Chaos at the LNC Convention – Go Figure

Jeremy Kauffman, chair of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire and the guy running for national chair, got the boot from the 2026 Libertarian National Convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 24. The whole thing exploded over some alleged theft and the same tired internal party drama that’s been simmering for years.

It kicked off when Kauffman stepped up to the mic on the convention floor with video evidence that the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire said proved Illinois delegate Alexa Maffei walked off with their property. Documents from their table, plus the actual delegate banner she supposedly grabbed the night before. LPNH posted the pics and clips themselves, pointing out that national staff had already reviewed the security footage, ID’d her, and confirmed it. They basically said pay attention to the so-called libertarians rushing to defend theft. But the second Kauffman started laying out the facts, saying there was conclusive evidence right from LP National staff, the chair ruled him out of order over and over and told him to zip it. He kept going anyway, because why let rules get in the way of calling out actual theft, so they ordered him removed from the floor and every LNC-rented spot for the rest of the convention.

Security started escorting him out through the hallways, and Kauffman kept explaining the situation to everyone filming. In the clip where some attendee straight-up asked him why he was getting kicked out, he said the national party, those bitter leftists, refused to deal with the theft and instead shut him and LPNH down to bury the evidence. He looked fed up trying to grab his stuff from the tables while they herded him toward the exit, stressing that they should have handled the crime against his affiliate instead of punishing the people who brought it up.

Opponents offer a different account, claiming the controversy was not about any cover-up but stemmed from Jeremy Kauffman refusing to follow parliamentary procedure. This was linked to a separate physical altercation at the Libertarian National Convention in which LPNH delegate Andrew Allgood was arrested for assault after slapping a woman during a dispute over materials (including a flag) being removed from the LPNH table. Accounts of the incident vary: some describe the woman taking or discarding table materials, leading to a tug-of-war before Allgood allegedly struck her. LPNH maintains they possess multiple videos of the event and are attempting to challenge the alleged victim’s credentials. As of May 25, 2026, no full, unedited videos have been publicly released by either side.

The timing made it even better. Kauffman ran for national chair on the simple platform of dissolving the national organization completely, since he has argued for years that it wastes everyone’s time and money while distracting from actual state-level work. The New Hampshire affiliate, tight with the Free State Project, has been clashing with national leadership and certain left-leaning state groups forever over ideology and control. The convention, which ran May 21 to 25, already had plenty of other circus moments like dress-code fights and random outfits. Evan McMahon from Indiana ended up winning the chair race anyway.

Both sides are out there dropping partial videos and statements to push their version, with Kauffman and LPNH urging everyone to watch the raw, unedited footage from the floor debate, the hallway walkout, and the security cams. The critics insist the full context shows nothing but disruption and that the alleged assault made the ejection necessary. As of late May 24, national LP still hadn’t issued any full statement clearing the air, so the libertarian community stays split on whether this exposed some serious hypocrisy on theft or was just another predictable convention meltdown. The demands for those complete security tapes are only getting louder, and this story is guaranteed to keep the online arguments alive long after everyone heads home from Grand Rapids.