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Angela McArdle
McArdle in 2022
22nd Chair of the Libertarian National Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office May 28, 2022
Preceded by	Whitney Bilyeu
Secretary of the Libertarian Party of California
In office April 29, 2018 – April 6, 2019
Preceded by	Honor Robson [1]
Succeeded by	Paul Vallandigham [2]
Personal details
Born	Angela Elise McArdle (1983-06-07) June 7, 1983 (age 40)
Political party	Libertarian
Other political affiliations	Mises Caucus [3] [4]
Children	1 [5]
Residences	Texas (2022–present) [5] Los Angeles County, California (until 2022)

Angela Elise McArdle (born June 7, 1983) is an American politician from Texas and California who was elected on May 28, 2022 as the 22nd and current chair of the Libertarian National Committee. She was also the Secretary of the Libertarian Party of California from April 2018 to April 2019, ^{[1] [2]} and was a board member of the Mises Caucus. ^[3]

Early life and education

McArdle has worked as a paralegal and legal aide for over eleven years. She currently works in litigation and also has a private practice where she provides self help legal services to low income clients. The bulk of McArdle's practices focus on real estate and constitutional law. ^[6]

McArdle received her Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Leadership from Biola University in 2009 and a Paralegal Certificate from UCLA Extension in 2013. She is also trained as a craniosacral therapist through the Upledger Institute. ^[6]

Career

McArdle was the Libertarian nominee in the 2017 California's 34th congressional district special election. ^[7] She finished the primary in 17th place out of a field of 22 candidates with 0.8%. ^[8] McArdle ran again for the seat in 2018, and finished in 3rd place in a field of 3 candidates with 8.4%. ^[9]

In 2021 and 2022, McArdle was a candidate for Chair of the Libertarian National Committee. ^[10] She was endorsed by the Mises Caucus, of which she was also a board member. ^{[11] [3]} She was elected to the position at the 2022 Libertarian National Convention on May 28. ^{[12] [13]}

At Porcfest 2021, an annual libertarian festival held in New Hampshire, Executive Director of the Free State Project, Jeremy Kauffman and McArdle debated which strategy is more effective, the libertarian party strategy or the free state movement strategy. ^[14] Kauffman argued that, "There are more people in this room that are elected members to the NH House of Representatives and former members of the Libertarian Party than there are Libertarian Party members nationwide." ^[14] McArdle then counter-argued that while she wants to see the Free State Project succeed, it is her contention that the Free State Project could not have existed without the political infrastructure provided by the LP developed over the course of five decades. ^[14]

On December 3, 2022, McArdle became the first known National Chair in the United States who has given birth during her tenure. ^[15]

McArdle was openly critical of Joe Exotic's short-lived campaign in the 2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries. ^[16]

McArdle is a noted Russophile, giving an op-ed to Newsweek claiming that Russian forces were not committing a genocide in Ukraine, retorting that Ukrainians are committing war crimes against the Russian population of the Donbas, as well as saying that the United States forced Russia, and Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. ^[17] McArdle also spoke at the Rage Against the War Machine Rally, co hosted with the People’s Party, where she called on a cut to all aid to Ukraine, and for Ukraine to surrender all Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. ^[18] After the rally, the Libertarian Party issued a press release denouncing "Any speaker advocating for the contrary does not align with our values" in reference to speakers that did not support their "anti-war platform," specifically targeting Scott Ritter, the most radical pro-Russian speaker at the event. ^[19] The United States Pirate Party, one of the invited participants, refused to show, and vehemently denounced the rally as a "perversion of the anti-war movement" and that "the anti-war stance in this case is easy. Russia, not Ukraine, should put down its arms." ^[20]

Electoral history

References