Austin Petersen

Austin Petersen
Petersen in July 2016
Personal details
Born	Austin Wade Petersen (1981-02-19) February 19, 1981 (age 36) Independence, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Libertarian
Residence	Kansas City, Missouri
Alma mater	Missouri State University
Occupation	CEO of Stonegait LLC; publisher at The Libertarian Republic
Known for	Former 2016 Libertarian Party presidential candidate

Austin Wade Petersen (born February 19, 1981) is an American producer, writer, political activist and commentator. He is best known as the runner-up for the Libertarian Party's nomination for President of the United States in 2016, losing to former governor Gary Johnson on a second ballot with 21.8% of the vote.

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

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.

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 of Texas, Ron Paul. He was an associate producer at the Fox Business program Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano, which aired from 2010-2012, and later went to work as director of production at the libertarian advocacy group FreedomWorks. Petersen has also been a frequent guest on the RT program The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann.