What % of Libertarian Support Comes From Former Democratic Voters?
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  What % of Libertarian Support Comes From Former Democratic Voters?
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Author Topic: What % of Libertarian Support Comes From Former Democratic Voters?  (Read 687 times)
DC Al Fine
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« on: November 16, 2012, 09:17:30 AM »

Johnson won around 1% of the vote this election. Obviously the majority of this support came from people who would support the Republicans otherwise. My question is how much of his support was former Dems? Was it 10% or more like 40%?
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Kitteh
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« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2012, 01:30:17 PM »

I think the vast majority of Libertarians are people who wouldn't vote or would vote for indies or some other third party otherwise. I'd guess that maybe 25% would vote GOP otherwise, 15% Dem, 60% other/no vote.
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justfollowingtheelections
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« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2012, 01:50:51 PM »

If I was to make a guess I would say that if forced with a gun to their head to vote for one of the two parties, most East Coast libertarians would have gone with Romney while most West Coast libertarian with Obama.
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nolesfan2011
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« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2012, 07:50:53 PM »

Johnson voters.. I would say 30%.. with LP diehards being 20%  and indies/Republican leaning Paul voters being the other 50%.

There was a certain part of the non Obama supporting left that voted for GJ over mj legalization, drones, civil liberties, militarism and other issues.  Plus he was pro choice and pro LGBT rights which made him palatable to the left in a way Bob Barr wasn't (for comparison)

Johnson was also more socially liberal than Paul, while sharing similar fp and civil liberties views.

They mainly backed him over left candidates Stein and Anderson because they viewed him as more viable (be the 5% thing) or he had ballot access in their state whereas Stein/Anderson did not (Georgia and Indiana are good examples of this).

In terms of actual Libertarian party id and activity.. I would say it's 65-35 between the majority right leaning libertarians (true believers, Paul type supporters focused on economic stuff mainly and the deficit) and left leaning libertarians (former dems, former greens etc. who may care more about foreign policy, drug legalization, civil liberties  etc.)

Younger libertarians are probably left leaning, older libertarians probably right leaning


Johnson won around 1% of the vote this election. Obviously the majority of this support came from people who would support the Republicans otherwise. My question is how much of his support was former Dems? Was it 10% or more like 40%?
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Kitteh
drj101
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« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2012, 09:55:48 PM »

Younger libertarians are probably left leaning, older libertarians probably right leaning

Depends on what you mean by "older". For most of the 1970s the left-leaning wing of the party was actually more dominant (many people described the libertarian platform then as "low-tax liberalism"). It was really during the 80s that the Paulite/paleoconservative wing took over. Johnson was in many ways a return to the party's roots.
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nolesfan2011
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« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2012, 02:24:09 AM »

Idelogically true, reference though was look at like the LP convention. Older folks (speakers, chairs etc.) Discussing the national debt and government encroachment on health care, younger folks talking about militarism and ending the war on drugs.. its generational.

Look at the group that crowdsurfed Johnson, and his social media backers.. they discuss more "left" issues. Hardcore, long term LPers discuss more "right" issues like taxes and guns.

Plus look at Ron Paul support, most devoted and idealistic are in his younger college age supporters.. with the "liberty" message and stuff.. many of them floated to GJ post convention whereas many more conservative Libertarians maybe drifted to Romney for pragmatism.


Younger libertarians are probably left leaning, older libertarians probably right leaning

Depends on what you mean by "older". For most of the 1970s the left-leaning wing of the party was actually more dominant (many people described the libertarian platform then as "low-tax liberalism"). It was really during the 80s that the Paulite/paleoconservative wing took over. Johnson was in many ways a return to the party's roots.
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