Story by Jordan Willow Evans, via Independent Political Report

February 2, 2025 — Members of the Libertarian National Committee selected Steven Nekhaila as Chair and Paul Darr as Vice Chair during a meeting over the weekend. The party later announced the leadership change on social media, stating that additional information, statements, and a formal announcement would be forthcoming.

The Libertarian National Committee voted on Sunday to name Nekhaila, who has served on the committee since 2016, as Chair following the recent resignation of Angela McArdle. He defeated Michael Heise, the party’s current Outreach Manager and founder of the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus, in a 9 – 6 vote. There was also an effort to nominate former Michigan Congressman Justin Amash for the position; however, Amash reportedly declined the nomination.

Nekhaila previously sought the national chair position at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, placing fourth in the first round of voting before withdrawing. A franchise owner of several restaurant chains, he began his involvement with the party in 2014 as a founding member of the Libertarian Party of the Florida Keys. He later served as a regional representative for the Libertarian Party of Florida before becoming its state chair.

Following Nekhaila’s election, the Libertarian National Committee is now voting on whether to appoint Region 4 Alternate Adrian F Malagon to fill the newly vacant At-large seat. The ballot to appoint Malagon is currently 4 – 2 in favor and remains open until Sunday.

The Libertarian National Committee also elected Paul Darr, the Region 3 South Representative, as Vice Chair. Unlike the Chair election, Darr’s nomination was voted on directly after no other candidates put themselves forward. At-large member Andrew Watkins was initially nominated but withdrew before a vote took place. Darr was elected with nine votes in favor, one abstention, and five votes for “None of the Above.”

Darr, an IT manager from Texas, currently serves as Secretary of the Libertarian Party Classical Liberal Caucus and has been involved in Libertarian politics at both the state and county levels. He was briefly the Region 7 Alternate Representative from 2023 to 2024 and has a long history of activism within the Texas Libertarian Party and the San Bernardino County Libertarian Party in California.