Former Libertarian VP Nominee Mike ter Maat Rejoins Republican Party Continues Fight For Liberty

Charles I. Guarria
Jun 10
4 min read

Updated: Jun 15

The 2024 Vice Presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party, Mike ter Maat, has rejoined the Republican Party. However, he is not leaving liberty behind. Mr. ter Maat rejoined the Republicans to join the Republican Liberty Caucus.

When asked if he decided to make the move because the Republicans have the best lane to establish liberty views, he replied succinctly, "Yes."

Mr. ter Maat said jumping from one party to another "is not what you would characterize as easy," but for those who see the existential risks ahead for the US, "I think that that means you have an obligation to try to do something about them."

"This is about realizing that our government is going in a very, very bad direction," he continued in a recent phone interview. "A lot of bad things are happening. In my view, the government is facing three or four truly existential risks. I don't use that phraseology lightly."

Mike ter Maat listed four existential threats to the US.

He listed them.

"Number one, I believe that the federal government is moving toward a financial collapse, that unless something really profound changes in the way that we budget and spend, the federal government cannot make it past a couple more decades."

"Number two, I don't think that you can spin the wheel in terms of military interventionism, as frequently as we do, and expect that we will always be able to extract ourselves without triggering a major international conflict."

"Number three…my age category (63 years old) grew up thinking that a real, existentially threatening downward spiral in terms of civil unrest was impossible, unthinkable, and so you looked at rioting and imposition of martial law, National Guard, deployment of thousands of cops…as though it was necessarily a transient experience. I don't think it's wise to continue that attitude."

"Number four is AI. One of my fears is that governments are run by people who can be just as creative at deploying AI as anybody else, and you couple that with the newest technology in violence, drones, observance, facial recognition, database management. You combine that with an increasing number of governments around the world becoming increasingly authoritarian. I also worry about the hegemonic nature of the United States government vis a vis the rest of the world, and how many people are out there who resent that. And are looking for a way to level the playing field."

The obligation to stop these threats to the country, for Mr. ter Maat, means doing whatever it takes.

One of his initial moves was to speak to folk about joining him in the Republican Liberty Caucus. Very few said the idea was idiotic. Some commented that they understood the 'why' behind the move, but 'I'm not up for going.' Others responded that they weren't sure it would work, but it's worth a shot.

Chase Oliver (left) & Mike ter Maat were the Libertarians' presidential and vice presidential nominees, respectively, in 2024.

Recalling his conversation with his 2024 running mate, Presidential nominee Chase Oliver, Mr. ter Maat said he was "kind and supportive" but "skeptical of the likelihood of success."

Approximately 42 have joined the RLC at Mr. ter Maat's request; that cohort is close to an even split between Libertarians and Republicans.

The focus over the next 12 months is to make the caucus bigger and stronger while not fundamentally changing it. If all goes well, the RLC could be supporting candidates locally and in Congress for the 2026 midterms.

Mr. ter Maat emphasized that 2026 is a maybe. What is definite is they will form coalitions with any other party that wishes to work with them on an issue.

Mr. ter Maat acknowledged that it won't be easy for change to happen. That it will be a "long hard, hard, fight" for legislation to be pushed through, likely in terms of years.

As for beyond the first 12 months, "The long-term goal is to participate, in a healthy and effective way, in the presidential nomination process in the Republican Party. I do believe that the big fight that's going to matter over the next three years, probably over the next seven years in American politics is going to be how the Republican Party fills the vacuum left by the exodus of President Trump," Mr. ter Maat stated.

He does not think the Democrats have someone who can change hearts and minds at this point. No one who can lead "a significant political movement in a particularly interesting direction inside the United States."

Though he does believe Democrats will eventually have a libertarian wing, "I'm just afraid it's going to be, you know, 380 years from now," he joked.

It is rational to state that a good message not heard is not an effective message. And for reasons best left aside for now, the libertarian message isn't heard often enough, loud enough or is distorted when told by major media corporations.

The way I read Mr. ter Maat's move back to the Republican Party and the RLC is that it presents an opportunity to overcome the whys and wherefores of the Libertarian Party's struggles to be heard.

As for the people who are joining Mr. ter Maat and taking their message of liberty to the Republican party, "they do it, not for themselves or for me. They do it for the rest of our population. They do it for their fellow Americans. They do it for people whom we call brothers and sisters for no other reason than the fact that they're Americans." Mr. ter Maat commented.