Austin Petersen

{{Short description|American writer, political activist, and producer (born 1981)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Austin Petersen

| image = Austin Petersen by Gage Skidmore 2 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Petersen in 2018

| birth_name = Austin Wade Petersen

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|02|19}}

| birth_place = Independence, Missouri, U.S.

| party = Republican (2017–present)
Libertarian (before 2017)

| alma_mater = Southwest Missouri State University

| occupation = Political activist, radio show host, writer, publisher, political commentator, film and television producer

| spouse = {{marriage|Stephanie Cole|2021}}

| website = {{URL|http://austinpetersen.com/}}

}}

Austin Wade Petersen (born February 19, 1981) is an American writer, political activist, commentator, and broadcaster. He is the host of the Wake Up America show daily newscast. He was the runner-up for the Libertarian Party's nomination for President of the United States in 2016,{{Cite news |title=Austin Petersen |language=en-US |work=Ballotpedia |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Austin_Petersen |access-date=2018-09-16}} finishing second place to Gary Johnson with 21.9% of the vote.{{Cite news |last=Weigel |first=David |title=Six candidates vie for Libertarian presidential nomination |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/28/six-candidates-vie-for-libertarian-presidential-nomination/ |access-date=2018-09-16 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en}}{{Cite news |title=2016 {{!}} Libertarian Party |language=en-US |work=Libertarian Party |url=https://www.lp.org/_2016/ |access-date=2018-09-16 |archive-date=October 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019112035/https://www.lp.org/_2016/ |url-status=dead }}

On August 7, 2018, he finished third in the U.S. Senate Republican primary in Missouri with 8.3% of the vote, behind winner Josh Hawley and runner-up Tony Monetti.{{Cite news |last=Welch |first=Matt |date=2018-08-08 |title=Austin Petersen Trounced in Missouri GOP Primary Election for U.S. Senate |language=en |work=Reason.com |url=https://reason.com/blog/2018/08/07/austin-petersen-trounced-in-missouri-gop |access-date=2018-09-16}}

Early life and education

Petersen was raised on a farm in Peculiar, Missouri, the son of Donna and John D. Petersen. He attended Southwest Missouri State University, where he graduated with a degree in musical theater.

Career

=Early work=

Petersen's early career included stints as a model and as a product demonstrator at FAO Schwarz; at the latter position, he briefly appeared during a Late Night with Conan O'Brien sketch filmed at the store.{{Cite news |last=Montgomery |first=Rick |date=June 20, 2016 |title=Kansas Citian lost Libertarian Party race, but likely ran campaign of the future |work=Kansas City Star |url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article83153432.html |access-date=August 7, 2016}}

In 2008 Petersen worked for the Libertarian National Committee and the Atlas Network, assisting on the 2008 and 2012 presidential bids of former U.S. Representative from Texas, Ron Paul. He was an associate producer at the Fox Business program Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano, which aired from 2010 to 2012, and later went to work as director of production at the conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks.{{Cite web |title=Petersen at a glance |url=http://austinpetersen2016.com/about/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808204923/http://austinpetersen2016.com/about/ |archive-date=August 8, 2016 |access-date=August 7, 2016 |website=Petersen for President |df=mdy-all}} Petersen has also been a frequent guest on the RT program The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann.{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2013 |title=Thom Hartmann Explodes at Libertarian over Life-Saving Healthcare |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MjB6Kjz2tw |access-date=July 30, 2017 |website=YouTube}}

Petersen served as an executive producer of the 2014 film Alongside Night, an adaptation of the novel of the same name which promoted agorism, an anarcho-capitalist political philosophy. Several prominent Libertarian figures, such as Ron Paul and Adam Kokesh, appeared in the film.

=Post 2016-activities=

As of 2018, Petersen was the owner and CEO of a photo and video consulting firm called Stonegait LLC{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} and is the founder of The Libertarian Republic and Liberty Viral – both libertarian news and commentary websites.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} He ran for the United States Senate as a Republican in 2018, but was defeated in the primary by Missouri's Attorney General Josh Hawley.{{Cite web |last=Atkinson |first=Khorri |date=August 8, 2018 |title=Josh Hawley wins GOP Senate primary in Missouri |url=https://www.axios.com/josh-hawley-won-republican-primary-missouri-senate--4414feff-de2b-4517-a657-bcc2a9be4a4d.html |access-date=March 5, 2020 |website=Axios}} In 2019, Austin Petersen took over as the host of the KWOS Morning Show on Jefferson City but stepped down to host the Wake Up America show in September 2022.

2016 presidential campaign

By 2015, Petersen was living in Kansas City, Missouri, "behind a midtown QuikTrip" when he announced his candidacy in the 2016 Libertarian Party nominating convention for President of the United States.{{Cite news |last=Zeoli |first=Rich |date=April 28, 2016 |title=The Libertarian Candidate For President Wants Voters To Join A 'Generational Movement' |work=KYW-TV |url=http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/04/28/the-libertarian-candidate-for-president-wants-voters-to-join-a-generational-movement/ |access-date=August 7, 2016}}{{Cite news |last=Rogers |first=Brooke |date=May 19, 2016 |title=Can Austin Petersen Unite Disenfranchsied Republicans? |work=National Review |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/article/435610/austin-petersen-pro-life-libertarian |access-date=August 7, 2016}} Writing in the Los Angeles Times, he was described by Reason editor Matt Welch as "an eager libertarian dudebro on the make".{{Cite news |last=Welch |first=Matt |date=May 19, 2016 |title=Op-Ed Meet the libertarians – the #NeverTrump movement's last hope |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-welch-libertarians-never-trump-20160519-snap-story.html}}

Petersen called himself the Bernie Sanders of the Libertarian Party due to his grassroots fundraising strategy.{{Cite news |last=Watkins |first=Eli |date=June 22, 2016 |title=What is Libertarianism? |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/27/politics/libertarianism-libertarian-party/ |access-date=August 7, 2016}}{{Cite news |last=Welch |first=Matt |date=May 28, 2016 |title=Presidential Candidate Austin Petersen Says He's the "Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama" of the Libertarian Party |work=Reason |url=http://reason.com/reasontv/2016/05/28/presidential-candidate-austin-petersen-s |access-date=August 7, 2016}} After Ted Cruz terminated his campaign for the Republican Party's nomination for president, Petersen received the backing of Mary Matalin and Erick Erickson.{{Cite news |last=Nelson |first=Steven |date=May 4, 2016 |title=Libertarians Say 'Brave' Ted Cruz Should Endorse Them, Not Trump |work=U.S. News & World Report |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-04/libertarians-say-brave-ted-cruz-should-endorse-them-not-trump |access-date=August 7, 2016}}{{Cite web |last=Doherty |first=Brian |date=May 25, 2016 |title=Austin Petersen Catches More Endorsements from the Media Right for His Presidential Campaign |url=http://reason.com/blog/2016/05/25/austin-petersen-catches-more-endorsement |access-date=September 12, 2016 |website=Reason.com}} In many polls, he placed in the top three presidential choices for his party, along with opponents John McAfee and Gary Johnson. On May 29, 2016, at the Libertarian National Convention, Petersen lost the nomination to Johnson, getting second place on the second ballot.{{Cite AV media |url=http://www.c-span.org/video/?409917-1/libertarian-party-national-convention-selects-nominee&live |title=Libertarian Party National Convention |date=May 29, 2016 |language=English |publisher=C-SPAN |place=Orlando, Florida |time=03:12:00 |access-date=May 29, 2016 |format=Live Video}} Petersen congratulated Johnson on the win and gave him a replica of George Washington's pistol. Petersen then criticized Johnson's vice presidential pick Bill Weld, in response to which Johnson placed the replica into a garbage can.{{Cite web |last=Chakraborty |first=Barnini |date=June 1, 2016 |title=Libertarian nominee accepts rival's gift of Washington replica pistol – then trashes it |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/libertarian-nominee-accepts-rivals-gift-of-washington-replica-pistol-then-trashes-it/ |access-date=June 3, 2016 |website=Fox News}}{{Cite news |last=Chasmar |first=Jessica |date=June 2, 2016 |title=Gary Johnson tossed rival Austin Petersen's gift of George Washington's replica pistol in trash |work=The Washington Times |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/2/gary-johnson-tossed-rival-austin-petersons-gift-of/ |access-date=August 7, 2016}}

Petersen, thereafter, endorsed Johnson for president.{{Cite news |last=Weigel |first=David |date=August 7, 2016 |title=Is Libertarian Gary Johnson a factor in Clinton-Trump matchup? |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/is-libertarian-gary-johnson-a-factor-in-clinton-trump-matchup/2016/06/10/05025d84-2dc5-11e6-9b37-42985f6a265c_story.html |access-date=June 10, 2016}}

2018 Senate campaign

File:Ap logo full.png

In late June 2017, Petersen filed an exploratory committee to consider running for the U.S. Senate seat in Missouri.{{Cite news |last=Bentley |first=Robert |date=June 29, 2017 |title=Austin Petersen Forms Exploratory Committee For U.S. Senate |work=The Libertarian Vindicator |url=https://libertarianvindicator.com/2017/06/29/austin-petersen-forms-exploratory-committee-for-u-s-senate/ |access-date=July 4, 2017}} On July 4, 2017, Petersen formally announced his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2018 Missouri Senate race.{{Cite web |last1=Gillespie |first1=Nick |last2=Keyser |first2=Ian |date=July 4, 2017 |title=Exclusive: Libertarian Activist Austin Peterson Is Running for U.S. Senate...as a Republican! [Reason Podcast] |url=http://reason.com/blog/2017/07/04/austin-peterson-podcast |access-date=July 4, 2017 |website=Reason}}

In September 2017, Petersen was banned from Facebook during his senate campaign for giving away an AR-15 style rifle as a promotion and criticizing his Democratic opponent Claire McCaskill's positions on gun rights.{{Cite web |last=Wise |first=Lindsay |date=September 25, 2017 |title=This U.S. Senate candidate accepts donations in bitcoin – and gives away AR-15 rifles |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article175311196.html |website=McClatchy DC}} The ban was lifted after Fox News and the New York Post{{Cite web |last=Pappas |first=Alex |date=September 29, 2017 |title=GOP candidate banned from Facebook for trying to give away a gun |url=https://nypost.com/2017/09/29/gop-candidate-banned-from-facebook-for-trying-to-give-away-a-gun/ |website=New York Post}} reported that Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg had made max donations to McCaskill's campaign. The raffle drew renewed controversy in February 2018 when the school shooting in Parkland, Florida caused the Springfield News-Leader to investigate.{{Cite web |last=Schmidt |first=Will |date=February 16, 2018 |title=Republican Senate candidate says AR-15 raffle involved 'a lot of due diligence' |url=https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/16/republican-senate-candidate-says-ar-15-raffle-went-ahead-lot-due-diligence/346681002/ |website=Springfield News-Leader}} KMOV in St. Louis scrutinized Petersen over his views on gun control in light of the shooting.{{Cite web |last=Austin Petersen |date=February 16, 2018 |title=Petersen Under Scrutiny After "AR-15 Giveaway" Raffle |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjBTVl1ljyk |publisher=KMOV St. Louis |via=YouTube}}

Petersen also reportedly received the national record for the largest Bitcoin donation in American campaign history.{{Cite web |last=Fenske |first=Sarah |title=Missouri Candidate Garners Largest Bitcoin Donation in U.S. History |url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2017/12/21/missouri-candidate-garners-largest-bitcoin-donation-in-us-history |website=River Front Times}}

Fox News reported in January 2018 that Petersen was one of two "potential general election challengers" in the election.{{Cite web |last=Stirewalt |first=Chris |date=January 5, 2018 |title=Presenting your 2018 Senate power rankings |website=Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/presenting-your-2018-senate-power-rankings}}

Petersen officially filed with the Missouri Secretary of State for the US Senate seat as a Republican on February 28, 2018.{{Cite web |last=Sterling |first=Sue |date=February 28, 2018 |title=Candidates file for state, federal offices |url=http://www.dailystarjournal.com/news/local/candidates-file-for-state-federal-offices/article_5a3fb199-78e4-5c36-a56c-335f5961c437.html |website=Daily Star-Journal}}

On March 6, Petersen announced a new AR-15 raffle on Facebook. His personal page was banned after the livestream was recorded.{{Cite news |last=Pappas|first=Alex |date=September 28, 2017 |title=Republican Senate candidate in Missouri says Facebook banned him over AR-15 giveaway |work=Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republican-senate-candidate-in-missouri-says-facebook-banned-him-over-ar-15-giveaway |access-date=26 October 2021}} In July he announced a raffle for a machine, similar to a 3-D printer, that can produce "untraceable gun parts". His campaign said 3-D printing technology has been described as the "end of gun control".{{Cite news |last=Schallhorn |first=Kaitlyn |date=July 25, 2018 |title=Missouri Senate candidate raffling machine that can print 'untraceable' gun parts |work=Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/missouri-senate-candidate-raffling-machine-that-can-print-untraceable-gun-parts |access-date=15 August 2018}}

In the runup to the Republican primary election in August, President Donald Trump endorsed Petersen's rival Josh Hawley and campaigned for him. Petersen complained bitterly about Trump's involvement in the primary.{{Cite news |last=Roy |first=Brenton |date=July 24, 2018 |title=Missouri Senate race: GOP primary rival fumes over Trump support for Josh Hawley |work=Fox News |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/missouri-senate-race-gop-primary-rival-fumes-over-trump-support-for-josh-hawley |access-date=15 August 2018}} In the August 7 primary Petersen came in third with 8.3% of the vote.{{Cite news |date=August 8, 2018 |title=Missouri Senate Republican Primary |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/election/2018/primaries/missouri |access-date=15 August 2018}}

{{Endorsements box| title = Endorsements

| list =

Republican Liberty Caucus{{Cite web |last=Republican Liberty Caucus |date=January 30, 2019 |title=Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses Austin Petersen for US Senate in Missouri |url=http://rlc.org/article/republican-liberty-caucus-endorses-austin-petersen-us-senate-missouri |access-date=January 30, 2018 |website=RLC.org}}

}}

Political positions

Petersen has voiced and published his rejection of the non-aggression principle.{{Cite web |date=December 31, 2015 |title=The Austin Petersen NAP Debate Is A Dream, And It Will All Be Over Soon |url=http://www.freedomgulch.com/the-austin-petersen-nap-debate-is-a-dream-and-it-will-all-be-over-soon/}}{{Cite web |date=May 24, 2015 |title=Austin Petersen's Case Against Libertarianism – Matthew Reece – Liberty.me |url=https://reece.liberty.me/austin-petersens-case-against-libertarianism/}}{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2015 |title=6 Reasons Why the Non Aggression Principle is Stupid |work= The Libertarian Republic |url=http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/why-the-non-aggression-principle-is-stupid/}}{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Joshua |date=March 8, 2016 |title=Exclusive: LP Candidate Austin Petersen Responds to Colorado Debate Exclusion |url=http://truthinmedia.com/exclusive-libertarian-party-austin-petersen-responds-colorado-debate-exclusion/}} Petersen describes himself as a minarchist.{{Cite web |date=Apr 25, 2017 |title=Which Of These 11 Types Of Libertarian Are You? |website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37TGY8-LiHw#t=15m5s}} During his presidential campaign, he maintained that he had a "consistent pro-life ethic," meaning he is both pro-life and anti-death penalty. He opposes the War on Drugs. He is a non-interventionist on most matters of foreign policy{{Cite web |title=Austin Petersen Has a Constitutional War Plan for ISIS and a Reasonable Budget Proposal |url=https://alibertarianfuture.com/famous-libertarians/interviews/austin-petersen-constitutional-war-plan-for-isis-reasonable-budget-proposal/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423232505/https://alibertarianfuture.com/famous-libertarians/interviews/austin-petersen-constitutional-war-plan-for-isis-reasonable-budget-proposal/ |archive-date=April 23, 2018 |access-date=April 23, 2018}} and applies a free-market capitalist approach to economics.

Personal life

On social media and in interviews, Petersen has described himself variously as an agnostic and an atheist.{{Cite news |last=Doherty |first=Brian |date=May 11, 2016 |title=Austin Petersen, the Conservative's Libertarian Presidential Candidate? |work=Reason |url=http://reason.com/blog/2016/05/11/austin-petersen-the-conservatives-libert |access-date=August 7, 2016}}{{Cite web |date=September 9, 2015 |title=Austin Petersen via The Libertarian Republic |url=https://www.facebook.com/ProducerPetersen/posts/960568230668824 |access-date=August 18, 2016 |website=Facebook}}{{Cite web |last=Petersen |first=Austin |date=May 8, 2016 |title=Sure. It's a distinction, but the intellectually honest answer is agnostic. Technically everyone is an atheist in some way. |url=https://twitter.com/AP4LP/status/729542247792947200?lang=en |access-date=August 18, 2016 |website=Twitter}} He grew up as a Christian, though in a 2016 interview with Glenn Beck, Petersen spoke about how the death of his mother changed his religious views: "When I was a young man my mother died, and she was victimized by a pharmacist who diluted her chemotherapy drugs. I lost my faith and I never went back."{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKYKpSQRB5w |title=Austin Petersen in studio on the Glenn Beck Show |date=2016 |publisher=YouTube |time=24:16 |access-date=April 3, 2017}}

Petersen resides in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Petersen married Stephanie Renee Cole on October 23, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.theknot.com/us/stephanie-cole-and-austin-petersen-nov-2021|title=Stephanie & Austin|website=theknot.com|access-date=November 22, 2021}}

Electoral history

{{Election box begin no change|title = Republican primary results, Missouri 2018{{Cite web |title=2018 Missouri primary election results |url=https://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/default.aspx?eid=750004535 |access-date=15 July 2019}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| candidate = Josh Hawley