The Libertarian Party of New York State Committee met on Sunday, March 8, 2026. The main items of business were to nominate candidates for the remaining vacant positions of Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller.
In October 2025, Larry Sharpe was nominated as the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of New York. Since then, he has been campaigning and continuing his full Sharpe by visiting all 62 counties across the state. He has also entered the race for the Republican nomination in which he needs over 15,000 signatures to primary Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. He has chosen Lewis County Sheriff Michael Carpinelli as his lieutenant governor candidate in the Republican Party primary race.
At the State Committee meeting, the Libertarian Party of New York met to determine the slate of candidates. There were two candidates nominated for Lieutenant Governor: Mark Braiman and Vincent O’Neill. A third candidate, Lewis County Sheriff Michael Carpinelli, was also nominated. Since Carpinelli is an enrolled member of the Republican Party, the party rules required a two-thirds vote of the State Committee in order to enter Carpinelli into nomination. The State Committee voted 9-4-12 against entering Carpinelli into nomination.
Mark Braiman and Vincent O’Neill spoke on behalf of their candidacies, while Secretary Andrew Kolstee spoke on behalf of None of the Above (NOTA).
In the first round, Braiman and NOTA both received nine votes, while O’Neill received two votes. O’Neill was dropped from the ballot. In the second round, Braiman and NOTA tied once again, each with ten votes. In the third and final round, Mark Braiman was nominated for Lieutenant Governor over NOTA by a vote of 16 to 7.
No candidates were nominated for the positions of Attorney General and Comptroller, and they have been postponed to no later than April 12, 2026, which is the Sunday before the independent petitioning period begins. Interested candidates are asked to contact the party at [email protected].
In addition to nominees, the State Committee elected positions on the Elections Oversight Committee, which will oversee the election of the 2026-2028 LPNY State Committee. Samuel Hordeski, Steven Becker, and Andrew Kolstee were elected to the committee and join Chair Duane Whitmer as members of the committee. After the committee meets, there will be an announcement for anyone interested in running for State Committee to register to be a candidate.