A former candidate for President of the United States and the subject of a 2016 profile by the Amarillo Pioneer is making a bid for U.S. Senate in his home state is Missouri.
Austin Petersen, a former Libertarian candidate for president, announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill on Tuesday. Petersen has decided to make this bid as a Republican.
Petersen spoke to the Amarillo Pioneer in August 16, 2016, reflecting on his presidential campaign on what the future was for the Libertarian Party. Petersen referenced in his interview with the Amarillo Pioneer that he was considering running for Senator, saying, "Some people are saying that I need to run for a lower office. Some people are saying that I need to run for Senate in Missouri, and some are saying that I should hold my fire until 2020, but I haven't made a firm decision on that yet."
Petersen was the runner-up for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination in 2016, finishing second behind Governor Gary Johnson. Petersen is the CEO of Stongait, LLC.
