After a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed Hillary Clinton with a 17-point lead over Donald Trump among women voters, Trump’s female supporters took over Twitter with the hashtag #TrumpGirlsBreakTheInternet. The hashtag quickly caught on, with the account @BabesForTrump retweeting photos of bikini-clad women sporting Trump paraphernalia.
In response, women who are part of the #NeverTrump movement started flooding social media as well. Inspired by the trending “Trump Girls,” the “Babes of Liberty” decided they wanted to break the internet too, and began sharing selfies and messages promoting peace, freedom, and the Libertarian Party platform.
“I support libertarianism because the only way to allow all individuals the freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness equally is to leave them alone,” said Laura Meyers, editor-in-chief of the website Liberty Viral, and manager of the @BabesofLiberty Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Several other babes cited motherhood as the reason why they support Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, and said they don’t want their children living in a perpetual state of war.
“I vote Libertarian for my children’s future and mine,” said Leanna Williams from West Virginia. “We want stability.”
The movement started when New Yorker Rachel Maisonet decided to spread the love for Johnson and Weld by inviting more than 200 women into a private Facebook group for “Lovely Liberty Ladies,” urging them to take a photo of themselves promoting libertarianism. By July 1, group members had pitched in to launch “Babes of Liberty” accounts across social media.
“If the goal is to garner #TrumpGirlsBreakTheInternet-level attention, the Babes of Liberty may have a ways to go,” Elizabeth Nolan Brown said in an article for Reason. “But if bringing together a bunch of bold, smart, and passionate libertarian women from around the U.S. was Maisonet’s goal, she’s already succeeded beautifully.”
A newly released poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner shows Gary Johnson polling well among women in battleground states, with eight percent of married female respondents saying they would vote for him and 10 percent of unmarried female respondents saying the same. Among unmarried, white women, support for Johnson is at 13 percent. The Babes of Liberty are hoping to add fuel to that fire.
“Who said liberty was just for white men?” asked Rare politics writer Zuri Davis in a post showing a picture of her holding the Gadsden flag.
