian National Convention

The second Libertarian National Convention assembled in the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York City.

Roger L. MacBride was nominated for President on the first ballot as shown here. David P. Bergland was nominated for Vice President on the third ballot.

The 1976 Campaign

MacBride gained media publicity in his own right in 1976 by criticizing the recent campaign finance bill. In his fundraisers, he argued that the government did not have the authority to regulate campaign spending and that he would burn any check sent to him by the Federal Elections Commission.

MacBride campaigned around the nation in a 1943 DC-3. New York Times 4/19/1976.

MacBride performed quite well for a fledgling third party nominee. He received 173,011 votes, which put him in fourth place behind the two major parties and Eugene McCarthy's independent bid.

Libertarian candidates appeared on the ballot for US Senate races in AZ, HI, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NY, UT, and WA; these nominees garnered 78,588 votes. The party also fielded many candidates for other offices.

Popular Vote of 1976

Electoral Vote of 1976

3d Libertarian National Convention (1980)

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