100 Most Influential Libertarians: A Newsmax/FreedomFest List

Being libertarian is trendy right now, so much so that many actors, activists, politicians, media personalities, financial gurus, professors, scientists, and authors call themselves libertarians, even when they don’t really qualify philosophically and fundamentally.

To compile this list, our editors defined a libertarian as a consistent advocate of free-market capitalism, minimal government, and social tolerance (thus distinguishing libertarians from conservatives). Their motto might be “Keep government out of the boardroom and the bedroom.”

Our first effort to rank the 100 most influential libertarians came from a recent survey of libertarians carried out by FreedomFest, “the world’s largest gathering of free minds.” More than 10,000 people participated in the survey, identifying over 200 individuals whom they deemed most influential within the libertarian sphere. We also combed through many online sources and consulted with several well-connected and informed libertarians to compile this list.

Still, a list like this is subjective at best, and should be viewed as interesting and informative, rather than definitive. We very likely missed people who should have been on the list, and we welcome your input and correction for future editions. Moreover, while selecting only 100 is difficult, coming up with a ranking is even more subjective. We tried to rank the entrants in what we believe is a somewhat logical order of influence, but we certainly recognize that many readers (and perhaps even some people whose names are on the list!) may take exception to the ranking.

Finally, it is important to note that we chose to leave out a few individuals whose credentials as libertarians might be less convincing, such as Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and Howard Stern. We may well change our minds on these omissions, but for now these individuals are left off the list.

We hope you enjoy the list and we welcome your corrections and suggestions for future lists (comments can be sent to bestlists@newsmax.com).

1. Ron Paul  — Perhaps no one has done more to bring the libertarian platform into the national spotlight than Ron Paul, the former United States Representative from Texas and three-time presidential candidate. He has also authored several books of libertarian philosophy on economics, education, foreign policy, and freedom.
2. Rand Paul — The Republican Kentucky junior senator and son of Ron Paul has been credited with bringing libertarianism into the mainstream by advancing the movement’s torch lit by his father. He has been one of the loudest voices against government overreach in Washington, particularly on issues of revenue, privacy, and justice.
3. Thomas Sowell — The Hoover Institution’s Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow on Public Policy at Stanford University is a writer of distinction having authored nearly three dozen books on economics, social policy, and race, and his works have been collected in several others. Sowell is a National Humanities Medal winner for his libertarian-conservative writings and a longtime syndicated columnist, until his column was retired last year.
4. John Stossel — The longtime network and cable newsman has unpacked emerging stories with a libertarian viewpoint on his way to 19 Emmy awards and several best-selling books. Stossel is also a syndicated columnist and, as of this year, a contributor to the Reason Foundation and ReasonTV.
5. Charles Koch — The Koch Industries CEO is one of the world’s wealthiest people and a fervent political donor and philanthropist who uses his influence to promote libertarian ideals. Charles Koch is also a co-founder of the Cato Institute, an influential, liberty-minded think tank.
6. David Koch — Executive vice president and co-owner of Koch Industries, David Koch, like his brother, is a generous benefactor and patron of the arts. In 1980, he was the Libertarian Party’s candidate for vice president.
7. Gary Johnson — The former New Mexico governor is the most recent presidential hopeful from the Libertarian Party, and one of the most successful third-party candidates to date. Johnson garnered nearly 5 million votes, almost reaching the 5-percent threshold that would have given the Libertarian Party greater federal election funds.
8. Judge Andrew Napolitano — A former private-practice lawyer, law professor, and youngest-ever life-tenured New Jersey Superior Court judge, Napolitano has been Fox News’ senior judicial analyst since 1998 and is a best-selling author.
9. Ed Crane — A former national chairman of the Libertarian Party, Crane is the co-founder and president emeritus of the Cato Institute, a public policy organization “dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.”
10. Steve Forbes — The chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes has been a Republican presidential candidate twice. Forbes was also a pioneer in running on a flat-tax platform and a return to the gold standard.
11. John Mackey — As the CEO of Whole Foods Market, Mackey has been a powerful advocate of “conscious capitalism” (the title of his book) and an outspoken opponent of government overregulation, even when his statements created friction among his customer base.
12. Steve Moore — The FreedomWorks senior economic contributor moved to CNN from Fox News this year, but Moore is perhaps best known as the premier supply-side economist at The Heritage Foundation, writer and editorial board member at The Wall Street Journal, and founder of Club for Growth.
13. Peter Thiel — The billionaire Silicon Valley venture capitalist credits libertarian ideals behind all his investments and philanthropy, such as co-founding PayPal (creating a non-state currency), Facebook (developing non-state communities), and The Seasteading Institute (creating autonomous floating cities).
14. Grover Norquist — CNN has called the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform the “most powerful man in Washington.” Norquist made a name for himself holding politicians’ feet (primarily those attached to Republicans) to the fire with the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
15. David Boaz — The executive vice president and longtime member of the Cato Institute has been credited as a significant influence in the libertarian movement. Among his several books on the subject, “The Libertarian Mind” is considered a must-read work and recommended by other libertarians on this list.
16. John Allison — The former CEO of the Cato Institute transformed BB&T into the largest bank in the South without investing in sub-prime mortgages during the financial crisis. He required all his executives to read “Atlas Shrugged.” The Trump administration reportedly considered Allison a potential nominee for Treasury secretary.
17. Drew Carey — As a longtime reader of Reason magazine, the TV star, comedian, and “The Price Is Right” host helped launch Reason.tv, the libertarian magazine’s online video companion, which he helped build by contributing his celebrity and content. Carey has been on the Reason Foundation’s board of trustees for nearly a decade and hosted a fundraiser for Gary Johnson in the run-up to last year’s presidential election.
18. Larry Elder — Known as the “Sage of South Central,” Elder hosts a nationally syndicated radio show where he tackles the events of the day from a “small l” libertarian perspective. The erstwhile lawyer has authored several nonfiction books and produced award-winning television.
19. Robert Poole Jr. — One of three co-founders of the Reason Foundation in 1978, Poole is credited with coining the term “privatization,” which sprung from his 1980 book “Cutting Back City Hall.” Poole, an engineer by trade, has been a transportation policymaker for several administrations, and much of his published writing covers freeways and free markets.
20. Justin Amash — The Michigan Republican in the U.S. House has campaigned under the slogan “Empowering People, Not Government” and chairs the House Liberty Caucus. He is one of the most vocal civil libertarian in Congress.
21. Penn Jillette — A man of many talents and media, Jillette has made his name as a Las Vegas magician and TV host of Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us,” but has since become a sought-after social commentator, debunking the sleight of hand behind many big-government talking points.
22. Nick Gillespie — The editor-in-chief of Reason.com and Reason.tv, Gillespie previously held the same position at Reason magazine and edited the anthology, “Choice: The Best of Reason.”
23. Clint Eastwood — The Hollywood icon credits his libertarianism to an old-school Republicanism — socially liberal and fiscally responsible. This was the approach he took to government during his term as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and it’s the stance he’s taken publically when asked for his political insights.
24. Matt Welch — After taking over editor-in-chief duties at Reason magazine when fellow listee Nick Gillespie moved over to the digital side, Welch held that position until last year, becoming an editor-at-large. Welch and Gillespie co-authored “The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America.”
25. Rick Santelli — The CNBC on-air editor and “Squawk Box” contributor on the bond market is considered the Father of the Tea Party Movement after his famous “rant” in 2009 about irresponsible government policy. He continues his commentaries and occasional rants about economic policy from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
26. Charles Murray — A scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, his New York Times’ best-seller “The Bell Curve” drew parallels between smarts and social status — and controversy. He’s written other best-sellers on class, hierarchy, and liberty, including “What It Means to Be a Libertarian.” His book “Losing Ground” is credited for creating the intellectual foundation for the Welfare Reform Act of 1996.
27. Jeffrey A. Tucker — A longtime vice president of the Mises Institute, Tucker now is director of digital content at the Foundation for Economic Education as well as a contributing member of other illustrious libertarian think tanks: Acton Institute, Heartland Institute, and Mises Brazil. Tucker is also the founder of Liberty.me, a forum and social network for likeminded individuals.
28. Matt and Terry Kibbe — Founders of FreedomWorks, this power couple now heads the political engagement group Free the People. Matt serves as the president and chief community organizer, and Terry is the organization’s CEO and fundraiser extraordinaire.
29. Ayaan Hirsi Ali — Author of “Heretic” and “Infidel,” this Somali-born activist is an AEI scholar and founder of the AHA foundation, which empowers women as individuals and works to stop honor violence, forced marriages, and female genital mutilation in Muslim communities. She is married to Harvard historian Niall Ferguson, also featured on this list.
30. Patrick Byrne — The Overstock.com founder and CEO sees Bitcoin as a means of untethering capital from the state control, and his website was the first major online retailer to accept the digital currency as payment.
31. Richard A. Epstein — The NYU Tisch School of Law professor and director of its Classical Liberalism Institute actually splits his time and intellectual pursuits among three prestigious universities. In addition to his NYU schedule, he’s a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago and a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. His latest book is “The Classical Liberal Constitution: The Uncertain Quest for Limited Government.”
32. Adam Brandon — A former history and government teacher, Brandon is the president and CEO of FreedomWorks, a grassroots voter mobilization organization focused on civil liberty and economic freedom.
33. David Kelley — A scholar and philosopher, Kelley has written extensively on individualism and Objectivism, ideas upon which he founded the Atlas Society, named in honor of “Atlas Shrugged,” the greatest literary work of Ayn Rand, Objectivism’s intellectual progenitor. Kelley also serves as the Atlas Society’s chief intellectual officer.
34. Glenn Beck — Since leaving his successful program on Fox News Channel to found his own online network, The Blaze, Beck as a media mogul has more openly embraced libertarianism, and the The Blaze’s programming reflects that shift.
35. Jennifer Grossman — The CEO of the Atlas Society, Grossman has had an extensive career as a corporate leader and libertarian thought leader, having served as a senior vice president at Dole Food Co., the director of education at Cato Institute, and presidential speechwriter.
36. José Piñera — A distinguished senior fellow at Cato Institute, Piñera is a former minister of Labor and Social Security in Chile and is credited with privatizing the country’s social security. He founded the World Pension Revolution, which provided workers and governments worldwide social security solutions based on the model he built in Chile.
37. Arthur B. Laffer — A celebrated economist, he is the author of the Laffer curve, an economic model that predicts the likelihood of tax revenue versus tax rates, which is considered the bedrock for “supply-side economics” theory.
38. Daniel Mitchell — Sought out worldwide as an expert on fiscal policy and tax reform, Mitchell is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. His writings frequently appear in prestigious national publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Investor’s Business Daily.
39. Tom Woods — A senior fellow at Mises Institute, Woods authored The New York Times’ best-seller “Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse.” His dozen or so books cover an array of topics on history, economics, culture, religion, and usually some combination thereof.
40. Courtney and Ted Balaker — The independent filmmakers who founded Korchula Productions strive for “making important ideas entertaining,” and they attract major talent to produce features and documentaries that play with liberty-minded topics like free speech and private property.
41. Walter E. Williams — The George Mason University professor of economics is a syndicated columnist and author of several books that tackle concepts of liberty, economics, and race.
42. Peter Schiff  — The CEO and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital Inc. is a popular author and commentator on Wall Street and markets. Schiff also hosts an insightful daily podcast, “The Peter Schiff Show,” unpacking all the economic data from around the globe.
43. Trey Parker and Matt Stone — Comedy Central may seem an unlikely place to go for libertarian commentary, but the co-creators of “South Park” lampoon timely events weekly in their own unfiltered style that takes no prisoners.
44. P.J. O’Rourke — A beloved political satirist whose wit is only slightly sharper than his tongue, O’Rourke has written books that have been translated into many languages and his columns and opinions have printed in every worthwhile — and some not so worthwhile — magazine you could imagine.
45. Tyler Cowen — With a glance at Cowen’s bibliography with titles like “The Great Stagnation,” “Average Is Over,” and “The Complacent Class,” readers quickly sense he is driven to rouse an America that has fallen asleep at the wheel and is in danger of falling behind. In addition to his several books, Cowen writes a column for The New York Times as well as blogs at Marginal Revolution and teaches economics at George Mason and his own education startup, Marginal Revolution University.
46. Walter Block — An economics chair at Loyola University in New Orleans and senior fellow at the Mises Institute, Block is considered one of the foremost scholars on anarcho-capitalist theory. While he’s written many books, his 1976 book “Defending the Undefendable: The Pimp, Prostitute, Scab, Slumlord, Libeler, Moneylender, and Other Scapegoats in the Rogue’s Gallery of American Society” still resonates with readers more than 40 years later.
47. Lawrence W. Reed — The current president of the Foundation for Economic Education, the first free-market organization in the U.S., Reed previously served as FEE’s chairman of the board in the 1990s; in between these stints at FEE, he served for 20 years as president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
48. Radley Balko — As a journalist and former policy analyst at the Cato Institute, Balko has become a foremost critic of police militarization and a voice for civil liberty. His reporting on criminal justice issues and subsequent book, “Rise of the Warrior Cop,” have been universally praised and cited in both the Mississippi Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. Balko is currently an opinion blogger at The Washington Post.
49. Deroy Murdock — A syndicated columnist and favorite contributor to cable news, Murdock has been a contributing editor at the National Review Online for nearly two decades. His Libertarian View column updates weekly at Newsmax.com.
50. Greg Gutfeld — Known for his signature brand of outspoken humor and satire on Fox News staples including “Red Eye,” “The Greg Gutfeld Show,” and “The Five,” the best-selling author once said, “I became a conservative by being around liberals [at UC Berkeley] and I became a libertarian by being around conservatives.”
51. Lisa Kennedy — With such a high profile that she can get away with being mononymous, the Fox Business host helped MTV usher in the ’90s before entering the realm of political commentary. The self-described “Republitarian” also contributes to libertarian mainstays Reason.com and Reason.tv.
52. Mark and Jo Ann Skousen — Mark is a financial economist; editor of Forecasts & Strategies newsletter; presidential fellow at Chapman University; author of more than 25 books; and founder and co-producer of FreedomFest, which The Washington Post has called “the greatest libertarian show on earth.” Jo Ann is the founding director of the Anthem Libertarian Film Festival and co-producer of FreedomFest, as well as the entertainment editor for Liberty Magazine. The couple has collaborated on dozens of books and articles, including the libertarian treatise “Persuasion vs. Force.”
53. Andrea Rich –The owner of Laissez-Faire Books and a trustee of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, she assumed control and rebranded the Libertarian Review Foundation as the Center for Independent Thought in the 1990s. CIT is home to teaching resource “Stossel in the Classroom.”
54. Howie Rich— The erstwhile more public figure within the Libertarian Party, New York real estate magnate and mega donor Howie Rich now supports the cause out of the limelight. In addition to sitting on the board of directors of the Cato Institute, Howie Rich founded the nonprofit organization U.S. Term Limits.
55. Thomas Massie — The Kentucky congressman and MIT graduate is not afraid to stick to his libertarian convictions. Dubbed “Mr. No” by Politico, Massie often finds himself alone in his opposition to some measures in Congress. It's because he reads each piece of legislation carefully from beginning to end — every word, every period — and he's not afraid to buck the leadership if he believes it's in the best interest of his constituents to do so.
56. Niall Ferguson — This Harvard historian has authored more than a dozen books, including “The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World,” “War of the World,” “The Cash Nexus,” and a biography on Henry Kissinger. He is also a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Ferguson is married to fellow listee Ayaan Hirsi Ali (No. 29 on this list).
57. Robert Higgs — An economist, economic historian, and author, Higgs is a senior fellow at the Independent Institute and also has affiliations with the Cato Institute and the Ludwig von Mises Institute. He’s a self-described “libertarian anarchist,” best known for his revisionist history of the Great Depression and World War II economy.
58. Tom Palmer — As vice president of International Programs at the nonprofit Atlas Network, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, and director of Cato University, Palmer works to advance libertarian ideals and philosophy worldwide. He is the author of many works, including “Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice,” a collection of his past writings. He has also edited many collections of essays and op-eds from notable libertarians.
59. Llewellyn H. Rockwell — Once Ron Paul’s right-hand man, Rockwell worked as the former U.S. representative's congressional chief of staff from 1978 to 1982 and on his 1988 presidential campaign. He went on to found the Ludwig von Mises Institute. His website, launched at the dawn of the internet era, is an outlet for many libertarian voices.
60. David Friedman — This Santa Clara University law professor followed in his parents' footsteps — he is the son of economists Rose and Milton Friedman — and made a name for himself penning microeconomics textbooks and, most notably, what's considered by many to be the defining libertarian tome on anarcho-capitalism: “The Machinery of Freedom.”
61. Richard Rahn — The chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth, Rahn writes a syndicated column carried by the Washington Times. He is a former vice president and chief economist for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States.
62. John Aglialoro and Joan Carter — Aglialoro, chairman and co-founder of UM Holdings Ltd. of Haddonfield, New Jersey, is owner of movie rights to Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” and produced the recent trilogy. His wife, Joan Carter, who co-founded UM Holdings, is a board member of FreedomWorks.
63. Jason Sorens — Sorens’ inspiring 2001 libertarian essay led to the founding of the Free State Project, an agreement among 20,000 liberty-loving people to move to New Hampshire for the establishment of a libertarian society.
64. Barbara Kolm — As director of the Austrian Economics Center and executive director of the Free Market Road Show, Kolm helps bring together politicians, business leaders, and speakers from around the world to discuss free market policies and solutions.
65. Douglas R. Casey — The chairman of Casey Research has authored books on profiting during economic crises, including “Strategic Investing” and “The International Man.” Considered an anarcho-capitalist, he acts as advisor to many financial corporations and third-world governments.
66. Yaron Brook — The Israeli-born Brook serves as the executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. A U.S. citizen since 2003, he is often seen on TV or at events explaining and debating the ideas of Rand, especially his co-authored book, “Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government.”
67. Eamonn Butler and Madsen Pirie — Butler and Pirie are co-founders of the Adam Smith Institute, Britain’s leading free-market think tank. Butler, an author and broadcaster, is the institute’s director, while Pirie is its president. Butler and Pirie won Britain’s National Free Enterprise Award for 2010.
68. Tracie Sharp — The president and CEO of State Policy Network, Sharp coordinates free-market advocates in all 50 states by connecting think tanks. In 1991, she helped launch the Cascade Policy Institute, which became a leading voice in Oregon for market-oriented research.
69. Terry Anderson — Co-author, with Donald Leal, of “Free Market Environmentalism,” Anderson favors the view that economic solutions can work with a sound environment. He is former president and executive director of Property and Environment Research Center (PERC).
70. Michael Walker — The founding executive director of the Fraser Institute promotes competitive markets in Canada. He co-founded the Economic Freedom of the World project with Milton and Rose D. Friedman. The project produces Fraser’s yearly Economic Freedom of the World Index.
71. Tom Selleck — The star of TV’s “Magnum P.I.” in the 1980s was a strong supporter of President Reagan and called himself an “independent with a lot of libertarian leanings.” In the past, the “Blue Bloods” star appeared in a TV commercial for the National Rifle Association, later defending his support of the Second Amendment.
72. Alan Kors — Specializing in European intellectual history of the 17th and 18th centuries at the University of Pennsylvania, Kors co-founded Foundation for Individual Rights in Education with civil rights activist Harvey Silverglate. Greg Lukianoff is now the president and CEO of FIRE, which promotes academic freedom.
73. Alexander McCobin  — As co-founder and president of Students for Liberty, McCobin helped turn it into the largest libertarian student organization in the world, with some 2,000 student groups. He is currently co-CEO of Conscious Capitalism, an organization founded by John Mackey (see  No. 11) that encourages business purpose and practice that is beneficial to all stakeholders in a transaction.
74. Michael Shermer — The publisher of Skeptic magazine also writes monthly columns for Scientific American and supports individual freedom. Through his magazine work and his books, Shermer investigates pseudoscience claims for the advancement of science.
75. Charlie Gasparino — A senior editor for Fox Business Network, Gasparino has been combative as a TV panelist to support free market ideas. He earlier covered breaking news on the financial crisis in 2008 for CNBC and has authored books on the economy and the financial markets.
76. Jeffrey A. Miron — The Harvard economist directs economic studies at the Cato Institute. Miron teaches a course at Harvard on libertarianism, focusing on the consequences of criminalizing drugs and other topics.
77. Bob Chitester — The founder and president of Free to Choose Network, Chitester was honored last year with a Sir Antony Fisher Lifetime Achievement Award at Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum. His Free to Choose Media produces documentaries, most famously the “Free to Choose” series starring Milton Friedman. Intellectual historian Johan Norberg, a Cato senior fellow, is executive editor.
78. Ken and Li Schoolland — An associate professor of economics at Hawaii Pacific University, Ken Schoolland is also president of the International Society for Individual Liberty. He authored the award-winning “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible: A Free Market Odyssey,” which has been translated into over 50 languages. His wife Li was born in Mao’s China and organizes Austrian economics conferences in China and around the world.
79. William H. “Chip” Mellor — As Institute for Justice president and general counsel, Mellor has protected economic liberty by litigating cases through the libertarian organization he co-founded in 1991 with Clint Bolick. Attorney Scott Bullock replaced Mellor as president in 2016 and John Kramer is vice-president of communications.
80. Mike Rowe — The host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” and CNN’s “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,” Rowe pays tribute to innovators and entrepreneurs. His mikeroweWORKS Foundation awards scholarships to students interested in skilled trades.
81. John McAfee — Aside from taking controversial views in his bid for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination in 2016, McAfee is a pioneer in computer security. He founded the McAfee security software company in 1987.
82. Joseph Bast — A past winner of the Libertarian National Committee’s Champion of Liberty Award, Bast is the president and CEO of the Heartland Institute, a highly reputable think tank and nonprofit research center famous for criticizing the global warming thesis
83. Matt Ridley — Author of the best-seller, “The Rational Optimist,” Ridley was elected to the House of Lords in 2013. He writes on scientific issues and argues that human society changes through evolutionary means rather than from control.
84. Veronique de Rugy — The senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University addresses such issues as the effect of government regulations on the economy. She has been an analyst at the Cato Institute and a research fellow at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation.
85. Dave Barry — The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author wrote a weekly column for the Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. The humorist is a self-identifying libertarian, saying his writings often made fun of government and the powerful.
86. Rob Kampia — A co-founder of the Marijuana Policy Project in 1995, Kampia was instrumental in the successful campaign to legalize marijuana in Colorado in 2012. He is also involved in similar campaigns around the country.
87. Deirdre Nansen McCloskey — Calling herself “a Christian libertarian,” McCloskey is a distinguished professor of economics, history, English, and communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago and at Chapman University. Author of the “Bourgeois Virtues” trilogy, her theories favor a feminist free-market approach to history and culture.
88. Larry Sharpe — The libertarian activist and political commentator provides training and consulting work for many industries through the Neo-Sage Group. He sought the Libertarian Party’s nomination for vice president in 2016.
89. Julie Borowski — The political commentator discusses current events on her YouTube channel. She was a policy analyst at FreedomWorks and writes for the Daily Caller, Red State, and Townhall.
90. Joe Rogan — Host of the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan has been a stand-up comedian, an Ultimate Fighting Championship commentator, and a TV host. He distrusts government and has promoted libertarian approaches to many problems.
91. Bill Bonner — The founder and president of Agora Inc., which publishes a wide variety of investment newsletters and trading services with a strong libertarian bent, Bonner was the first to publish a daily investment newsletter online, “The Daily Reckoning.” He has also co-authored, with Agora Financial executive editor Addison Wiggin, two New York Times’ best-selling finance books.
92. Alexander Green — The author of four financial advice books, Green is the chief investment officer of The Oxford Club, a members-only investment strategy group with more than 100,000 subscribers, and chairman of Investment U, an online educational newsletter
93. Kim Githler — Since 1981, Githler has taught and empowered people to invest through conferences sponsored by her firm, MoneyShow. The New York Stock Exchange invited her to ring the closing bell as an honor for her accomplishments. With many friends in high places, her influence extends far beyond her Sarasota, Florida, base.
94. James D. Gwartney — The Florida State University professor of economics and policy sciences and eminent scholar chair is the principal writer of the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom Index, an international ranking that tracks economic freedom around the world. Author of “Common Sense Economics,” Gwartney is also the principal author of a popular free-market textbook, “Economics: Public and Private Choice.”
95. Randy E. Barnett — A law professor at Georgetown University, Barnett also directs the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. In addition to a number of published books, he’s written several articles related to the Constitution, and his expertise is often sought for interviews and commentary.
96. Burton Folsom — A professor of history at Hillsdale College, Folsom is also on the faculty network at the Foundation for Economic Education. He has written several books on history and free markets, most notably his “Myth of the Robber Barons.”
97. Vince Vaughn — The Daily Beast called Vaughn “Hollywood’s biggest libertarian,” and the star has been very vocal in interviews about his political leanings. Vaughn befriended Ron Paul and campaigned with the congressman for president; the actor has also delivered addresses at Libertarian conferences.
98. Angela Keaton — Currently the executive director of Antiwar.com, Keaton is a Ladies of Liberty Alliance speaker and has been a longtime libertarian activist in the anti-war movement. In the past, she has served on the Libertarian National Committee and as executive director of the Libertarian Party of California.
99. Robert P. Murphy — A research assistant professor at Texas Tech’s Free Market Institute and senior economist at the Institute for Energy Research, Murphy has been published in more than 100 different publications. He also co-hosts a podcast, “Contra Krugman,” with fellow listee Tom Woods.
100.  Joel M. Stern —The chairman and CEO of Stern Value Management is also a distinguished adjunct professor of finance at Carnegie-Mellon University and five other universities. Stern is credited with developing economic-value-added (EVA), considered the fourth financial statement in corporate finance.

Important Announcement: FreedomFest is planning to take a photograph of the most influential libertarians on Friday, July 21, at the Paris Resort in Las Vegas, as part of its 10th anniversary celebration (July 19-22). FreedomFest is the annual gathering of libertarians from around the world. You won’t want to miss this historic event. All the top 100 libertarians listed above are being sent special invitations, and many have already confirmed they will be there for this landmark event. They include John Stossel, Kennedy, Steve Forbes, Nick Gillespie, David Boaz, Dan Mitchell, Jennifer Grossman, Matt and Terry Kibbe, Jeff Tucker, Doug Casey, Mark and Jo Ann Skousen, among many others. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.freedomfest.com.

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