Libertarians make waves with record-breaking result in NSW local elections
The Libertarian Party could secure up to 15 seats in councils across New South Wales and potentially take control of a key regional council after the Liberal Party failed to nominate over 100 candidates for last weekend's local government elections.
NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick attributed some of his party’s success to the Liberals’ organisational mishap but stressed that this is just the beginning of a growing movement as Australians turn to alternatives beyond the traditional parties.
The Libertarian Party did well in the NSW Local Council elections where we fielded candidates ... but none more so than in the Mid-Coast council where our ticket came first.
— John Ruddick MLC (@JohnRuddick2) September 14, 2024
Next council elections we intend to field candidates in every council area.@LibertariansNSW pic.twitter.com/8AqYbPuJKd
Ruddick is confident that around half of the 32 Libertarian candidates will be elected, including Gregory Harris in Upper Lachlan Shire. The party has been vocal against initiatives like drag queen storytime at local libraries and other "woke" programs, which they argue are outside the core responsibilities of councils, such as roads, rates and rubbish.
We have received a lot of new followers and supporters during our local government campaign.
— Libertarian Party NSW (formerly Liberal Democrats) (@LibertariansNSW) September 15, 2024
If you're new to the party or just interested in learning more, we encourage you to watch @JohnRuddick2's maiden speech to parliament: https://t.co/EfN4lpOwhL
Viewing every issue through a lens of reducing government size, Ruddick said, "we’re radically pro-capitalism." The party garnered nearly 25% of the primary vote in the MidCoast region by Sunday morning, and they are in contention to secure a majority and possibly the mayorship of the large regional council.
Congratulations to all the NSW Libertarians who worked hard to achieve this outstanding result in the local government elections.
— Libertarians Queensland (@LibertariansQLD) September 15, 2024
We see this as proof that the electorate is sick of woke politics.
Bold Libertarians Rule. pic.twitter.com/e546ZcEQAV
Election analyst Ben Raue noted that the Libertarians fielded more candidates across NSW than any party except Labor, Liberal, and the Greens, often capturing the Liberal vote in areas where no Liberal candidates stood.
