Chase Oliver
Chase Russell Oliver (born August 16, 1985) is an American political activist, sales account executive, and HR representative.[1] Oliver was the Libertarian Party nominee for the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia and the 2020 Georgia's 5th congressional district special election. He is a candidate for the Libertarian presidential nomination in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.[2]
Chase Oliver
In the 2022 Georgia special United States Senate election, Oliver received over 2% of the popular vote, possibly acting as a spoiler candidate and forcing the Georgia senate race into a run-off.[3]
Early life[edit]
Oliver was born on August 16, 1985, in Nashville, Tennessee.[4] He worked in the restaurant business for 13 years prior to his involvement in political activism.[5]
Chase Oliver 2024 presidential campaign
Chase Oliver
April 4, 2023
US$24,164
Political positions[edit]
Abortion[edit]
Oliver self-identifies as pro-choice, although he is opposed to taxpayer funding of abortions.[33] He believes that abortion should be legal nationwide, and he has said he would support legislation to make it so.[34]
Climate change[edit]
Oliver supports a free market solution to climate change. He contends that if businesses are left alone, they will be incentivized to develop technologies that will eventually replace current carbon-based fuels.[35]
Electoral reform[edit]
Oliver is a strong supporter of ranked-choice voting in the United States, which he has said would have prevented the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Georgia from going to a run-off by allowing voters to rank their preferred candidates when they voted the first time. He has also stated that ranked-choice voting would save millions of taxpayer dollars by allowing run-offs to be instant, while ensuring that winning candidates always get above 50% of the vote.[15]
Gun rights[edit]
During a 2022 debate with Warnock, Oliver expressed his support for gun rights, stating: "Armed gays are harder to oppress, and they're harder to bash."[35]
War on drugs[edit]
Oliver advocates for ending the war on drugs, and supports the legalization of marijuana.[36][37]
Police reform[edit]
Oliver supports ending qualified immunity for law enforcement at the federal level.[21]
Immigration[edit]
Oliver supports an "Ellis Island-style immigration" system, stating: "If you're coming here to work and be peaceful, it's not my business."[20]
Education[edit]
Oliver supports abolishing the United States Department of Education, and advocates "for more choice in the education marketplace on a state-by-state basis".[2]
Third-parties[edit]
Oliver was a contributing author in the September 23, 2023 article "Do Third Parties Help or Harm Democracy?", published on Divided We Fall. In the article, Oliver discusses the strategic position the Libertarian Party holds for the 2024 election season, third-party ballot access, and how the Libertarian Party platform parallels important issues of other third-party platforms, namely the Green Party of the United States and Forward Party (United States), such as ranked choice voting, immigration, cannabis legalization, and LGBTQ+ rights.[38]