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Wisconsins rich history of multi-party politics goes back to the 1849 gubernatorial contest between Democrat Nelson Dewey, Whig Alexander Collins and abolitionist Warren Chase.

In those days, the Democrats and the Whigs were the major parties. But Chase, a member of the socialist Ceresco community who had been a delegate to the 1847 Constitutional Convention and won election to the first state Senate in 1848, made a credible showing for the Free Soil Party, which had been formed a year earlier, and which would eventually give way to the Republican Party.

Since the Republicans got started in Ripon in 1854, the competition has generally been between the Grand Old Party and the Democrats. But they've rarely been the only parties on the ballot. The Progressive Party, which briefly merged left-wing Republicans and Socialist Party activists into the most viable third party in the state's history, actually won three gubernatorial elections and two U.S. Senate races in the 1930s and 1940s. The Socialist Party never won a statewide race, but it was the second largest party in the state Legislature during the 1920s (displacing the Democrats) and sent Victor Berger to the U.S. House as the representative from Milwaukee through much of that decade.

For the past 50 years, the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin presented itself as an alternative to the Democrats and the Republicans. One of the oldest affiliates of the national Libertarian Party, the state party is holding its convention in Milwaukee this weekend, and its members had a half-century of history to celebrate. That history merits attention, even from those of us who may differ with the Libertarians on particular issues. You dont have to agree with the partys small government agenda to recognize that its healthy to have a diversity of opinions on the debate stage, and a diversity of parties on the ballot.

While the Libertarians have not won statewide elections in Wisconsin, they have elected a number of members to county and municipal posts over the years. And, at several turns, they have influenced the politics of the state.

In 2016, for instance, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson won more than 100,000 votes, for 3.58% of the total far more than the margin that separated Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. That year, exit polls suggested that the Libertarians attracted votes from substantial numbers of Republicans and Democrats who were unsatisfied with the nominees of their own parties just as Green Party nominee Ralph Nader did when he won almost 100,000 votes in 2000. In 2020, Libertarian presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen got 38,491 votes almost double Democrat Joe Biden's winning margin in Wisconsin.

The most historic Wisconsin Libertarian finish came in 2002, when Tomah Mayor Ed Thompson, the brother of former Gov. Tommy Thompson, was the partys gubernatorial nominee. Running on a ticket with Democratic state Rep. Marty Reynolds, Thompson advocated for decriminalization of marijuana, lowering the drinking age to 18 and reducing prison populations by releasing nonviolent offenders.

Thompson's freewheeling campaign struck a chord, especially with young voters. He won 185,455 votes statewide and carried Monroe and Juneau counties. Thompson's double-digit finish won the Libertarians a place on the old Wisconsin State Elections Board, where its representative advocated for smart election reforms

The Libertarians have remained active in recent years as have the Greens and their candidates have won a fair number of votes in state and local elections. In so doing, they have lived up to their promise to offer voters an alternative to the broken two party system in America.

John Nichols is associate editor of The Capital Times.jnichols@captimes.comand @NicholsUprising.

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Opinion | Libertarians have produced 50 years of alternatives for Wisconsin - The Capital Times