Nicholas Sarwark

Sarwark was born on August 27, 1979,^[7][8] in Phoenix, Arizona.^[9] He graduated from Washington Adventist University in 1998 with a BS in computer science and a minor in philosophy, later receiving his juris doctor from American University's Washington College of Law in 2008.^[9] While attending law school, Sarwark clerked for the libertarian law firm Institute for Justice.^[10]

In the early 1990s, Sarwark's father brought him to Maricopa County Libertarian gatherings, and Sarwark subsequently joined the party in 1999.^[9][11]

Sarwark was chairman of the Libertarian Party of Maryland from 2001 to 2003,^[12][13] holding numerous LP officer and local-level roles there.^[14] Prior to being elected chairman of the Libertarian National Committee in 2014,^[2][4] Sarwark served as a deputy public defender in Colorado and as vice-chairman of the Libertarian Party of Colorado.^[15] He was re-elected in 2016,^[16][17] and again in 2018.^[18][19]

While serving as LNC chair, Sarwark made appearances on multiple national media outlets, including MSNBC and NPR, to discuss libertarian perspectives on various topics.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Sarwark ran in the 2018 Phoenix mayoral special election.^[24] His campaign platform included opposition to light rail, addressing the city's pension debt, and working with Republicans and Democrats on the city council.^[25] He garnered 10.5 percent of the vote, placing fourth among four candidates,^[26][27] and did not advance to the 2019 run-off.^[28]

After moving to New Hampshire, Sarwark ran for Hillsborough County Attorney in 2020 under the Libertarian Party. His major issues included clearing the criminal case backlog.^[29] He received 5.6 percent of the vote, placing third among three candidates.^[30] Sarwark ran for the same office in 2022 under both the Libertarian and Democratic parties.^[31][32][33] He placed second in a two-candidate race with 45.25 percent of the vote.^[34]

Sarwark married his wife, Valerie in 2009. After building a family in Denver, he returned to Phoenix in 2014 to join his family's independent car dealership, where he served as vice-president.^[35][36] Sarwark and his wife have four children.^[8][37] In 2019, Sarwark and his family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, to become a part of the grassroots libertarian movement the Free State Project.^[38]