French
DeutschSteven Nekhaila
Steven Nekhaila | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 23rd Chair of the Libertarian National Committee | |
| Assumed office February 2, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Angela McArdle |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Libertarian |
| Residence(s) | Key West, Florida, U.S. |
| Profession | Restaurant owner |
Steven Nekhaila is an American politician and Libertarian activist, who is the 23rd and current Chair of the Libertarian National Committee, the governing body of the Libertarian Party, since February 2025.
Nekhalia previously served in various positions within the Libertarian Party of Florida and the LNC before he won the 2025 LNC Chair special election, which followed the resignation of his predecessor Angela McArdle.
Biography
[edit]Nekhaila worked as a franchise owner of several chain restaurants before becoming involved in the Libertarian Party in 2014 as a founding member of the Libertarian party of the Florida Keys which would merge into the Libertarian Party of Florida.[1] Since 2016 Nekhaila has been a member of the Libertarian Party national board.
In 2022 he applied to become a commissioner of Monroe County but would lose out to Jim Scholl.[2][3][4] He also voiced opposition to the inundation of the Keys with Cruise Ships during the COVID-19 lockdowns, arguing instead that businesses should stay open.[5][6]
Nekhaila had served as a "delegate at large" of the Libertarian National Convention.[7] Although not a consistent party-line supporter of the Mises Caucus, Nekhaila had been included on their endorsed slate at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention.[7] Nekhaila stated that he wasn't opposed to the Caucus, but that it and it's supporters needed to assimilate into the world of politics, and that ideally some of Mises' positions should be incorporated into the national party line. He positioned himself as a "unity" Libertarian, instead of a Mises or Orthodox Libertarian. During the convention Nekhaila had attempted to oust incumbent chairwoman Angela McArdle but placed fourth in the first round of voting and withdrew.[1] At that convention he also denounced Donald Trump speaking as a candidate saying he "barely aligns with the conservative camp" and that he "is a far cry from the Libertarian Party."[8]
LNC Chair
[edit]Following the election of Donald Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election, Angela McArdle suddenly resigned on January 24, 2025, after being credited with Trump's decision to pardon Ross Ulbricht.[7] McArdle, who was highly controversial for her efforts to dehumanize her internal opponents in the party, as well as potentially funneling tens of thousands of dollars from campaigns to her family, endorsed Michael Heise who was also backed by the Mises Caucus which has had absolute control over the party since their takeover in 2022.[7] Over a Zoom call, the Libertarian National Committee voted 9-6 to name Nekhaila as the new chairman instead of Heise.[7]
Although Nekhaila supported the pardon of Ulbricht, he warned of further creeping influence of the Republican party over the Libertarians, and denounced Trump over his treatment of Thomas Massie.[9]
One of Nekhaila's first acts was to denounce Donald Trump and his proposals to annex Gaza stating that it not only violates international law, but also the fundamental rights and dignity of the Palestinian people, while also denouncing the "Israeli lobby" as being in conflict with party's principles of liberty and non-interventionism.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Evans, Jordan William. "Libertarian National Committee Elects Steven Nekhaila as Chair, Paul Darr as Vice Chair". Independent Political Report. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ Weld, Elliot. "Davila drops out of city commission race". keysnews.com. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Gov. DeSantis appoints Jim Scholl to Monroe County Commission". Florida Politics. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ Klingener, Nancy. "Missing a piece: Monroe County is still one commissioner short after more than 3 months". WLRN-FM. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ Klingener, Nancy. "Cruise ships return to Key West, while city tries to navigate a new course with the industry". WLRN-FM. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "As huge cruise ships return, Key West locals decry environmental damage, state preemption". Florida Politics. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Doherty, Brian. "Libertarian Party Gets New National Chair After Angela McArdle's Surprise Resignation". Reason. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ Isenstadt, Alex; Schaefer, Peder; Gibson, Brittany. "Libertarian convention devolves into fighting, obscenities on eve of Trump's visit". Politico. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ Contorno, Steve. "They helped Trump take back the White House. The rewards have come swiftly". CNN. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ Evans, Jordan Willow. "LNC Chair Condemns Trump Proposal to Take Over Gaza". Independent Political Report. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
