RALEIGH (November 6, 2024)—Attendees at the WakeLP election watch party at Tobacco Road last night had a lot to celebrate. Libertarian candidates up and down the ballot garnered record-breaking vote totals, and when the numbers finally stopped spinning, the collective total stood at an all-time record 321,154 votes in 2024.

The 321k Libertarian filled-out ovals in Wake County is more than triple the old record of 93,022 dating from 2008, when there were three LPNC council-of-state plus a US Senate candidates on the ballot. Just looking at NCGA races, WakeLP candidates totaled 85,281 votes, more than double the previous high-water mark of 41,095 set in 2020. 

Looking at individual races, Brian Lewis lead the hit parade. Reprising his 2022 run for Soil & Water Supervisor—when he set a new record for the most votes by any Libertarian candidate in Wake County with 52,322—he nearly lapped himself with 97,047 this time around. He notched 18.75% of the vote, which also set a new high for a WakeLP candidate in a three-way race. “Basically, I doubled my share of the votes from 2022 to 2024,” observed Lewis. “If I can come close to doing that again in 2026, I will win that election.” (There will be two Wake Soil & Water Supervisor seats on the ballot in 2026.)

With respect to NCGA races, going into last night, the best WakeLP candidate showing ever in a two-way race was by Lee Griffin, who notched 19.15% of the vote running for H-50 back in 2002. There were five WakeLP candidates running in two-way NCGA races this year—an all-time record itself, as WakeGOP only fielded ten candidates for the county’s 19 NCGA seats—and every single one of them beat Griffin’s old record! The new all-time champ is Patrick Bowersox, who racked up 25.68% of the votes in his race for S-17, narrowly beating out Mike Nelson (H-66/25.21%).

“Wake County remains predominantly blue,” observed WakeLP Chair Travis Groo, “but dissatisfaction with the establishment parties and the number of folks willing to vote for Libertarian candidates have been growing for at least 30 years, and both have surpassed the point of political relevance. With every election cycle, candidates who ignore libertarian issues and the concerns of independent voters are paying an increasing political price.”

Statewide results were strong, as well. Gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross received 174,306 votes, an all-time high for any statewide Libertarian candidate for any office, and his 3.15% share qualified the LPNC to remain on the ballot for another four years.

Two other LPNC council-of-state candidates collected more votes than the difference between their establishment party opponents, creating the possibility that the Libertarian vote decided the outcome of those elections. Lt. Governor candidate Shannon Bray got 102,468 votes, more than the 93,585 difference between Democrat Rachel Hunt and Republican Hal Weatherman. And State Auditor candidate Bob Drach’s 165,059 total exceeded the 106,213 votes by which Republican Dan Boliek leads Democrat Jessica Holmes in that race.

Additionally, two other WakeLP candidates “beat the spread.” Lewis’s vote total was 23x greater than the difference between his two S&W opponent’s respective vote totals. And Brad Hessel, running for S-18, received 3,848 votes, which amounts to 101x the 38 votes separating his two establishment party opponents.

“It was fun to take time out to celebrate tonight,” commented Bowersox, who also serves as WakeLP Vicechair. “But folks are already looking forward to what we can accomplish in 2025 and beyond promoting the message of keeping government out of our pocketbooks and out of our bedrooms.”