John C. Thomas is the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania's nominee for lieutenant governor in the Nov. 3 general election. The Kittanning resident will appear on every Lower Merion ballot this fall, running alongside gubernatorial candidate Ken Krawchuk of Montgomery County, according to the Butler Eagle.

Thomas faces Austin Davis (Democratic), Jason Richey (Republican) and Craig Joseph Bolton (Green) in the race.

Candidate information

  • Name: John C. Thomas
  • Party: Libertarian
  • Residence: Kittanning, Armstrong County. Thomas has lived there for about 10 years, according to the Butler Eagle.
  • Birthplace: Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, according to Ballotpedia
  • Education: Bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2000), according to Ballotpedia
  • Religion: Thomas identifies as a Christian, according to his campaign's Facebook page

Thomas has run statewide before. In the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, he received 89,653 votes as a Libertarian, or 1.3 percent of the total, according to Ballotpedia.

Experience and public service

Thomas said he has worked as a teacher of economics, history, geography and government, and as a teacher professional development coordinator at Agora Cyber Charter School, according to his Ballotpedia candidate profile. He also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity of Armstrong County and serves as a jail ministry volunteer at Harvest Church of Kittanning, according to the Butler Eagle.

On the issues

In a PCNTV interview, Thomas grounded his policy positions in the libertarian non-aggression principle. He said it is always wrong for government to initiate aggression against citizens.

Education: Thomas said he supports school choice and privatizing education. He said he would eliminate property taxes that fund public schools and redirect per-pupil funding to families for private schooling. He argued that private schools educate students for less than half the cost of public schools, citing figures of roughly $11,000 versus $24,000 per student per year.

Criminal justice / Board of Pardons: Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor chairs the state Board of Pardons. Thomas said he would recommend pardoning every person imprisoned for what he calls victimless crimes. He defined those as offenses that did not involve aggression against another person, such as drug use or unauthorized gambling.

Military / National Guard: Thomas said he supports "Defend the Guard" legislation, which would prohibit Pennsylvania National Guard members from deploying in combat unless Congress has formally declared war.

The Lower Merion Times sent Thomas a candidate questionnaire. He had not responded as of publication. This profile is based on public records and the candidate's published statements.

Election day is Nov. 3. Voters can find more information about this race on Ballotpedia.