Michael J. Badnarik (/bædˈnɑːrɪk/ bad-NAR-ik;[1] (August 1, 1954 – August 11, 2022) was an American software engineer, political figure, and former radio talk show host. He was the Libertarian Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2004 elections, and placed fourth in the race, behind independent candidate Ralph Nader and the two major party candidates, George W. Bush and John Kerry. Two years later Badnarik ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in the 2006 congressional elections for Texas's 10th congressional district seat near Austin.[2] In a three candidate field, Badnarik came in third, receiving 7,603 votes for 4.3% of the vote.