If you’re looking for a weird political story today, look no further than Floridian Senatorial candidate Sol Invictus. He’s currently making headlines all around the country for his past behavior, particularly an admission that he once sacrificed a goat and drank its blood. While Invictus is a Libertarian candidate who doesn’t stand much of a chance, stories about his past exploits have gone viral, creating an entertaining respite from the doldrum and depressing nature of the 2016 primaries.

Sol Invictus (not his birth name) is a 32-year-old lawyer in Orlando, Florida. He’s running for the Senate seat that is being vacated by current Republican Presidential contender Senator Marco Rubio. He practices Thelema, a pagan religion established in the early 20th century by English philosopher and magician Aleister Crowley. In the name of Thelema, Invictus once: “walked from central Florida to the Mojave Desert and spent a week fasting and praying, at times thinking he wouldn’t survive. In a pagan ritual to give thanks when he returned home, he killed a goat and drank its blood.”

Invictus acknowledges this fact, but doesn’t think it’s too big of a deal, saying:

I did sacrifice a goat. I know that’s probably a quibble in the mind of most Americans. I sacrificed an animal to the god of the wilderness … Yes, I drank the goat’s blood.

Invictus’s past was brought to light by the chair of the Florida Libertarian Party, Adrian Wyllie, who stepped down in response to Invictus’s candidacy. When he stepped down, Wiley posted a lengthy status on Facebook denouncing Invictus and his beliefs. In addition to the whole goat-killing thing, he also pointed out that Invictus once wrote in a memo to colleagues “I have prophesied for years that I was born for a Great War; that if I did not witness the coming of the Second American Civil War, I would begin it myself” and that he is supported by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Wyllie stepped down because while the Libertarian party in Florida isn’t supporting Invictus, many of its top officials haven’t outright condemned him either. Wyllie disagrees with that tactic, and explained in his Facebook post:

The majority of the LPF Executive Committee believed I should remain silent, and simply allow the primary election process to play out. That is something I was unwilling to do. While no one on the Executive Committee openly supported Mr. Invictus, only a few had the conviction to stand openly against him.

I strongly believe that we must ensure that these violent ideologies are not associated with the Libertarian Party in any way. Libertarians should always be the first to rise up against hatred, subjugation, and violence.

Since, I could not in good conscience remain silent about this man or his followers, I had no choice but to resign.

Invictus, for his part, has accused Wyllie of lying and telling half-truths, but appears to be forging ahead in his quest to become Florida’s next senator. While he doesn’t stand much of a chance, his candidacy is sure to be one to watch.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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