Nicholas Joel Sarwark (born August 27, 1979) is an American attorney and businessman who served as the 19th chair of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), the governing body of the Libertarian Party. Prior to his election in 2014, he served on several LP national committees and as chair of the Libertarian Party of Maryland State Committee and vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado State Committee.Doherty, Brian (May 27, 2016) "The Libertarian Party's National Committee Chair Race: Meet the Contenders", Reason.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022. , he is the only LP chair to have served three consecutive terms.

Sarwark declined to run for another term as LNC chair in 2020, and was succeeded by Joe Bishop-Henchman.

Early life and education Sarwark was born on August 27, 1979, in Phoenix, Arizona. He graduated from Washington Adventist University in 1998 with a BS in computer science and a minor in philosophy, later receiving his juris doctor from American University's Washington College of Law in 2008. While attending law school, Sarwark clerked for the libertarian law firm Institute for Justice.

In the early 1990s, Sarwark's father brought him to Maricopa County Libertarian gatherings, and Sarwark subsequently joined the party in 1999.

Political career and campaigns Sarwark was chairman of the Libertarian Party of Maryland from 2001 to 2003,"Free? State Libertarian: 2003 MdLP Annual Convention", LPMaryland.org. August 2003. holding numerous LP officer and local-level roles there."Free? State Libertarian: MdLP 2007 Convention", LPMaryland.org. November 2007. Prior to being elected chairman of the Libertarian National Committee in 2014, Sarwark served as a deputy public defender in Colorado and as vice-chairman of the Libertarian Party of Colorado. He was re-elected in 2016,Weissmueller, Zach (May 31, 2016) "National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark on the Libertarian Party's Plan for 2016", Reason.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022. and again in 2018.Welch, Matt (July 4, 2018) "Libertarian Party Rebuffs Mises Uprising", Reason.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022.

While serving as LNC chair, Sarwark made appearances on multiple national media outlets, including MSNBC and NPR, to discuss libertarian perspectives on various topics."Life As A Libertarian", 1A. WAMU, NPR. February 1, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2022."Nicholas Sarwark", Cato Unbound. October 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2022."Dem candidates in the home stretch in South Carolina", Morning Joe on MSNBC. February 27, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2022."How to balance public health, civil liberties in time of coronavirus", Morning Joe on MSNBC. March 17, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2022.

Sarwark ran in the 2018 Phoenix mayoral special election. His campaign platform included opposition to light rail, addressing the city's pension debt, and working with Republicans and Democrats on the city council. He garnered 10.5 percent of the vote, placing fourth among four candidates,Welch, Matt (December 12, 2018) "Is the Libertarian Party Glass Half Full or Half Empty?", Reason.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022. and did not advance to the 2019 run-off.

After moving to New Hampshire, Sarwark ran for Hillsborough County Attorney in 2020 under the Libertarian Party. His major issues included clearing the criminal case backlog. He received 5.6 percent of the vote, placing third among three candidates. Sarwark ran for the same office in 2022 under both the Libertarian and Democratic parties.Schinella, Tony (September 1, 2022) "NH Libertarian Candidates For Governor, Senator File Signatures: Watch", MSN.com. "Nicholas Sarwark of Manchester, who is running for Hillsborough County Attorney, who also ran in 2020"Winger, Richard (September 15, 2022) "Libertarian Nominee for Hillsborough County Attorney Wins Democratic Nomination by Write-ins", Ballot Access News.Green, Rick (October 17, 2022 ) "Your ballot might list the same candidate under two parties. That's allowed under N.H. law.", The Keene Sentinel via New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved November 1, 2022. He placed second in a two-candidate race with 45.25 percent of the vote.Full 2022 New Hampshire county-level general election results#HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ATTORNEY", WMUR.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.

Personal life Sarwark married his wife, Valerie in 2009. After building a family in Denver, he returned to Phoenix in 2014 to join his family's independent car dealership, where he served as vice-president. Sarwark and his wife have four children. In 2019, Sarwark and his family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, to become a part of the grassroots libertarian movement the Free State Project.

Electoral history

References

External links

at the Libertarian Policy Institute, of which Sarwark is Executive Director at Wedge Squared Strategies, of which Sarwark is Principal

(archived)