Recently, we celebrated West Virginia Day which got me thinking about West Virginia’s state motto. Montani Semper Liberi, “Mountaineers are Always Free” echoes through the hollers and hills with a quiet intensity. It’s a declaration of rugged self-determination, a creed born not in theory but in the daily choices of people who’ve lived close to the land, skeptical of outside interference, and proudly independent. But here’s the paradox: West Virginia, by culture and heritage, is a deeply libertarian state. Its people just don’t realize it yet.
Look beyond party lines and what you’ll find is a spirit deeply aligned with the values of libertarianism. A deep distrust of federal overreach. A fierce protection of the Second Amendment. A belief in personal responsibility. A desire to be left alone by bureaucracy, red tape, and the elite who think they know what’s best for “Appalachia.”
West Virginians know how to fix their trucks, grow their food, and raise their families, and they don’t want anyone else trying to take away that right. They don’t ask for much—just the space to live their lives with dignity. That’s not just rural conservatism. That’s textbook libertarianism.
So why don’t West Virginians call themselves libertarians? Part of the answer lies in political branding. “Libertarian” is often misunderstood, wrapped up in abstract debates or lumped in with fringe politics. While well-meaning, many libertarians get drawn into the minutia of complex economic or social debate. Meanwhile, the Democratic and Republican parties have dominated the political map for so long that people often vote out of tradition, frustration, or habit—not philosophical alignment.
But dig into the conversations at a VFW hall, a volunteer fire department, or a mom and pop restaurant in Mingo County, and you’ll hear libertarian themes everywhere. Frustration with government mandates. Resentment of taxation that doesn’t return in services. A belief that communities—not bureaucrats—should take care of their own.
With each generational shift, each federal misstep, each tone-deaf policy pushed from afar, the libertarian alignment of West Virginia becomes clearer. Younger voters, especially, show signs of questioning old labels. They’re tired of the endless left-right tug-of-war and are searching for an ideology that matches their values of freedom, privacy, and local control.
West Virginia isn’t waiting to be “converted” to libertarianism—it’s already libertarian in spirit. What it lacks is awareness and articulation. When that alignment finally clicks, when Mountaineers connect their cultural DNA with a political philosophy that fits like an old work glove, West Virginians won’t just aspire to be free. They’ll be consciously, actively, and proudly free..
And maybe then, our motto will ring not just as a statement of identity, but as a call to political awakening: Montani Semper Libertarian.
-Taylor Richmond is a lifelong West Virginian, Morgantown resident, and Chairman of the Libertarian Party of West Virginia. He may be reached for comment at chair@lpwv.org. For more information on the Libertarian Party of West Virginia, go to http://lpwv.org.
