If he had been successful, Chase Oliver might have become the first US president to have actually worked in the shipping industry.
But third-party candidates are rarely more than a blip in races for the White House, and this year is no different as Democratic vice president Kamala Harris and Republican former president Donald Trump dominate the headlines in a close election.
The Libertarian candidate has expressed strong opposition to the Jones Act — not surprising, given that he was nominated by a party that is staunchly against market protectionism in all its forms.
But as he described it, his antipathy toward the cabotage law — which reserves domestic trade to US-owned ships that are manned by Americans, built at one of the country’s shipyards and flying the Stars and Stripes — comes from experience in shipping.
In a campaign video posted on TikTok, Oliver explained that he worked for Hapag-Lloyd, the German liner operator, for six years.
Wearing a tropical shirt while visiting Hawaii, the candidate said: “If you have me as your candidate for president, you will have somebody who will absolutely, 100% be speaking against the Jones Act.
“You have the highest cost of living in the entire country, and that’s not just because you’re an island state. It is directly caused by the Jones Act.”
‘Total failure’
He said the protectionist law has been a “complete and total failure” that has increased the cost of living and poverty levels in the state.
The Jones Act is a hot topic in Hawaii, where opponents complain that it makes trade with the mainland more expensive.
“It’s good for a national campaign and it’s good for a campaign that hopes to earn votes in Hawaii,” Oliver said.
He has claimed that maritime shipping is cleaner and more efficient than rail or trucks, and inland waterways could be better utilised without the Jones Act.
“The Jones Act is not only protectionist nonsense, it is also detrimental to our domestic energy producers,” he said in a post on X in March.
“It’s costing us jobs and raising the cost of living. The Jones Act needs to end. Take it from me, I worked in maritime logistics for years.”
His arguments run against the tide.
Harris has said she supports the Jones Act. Trump has yet to take a clear stance on the law in the present campaign, but many of his backers are staunch opponents.
As TradeWinds has reported, support for domestic shipping and shipbuilding capacity is gaining traction in Congress, although the races for Senate and House of Representatives seats may shape whether the momentum continues.
With election day upon us, Oliver has no path to the White House. But he may have an impact — as a spoiler for the leading candidates, though polls show him with the support of just 1% of likely voters.
Spoiler alert?
Despite the Libertarian Party’s low profile compared with the mainstream parties, he is on the ballot in 47 states, and in every swing state that could decide the election.
Oliver’s profile crosses traditional party lines. He is openly gay and pro-gun. He is pro-choice when it comes to abortion but favours limited government.
But he rejects the spoiler description.
“To those in one party or the other who see us as spoilers, I say, the two-party system itself is spoiled rotten,” Oliver told Newsweek. “But we welcome being a disrupter to the political binary.”
This story has been amended since publication to reflect that Trump has not commented on the Jones Act in this election campaign, though many of his backers are opponents of the law
