Craig Bowden, Region 1 Alternate for the Libertarian Party, has made the claim that a staff member for Bill Weld is attempting to recruit Mitt Romney to the Libertarian Party. In an email to the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), Mr. Bowden revealed this information, claiming that these recruitment efforts are the reason that Bill Weld refused to endorse the Utah US Senate candidate.

Mr. Bowden is not exaggerating when he says that Mitt Romney is perhaps the most unlibertarian politician in modern American Politics. The fact that Bill Weld will not endorse Bowden (whose platform speaks of full gun rights, ending foreign wars, bringing the troops home, and unleashing the free market) because he wants Mitt Romney to join the LP (and there are forces within the party that are joining Weld, according to Mr. Bowden) demonstrates a disloyalty to principle among the potential 2020 Presidential candidate.

Compare Mr. Bowden to Mitt Romney, whose platform screams big government. In his platform, he supports the drug war, the American Empire, subsidies, and centralization. Romney was also the architect of Obamacare. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney created a government healthcare system that included an individual mandate. In addition, Romney signed the Massachusetts Assault Weapons Ban in 2004.

It is quite clear that Romney is not a libertarian. He’s not even a conservative. Mitt Romney is a big government shill who should never be welcome to the Libertarian Party. This, unfortunately, has escaped the minds of “pragmatists” who think libertarianism is just centrism. In case it isn’t obvious enough, being anti-Trump does not inherently make one pro-liberty. This “pragmatism” has led Bill Weld staffers to even attempt to recruit big government Republicans. In a phone call, an anonymous source revealed to me that various Bill Weld supporting staff members are attempting to also recruit John Kasich, who denied the Libertarian Party of Ohio ballot access in 2016.

With this in mind, I am going to issue a request to the Libertarian National Committee, particularly the ones who are overwhelmingly welcoming of big government figures like Bill Weld. My request is this – denounce any and all efforts to recruit Mitt Romney into the Libertarian Party and endorse Craig Bowden for US Senate. If the LNC truly stands for the principles of liberty, they will know that Bowden is a far better candidate than Romney (who screwed Ron Paul out of the Republican nomination, and likely the presidency, in 2012). In addition, they will know it is the right thing to do for the party. If you are on the LNC and are too afraid to endorse a candidate who supports your values and policies, then you are not worthy of your position. If you endorse Craig Bowden, I thank you for doing so. But if you are too afraid of upsetting Mitt Romney, then I ask that you resign from the LNC.