Laurel Dawson Munsell Libby is an American anti-vaccine activist, Republican politician and interior designer from Maine. She is the representative for Maine House District 64, representing Minot and part of Auburn. She was elected to the Maine House in November 2020, 2022 and 2024.
Libby was a leader of the 2020 people's veto campaign opposing childhood vaccination laws in Maine and protested public health measures implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Libby was one of seven conservative House Members to be stripped of their committee assignments over refusal to comply with mask mandates in the State House during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Early life and education
Libby was born in Bangor, Maine,[2] and grew up in a large family.[3] She attended Roberts Wesleyan College where she studied nursing, was in the nursing honor society,[4] and competed in women's cross country.[5][6] She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2003.[7]
Libby opposed LD #798, Maine's 2019 law eliminating religious and philosophical exemptions for childhood vaccinations,[9] and was a leader in the 2020 people's veto campaign to overturn it.[10][11][12][13][14][15] She testified against the bill while it was in committee,[16] describing an alleged reaction experienced by her son that was not treated or documented by a medical provider. Libby explained that she would not be further vaccinating him or two of her other children, and that if the law were to pass and eliminate religious and philosophical exemptions to school-required vaccinations, she and her family would be moving out of Maine.[17][18][19]
When LD #798 passed, Libby canvassed for Mainers for Health and Parental Rights in the effort to get a people's veto of the new law on the statewide ballot in March 2020.[20] The veto attempt failed 27%-73%.[21]
Days after the referendum vote, Libby also testified in committee against LD #2117 "An Act To Expand and Rename the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program".[22]
COVID-19 response
In December 2020, Libby published an opinion piece in the Lewiston Sun Journal opposing lockdowns in long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine.[23] In January 2021, she was criticized along with another representative for wearing a "chin shield", rather than a face covering, while conducting business on the Maine State House property, where CDC-approved face coverings were mandatory COVID-19 precautions.[24][25] The criticism prompted House leaders to clarify and reiterate which face coverings were acceptable for conducting State House duties.[26] While most meetings and committee hearings of the 130th Maine legislature were held remotely during the pandemic, Libby participated from her seat on the House floor.[25]
In August 2021, Libby spoke at an Augusta, Maine, rally opposing a new statewide COVID-19 vaccination requirement for Maine healthcare employees, declaring "To be clear, this is war!". She encouraged healthcare employees to walk away from their jobs rather than become vaccinated.[27]
Libby co-sponsored a bill proposed by Representative Heidi Sampson of Alfred seeking to enact the Stop Guilt by Accusation Act, a measure which requires media organizations to follow up on stories involving accused crimes. The bill has been proposed and defeated in several other U.S. states[30] and was defeated in committee on May 5, 2021.[31]
Libby served on the Judiciary committee from December 2020[32] until May 2021 when she and fellow representatives Heidi Sampson, Sherman Hutchins, Chris Johansen, Michael Lemelin, Jim Thorne, and John Andrews entered the Maine State House without required face coverings. The group was stopped by Capitol Police and asked to put on masks, but they refused to do so, requesting a meeting with the House Speaker Ryan Fecteau to clarify a ruling by the Legislative Council requiring the masks at the State House despite a statewide lift on the mask mandate. When the legislators' request for an audience with the Speaker was denied, they continued past capitol police and entered the State House. All seven lawmakers were relieved of their committee assignments effective May 25, 2021.[33][34][10] Shortly after the incident, Libby posted a fundraising plea on her official Facebook page, drawing ire from Fecteau and some constituents.[35]
Nazi comments and controversy
In April of 2024, as the Maine House debated LD 2130, "An Act to Prohibit Unauthorized Military Training", Libby posed a rhetorical question regarding the legality of Nazi activity:
“Let’s talk about the Nazis. I would like to know, although I’m not posing a question through the chair, I would like to know what they did that was illegal. I would like to know what they did, in detail if folks would like to share, that was wrong, that infringed on another person’s right. Holding a rally, and even holding a rally with guns, is not illegal.”[36]
A clip of her remarks went viral, sparking outrage and reaching a number of national news outlets in the United States. [36][37][10]
Fundraising and national affiliations
Libby participates actively with Club for Growth, Young Americans for Liberty and the Leadership Institute.[10] She is a prominent fundraiser in Maine and controls two political action committees, Fight for Freedom and Dinner Table Action, which fund efforts to elect Republicans throughout the state. She has used PAC funds to purchase firearms to raffle to supporters as part of her fundraising efforts.[10][38]
Personal life
Libby attends East Auburn Baptist Church in Auburn.[11] She enjoys running[7] and design,[39] and owns and operates Dawson Interiors, a decorating and real estate staging business.[40][8][2]
She has been married to John Libby, a physical therapist,[39] since 2005.[11] The Libbys have five children.[3][39]
