The 2024 Libertarian Party of Iowa recently held a successful State Convention Feb 16th – 17th at the Des Moines Downtown Mercy Area Holiday Inn. The weekend had over 70 participants attend and raised over $2,000. The weekend events included our yearly business meeting, electing a new State Central Committee and delegates to the national convention, a presidential debate, an inspiring keynote speaker over dinner and plenty of socializing with new and old friends along the way.
The business meeting went as smooth and efficient as we could hope, with this year adding the criteria that voting members had to participate in-person in the recent Iowa Caucus, a requirement that goes hand-in-hand with our major party status. Our State Central Committee officers ran unopposed and received unanimous approval from the delegation, including Jules Cutler as Chair, Jeremiah Weigert as Co-Chair, Geilesha Kurfman as Secretary, and Nathan Kleffman as Treasurer. We cannot thank Ben Held and Clyde Gibson enough for their service as they step out of the spotlight and take a much deserved break from their leadership positions.
For At-Large Representatives, Jacob Stevens and Chris Hansen were elected to support our state-wide activities. Our new district representatives include Nick Gluba (D1), Greg Fischer (D2), AJ Fisher (D3), and John Ewing (D4). District alternate representatives include Dan Anderson (D1), Fred Perryman (D2), Jeni Kadel (D3), and Robert Fairchild (D4). Congratulations on your new positions and thank you for your commitment to serve the party.
Presidential candidates seeking the Libertarian nomination that attended all or part of our convention included Chase Oliver, Mike ter Maat, and Art Olivier. We’d like to thank these candidates for putting in the time and money to travel to our state so that we can better understand your vision for our party. Our Saturday business meeting concluded with a live & virtual presidential debate, which also included candidates Jacob Hornberger, Lars Mapstead, and Michael Rectenwald. We’d like to thank all the candidates for taking the time to engage in this important process so that our delegates to the national convention can make an informed choice. We’d especially like to thank Dr. Thomas Laehn for doing an excellent job moderating the debate.
The evening concluded with a special fundraising dinner that included three incredible speeches. First, our chair Jules Cutler shared her inspiring story of immigrating from the Soviet Union at age 16 to find the freedom that saved her life, with a harrowing warning that we must do all we can for the cause of liberty. Next, we were honored to have former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard serve as our keynote speaker, sharing the stories of what she learned serving overseas and how she became a figurehead for the anti-war movement. Representative Gabbard also provided a call to action to bring liberty-loving Americans together to save the country, and why she felt she needed to leave the Democrat party to do so. Finally, Dr. Thomas Laehn brilliantly executed the impossible task of following our previous speakers for a rousing speech that ended in a standing ovation.
Overall, the Libertarian Party of Iowa’s 2024 State Convention was a testament to the tremendous work that went into organizing our 2024 caucus as a major party. With such a dedicated and passionate group of individuals, the future of Liberty in Iowa looks bright. The party believes that together, they can achieve great things and work towards a future where individual liberty and personal responsibility are cherished and celebrated.
