The Democrats have their donkey, the Republicans have their elephant, and the Libertarian Party has their…porcupine?
In 2006, the porcupine was chosen as the symbol of the U.S. Libertarian Party after party leaders decided against using the Statue of Liberty. The animal previously was linked to a Libertarian movement called the Free State project, which aimed to recruit at least 20,000 libertarians to a low-population state and turn it into a freedom-loving stronghold of libertarian ideas. In 2003, New Hampshire was selected as the state of choice; since then, nearly 2,000 people have made the move to Granite State.
The porcupine has several features that make it resonate with libertarian ideals. It is a herbivore, which is a relatively low-maintenance lifestyle. One of the core principles of libertarianism is minimum state intervention.
Porcupines also are one of the longest-living rodent species on the planet, which meshes well with the long history of the Libertarian movement—it first became popular at the end of the 18th century.
And porcupines are cute and cuddly on the surface but can be violent and defensive when subjected to aggression from predators, a feature that matches Libertarians’ support for the protection of individual rights. Finally, porcupines are different! Their miniature stature stands out compared to the massive Republican elephant and Democrat donkey.