Political consultant Mary Matalin announced Tuesday she is endorsing Libertarian Austin Petersen for president.Matalin, who switched from the Republican Party to the Libertarian party this month, is married to Democratic consultant James Carville."After a considered review of the 2016 candidates' philosophies and positions, I am proud to endorse Austin Petersen for the Libertarian Party nomination for President of the United States," Matalin said in a press release from the Petersen campaign.Matalin referenced Thomas Jefferson in her endorsement, saying Petersen's political beliefs represent those of the nation's third president."While Thomas Jefferson's ideas on governance provide a model, his often-utopian aspirations have to be tempered by Madisonian practicality and Burkean adaptation to reality," Matalin said."Today, the same unavoidable conflict between two inherently disparate views of governance remains; the same conflict evidenced in the struggle for ratification of the Constitution and highlighted in the campaign of 1800, which resulted in a two party system. Our country's remarkable founding was never about a Party or a Person, but the glorious ideal of freedom applied to unruly human nature."In these tumultuous times of domestic and global uncertainty, the country would be well served with Austin Petersen on the national ballot along with the two established party candidates."The times call for and Americans deserve a full-throated, clear, coherent call for the restoration of those principles our Founders divined and their progeny refined. Austin Petersen is a courageous adherent of and best represents Jefferson’s inviolate first principle: Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."There are 18 Libertarians vying for their party's presidential nomination this year, and the nominees for president and vice president will be chosen at the party's national convention that's scheduled for May 26-30 in Orlando.Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is the party's likely nominee, and he told Newsmax's John Gizzi over the weekend voters are fed up with the two leading candidates of the major parties, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton."With two of the most polarizing figures in U.S. politics as the likely major party nominees, the Libertarian Party has more opportunities than ever before," Johnson said.