What’s the difference between a Republican and a Libertarian? If you’re Steve Whitmer, not much.
Whitmer isn’t only the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Marion County — he’s also an elected Republican precinct committeeman. And later this month, the county’s Libertarians plan to convene to decide whether to remove him.
Whitmer drew scrutiny after posting on social media that he hoped the Libertarian Party would lose its statewide ballot access, a message that also included remarks on immigration that critics called inflammatory. The post prompted questions about whether he should continue as the party’s top county officer.
But the crossover runs deeper than a single post. Records show Whitmer is simultaneously a Republican precinct committeeman for precinct WY057 in Wayne Township, a party office he won without opposition in the May 2024 primary. Brent Stinson, deputy director of the Marion County Election Board, confirmed the result, noting that Whitmer prevailed in the uncontested race. Stinson said the board could not determine whether Whitmer remains a committeeman in good standing with the Republican Party, and that the question would be one for the county GOP.
Whitmer has twice sought public office as a Republican. He lost the 2023 GOP primary for Indianapolis City-County Council District 16 and was the Republican nominee for Indiana House District 97 in 2024, losing to Democratic Rep. Justin Moed.
The two party posts are governed by separate rules, and neither removal is automatic.
Under the Marion County Libertarian bylaws, an elected officer may be removed only by a two-thirds vote at a convention. Such a vote requires a quorum of 15 members, and the chairman may not preside over his own removal. Whitmer’s term runs through the party’s next scheduled officer election. Evan McMahon, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Indiana, has said the matter rests with the Marion County membership.
His Republican office is governed by the rules of the Indiana Republican State Committee. Because precinct committeeman is a party office rather than a public one, its eligibility and removal are set by party rules, not the state election code. Those rules allow an elected precinct committeeman to be removed only “for cause” and only through a formal complaint process; a county chairman cannot remove an elected committeeman unilaterally. The rules also require members of party committees to be Republicans in good standing — defined as supporting Republican nominees and not actively or openly supporting candidates against them.
It is not clear whether the Marion County Republican Party intends to pursue Whitmer’s removal.
Because the two processes are independent, a Libertarian vote to remove Whitmer would not affect his Republican precinct seat, and any Republican action would not affect his Libertarian post.
