What you need to know about him

Platform: As president, Oliver pledged to respect and support individual choices and to reduce the influence of the federal government over those choices. For example, he said people in every state should have the right to seek an abortion, but it would encourage passage of the Hyde Amendment to restrict government funding for abortion clinics, according to his campaign website.

He wants to eliminate all U.S. foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine, but will continue to offer “moral support.” During his acceptance speech, Oliver said he wanted to end the “genocide in Gaza,” the New York Times reported.

He also wants to get rid of the USA Patriot Act, enacted during the presidential administration of George W. Bush following the September 11 attacks. Oliver said he considers the legislation an unconstitutional increase in government surveillance and would also like to eliminate the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Oliver also pledged to abolish the death penalty and end qualified immunity to authorize more prosecutions of federal law enforcement, decriminalize cannabis, and pardon those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.

Describing himself as “gun-toting and gay,” according to the Times, Oliver emphasizes his opposition to restrictions on gun ownership and use.

Electoral history: Oliver, a former Democrat, is now a member of the Libertarian Party, unlike his competitors for the nomination, former President Donald Trump and a lawyer and activist. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In Georgia’s 2022 U.S. Senate race, Oliver challenged Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker. He won 2.1 percent of the vote, and because Georgia law requires candidates to win a majority of the vote, Oliver’s candidacy forced Warnock and Walker into a runoff.

He also ran in 2020 for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District in a special election, to fill the unexpired term of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Democratic and civil rights icon who died of cancer earlier this year. that year.

Local issues: Oliver sharply criticized Atlanta’s efforts to build a new public safety training center for police. At a 2023 Atlanta City Council meeting, Oliver explained why he opposed construction of the new facility.

“There are many things we can do to improve policing. Creating giant training facilities to be able to crack down on entire populations is probably not the way to go about it. It’s probably not the best use of money either. It costs us dearly,” he said.

His career: He is the CEO of the Libertarian Party of Metro Atlanta. He also worked in the restaurant business for 13 years, according to an Indiana newspaper, before moving into the shipping business.

Private life: Oliver is 38 years old and was the first openly gay Senate candidate in Georgia. When he ran for Senate, he wanted to pass new federal civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community. He describes himself as a “professional nerd” and is a big Star Trek fan, the newspaper reported.

His running mate: Oliver is running under the Libertarian banner alongside Mike ter Maat, who served as a Florida police officer from 2010 to 2021, according to his website. It came out while Trump was speaking to the audience at the Libertarian Party inauguration convention.

His chances: Third-party candidates have difficulty reaching a critical mass to win elections. Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen, the Libertarian Party’s 2020 picks, won just 1.2% of the vote.

Oliver’s name may not even appear on ballots in all 50 states, but Georgians will have the opportunity to vote for him.

Oliver joins other Georgians who ran for president as third-party candidates, including former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr and former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney who ran as Green Party candidates, both in 2008.

Oliver insists he is not running as a spoiler candidate.

“The only thing that’s broken is the two-party system, and the only solution is to break it,” he told the Indiana newspaper.