The announced candidates for the 2024 Libertarian Party Presidential nomination generally hold the same political positions: anti-interventionalist foreign policy, ending the FED, reducing taxes and spending, protecting civil liberties, decriminalizing drugs, etc. There are definitely a few wedge issues that divide libertarians, but all in all, we believe in expanding political and social liberties and decreasing the scope of government. Of course, no campaign can focus on every single political issue. After all, it would be pretty silly to prioritize repealing Statute 18 U.S.C. § 336, which makes it a federal crime to write a check for under $1 (yes, that’s a real law). So that begs the question: which issues should the LP Presidential nominee focus on?
First, we must ask what the goal of a Libertarian Presidential campaign is. Since it's highly unlikely that the Libertarian nominee will win the Presidency, our candidate should aim to (1) spread the ideas of libertarianism to non-libertarians, (2) bring libertarians into the party, and (3) energize current members to become politically active. If these are the most worthy goals of our 2024 candidate, then they should focus on salient issues that won't divide libertarians. A Libertarian candidate who focuses on abortion or cultural issues will instantly turn away about 50% of small-l libertarians and party members alike. This violates the aforementioned goals (2) and (3) of bringing new members in and energizing current members. Moreover, a Libertarian candidate who focuses on salient issues is most likely to convert people to libertarianism. By definition, the most salient issues are the ones that most people care about most fervently.
With Americans facing rising costs over the past couple of years, fighting inflation should be a major theme of the Libertarian Party's message in the upcoming Presidential election. According to July 2023 polls, inflation is voters' most important issue right now. We should emphasize how excessive government spending and the FED's endless money printing led to inflation. The burdensome costs of overregulation are another libertarian message that can be tied into lowering costs. Additionally, ending centralized banking, reducing spending, and getting rid of absurd regulations are things that most libertarians can get behind.