Marc Allan Feldman, Libertarian candidate for president, dead at 56

By Avens O’Brien

The Libertarian movement learned this morning that Dr. Marc Allan Feldman has passed away. Details have not been released regarding his cause of death. He was 56.

Dr. Feldman was a candidate for the Libertarian presidential nomination this year. His campaign was one of the most inspirational in the field as a result of his sincerity, warmth, messaging, and his closing statement during the Libertarian National Convention’s final presidential debate.

During the convention over Memorial Day weekend, the candidates for president had to receive a minimum number of tokens (submitted by each delegate on a piece of paper) to participate in the C-SPAN televised debate on Saturday night. Feldman was short during the first vote count, but all candidates were allowed another hour to collect additional tokens from delegates who had not yet voted. His campaign hustled up enough votes to qualify, and he made the debate indisputably better as a result of his presence. I had the pleasure of attending that debate live – his answers were on point and well delivered, and his closing statement brought everyone to their feet in cheers, united as every kind of libertarian.

After that debate, delegates and competitors alike flocked to congratulate him on an incredible performance. However, it wasn’t his only notable debate moment during the campaign season – his rap at the Florida LP debate got some attention for its creativity as well.

Dr. Feldman was truly a beacon of unity and empowerment within the party. His campaign website was www.votesnotforsale.com – during his campaign he refused to accept supporting donations higher than $5. His campaign slogan was “Empower Yourself”, and focused on encouraging individuals to achieve greater power and control over their own lives.

Dr. Feldman was born in October of 1959. He was a 1980 graduate of Northwestern University with a major in Philosophy, Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Doctorate of Medicine from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1984. He practiced anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins for 11 years. He is survived by his wife Anne and his sons Aaron, Abram and Andrew. His son Alec passed away from cancer at age 16. He worked at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, which issued the following statement this morning: “We are saddened by the sudden loss of Dr. Feldman. He was a talented physician and will be missed.”

About a week before the convention this year, I received a personal message from Dr. Feldman who asked me to watch and share his video about why he was running. He told me it was okay if I didn’t vote for him, he just wanted to be heard. In it he explains why he has no fear, why he believes in miracles, and he tells the heartbreaking story of losing his son Alec to cancer at such a young age. I learned a lot about him not just as a candidate, but as a person as a result. As a tribute to his wanting to be heard, his video is below:

We have lost an incredible activist and fearless advocate for liberty. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.