Libertarian Party’s 2019 State of the Union Address

Republicans and Democrats have engaged in an extended form of political theater these past few weeks, partially shutting down the government and using the lives of immigrants as bargaining chips over funding for a border wall. President Donald Trump’s forthcoming State of the Union address, wherever it is held, is expected to address this and other topics at the forefront of the national conversation. Trump will insist that his expensive and restrictive policies are necessary, and Democrats will counter with their own proposals that also require high taxes, higher spending, and more regulation.

The Libertarian Party will present our policy proposals in our own forthcoming address. Recently-elected Supervisor Jeff Hewitt, in Riverside County, Calif., will deliver the Libertarian Party’s State of the Union address.

Check back here on Feb. 5 for a link and embedded video of Hewitt’s speech.

Libertarian Party representatives available for interviews about the 2019 State of the Union

Jeff Hewitt was elected in November 2018 to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in California, following three years as mayor of Calimesa, where he led the charge to replace the town’s expensive contract for state-run fire protection with its own more responsive and cost-effective fire department. Armed with this Libertarian solution, Hewitt enabled his city to fend off the spiraling pension costs that affect many California communities.

Hewitt’s commitment to fiscal responsibility in Calimesa prompted the Press-Enterprise to award him a “strong” endorsement, describing him as “the rare sort of politician who can get straight to the point about the problems of county government and speak honestly about what needs to be done.” He also earned a rare campaign endorsement from Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, and the R Street Institute’s Steven Greenhut lauded Hewitt’s accomplishment with the fire department as a “model for the state.”

Prior to his time as mayor, Hewitt served for eight years on the Calimesa City Council and six years on the Calimesa Planning Commission. He has also held leadership positions in the Libertarian National Committee and the executive committee of the Libertarian Party of California.

Hewitt started his own contracting company more than three decades ago by creating new applications for existing technology. He eventually applied what he learned to pool construction, including excavation and plumbing. Since 1985, he has navigated his small business into the successful Champagne Pools. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology from California State University at San Bernardino.

Hewitt is available for in-studio interviews in the greater Los Angeles, Calif., area.

Nicholas Sarwark is serving his third term as chair of the Libertarian National Committee, having first been elected in 2014. Prior to that, he has served as chair of the Libertarian Party of Maryland and as vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado, where he played a key role in recruiting the state’s 42 Libertarian candidates in 2014 and supported the passage of Colorado’s historic marijuana legalization initiative in 2012. In 2018, he ran for mayor of Phoenix, Ariz.

Professionally, Sarwark has worked as a criminal defense attorney and served as a deputy public defender in Colorado where he tried more than 30 cases before a jury and argued in front of the Colorado Supreme Court. In 2014, he moved to Arizona to help operate his family’s business, the oldest independent auto dealership in Phoenix, founded in 1942.

Sarwark is available for in-studio interviews in the Phoenix, Ariz., area.

The Party of Principle

Background: Founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party is the third-largest and fastest-growing party in the United States, and the only party that respects people as unique and responsible individuals. Libertarians oppose any government interference into people’s personal, family, and business decisions. Our guiding principle is that all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit, as long as they impose no force or fraud on others.

Libertarian candidates and elected officials: We run hundreds of candidates in every election cycle, at every level of public office. In 2018, we ran 833 candidates nationwide, which represents a nearly 40 percent increase over 2016, and 54 were elected. As of January 2019, there are 180 Libertarians holding elected offices: 56 in partisan positions and 124 nonpartisan.

Election 2020: Libertarian Party members will have the opportunity to choose our 2020 presidential nominee at our 2020 convention of delegates, to be held in Austin, Texas, on May 21–25, 2020.

Platform: The Libertarian Party platform outlines our positions on important policy issues.

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Official Libertarian Party logo artwork for use in your publication or on your program is available here.

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Please credit all photo usage: Photo courtesy of the Libertarian National Committee