Regardless of whether public support for gay marriage is rising or falling, the issue creates significant tension within the conservative-libertarian alliance and puts libertarian populists in a bind. No matter which position they take, they risk alienating a significant portion of the Republican voting base, thereby dooming their electoral prospects. Ben Domenech has perceptively identified this conflict as “the most significant problem and the likeliest one to derail this organic movement before it takes hold.” Also note that national legislators who are considered to be in the libertarian populist mold, such as Sen. Mike Lee, Paul, and Brat, all support traditional marriage.

Drug legalization presents libertarian populism with much the same dilemma as gay marriage: libertarians are for it, conservatives aren’t. Carroll appears to be the only libertarian populist who has directly addressed drug legalization. He includes ending the drug war as part of his vision for the libertarian populist agenda. This position will be popular with many, considering that a majority of Americans now favor marijuana legalization and easing criminal penalties associated with illegal drug use.

There is, however, little public appetite for the full-scale drug legalization libertarians promote. According to a HuffPost/YouGov poll earlier this year, aside from marijuana, no other drug generated more than 17 percent support for legalization.

Despite these potential problems, libertarian populists are smart to seek a political alliance between conservatives and libertarians on common-ground issues that appeal to average Americans.