The court’s unanimous ruling marks the final decision after previous decisions invalidating their candidacy. Libertarian candidates Nicholas Gluba in the 1st District, Marco Battaglia in the 3rd District, and Charles Aldrich in the 4th District will all be removed from the general election ballot. 

The State Objection Panel previously removed the three candidates from the ballots last month, saying the Libertarian Party failed to follow the proper procedures when nominating their candidates for office. They found the party failed to notify county auditors of the results of its precinct caucuses, which included the names of the people elected as county convention delegates. 

This is required by state law from major parties, and the Libertarian Party received major party status during the 2022 midterm election after its gubernatorial candidate earned more than 2% of the vote.

The Libertarian Party also held their caucuses and convention the same night, which goes against state law that says county convention delegates do not begin their terms until the day after they are named. The Republican-aligned group that brought the challenge argued that the date mishap meant the candidates were not properly nominated at the Libertarian Party’s state convention in June, because the earlier county convention delegates were not properly elected, according to the Des-Moines Register.

A judge in Iowa also agreed with the panel’s ruling, and the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision following the judge’s will effectively and finally remove them from the ballot. 

The three candidates say they will run as a write-in candidate.

“This decision may have taken our names off the ballot, but it will not silence the voices of liberty in Iowa,” Jules Cutler, chairwoman of the Libertarian Party of Iowa, said in a statement. “We encourage voters to write in our candidates’ names to ensure that liberty and choice are still represented in this election.”

It is expected that a Libertarian candidate would spell trouble for Republicans in Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts. 

Iowa’s 1st Congressional District has seen flip-flopping of both Democrats and Republicans holding the seat over the years. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report currently labels the district as “Leans Republican,” but House Majority PAC, Democrats’ main super PAC, has reserved $2.3 million in television advertising time for the 1st District race, according to Politico.

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In the 3rd District, a third-party candidate could change the outcome as Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) won his seat by razor-thin margins in 2022, beating incumbent Democrat Cindy Axne by just more than 2,000 votes. In that race, there was no libertarian on the ballot. He is set to face Democrat Lanon Baccam this election cycle.

Libertarian presidential nominee Chase Oliver will still appear on Iowa’s general election ballot as he did not face a challenge to his candidacy.