Barbara Howe is currently the chair of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina and was also the party's candidate for Governor of North Carolina in 2000 and 2004.

Born in Wingate, North Carolina, Howe attended Pfeiffer College, earning degrees in English and psychology. She and her husband, Tom, have been libertarian activists for over twenty years; they have three children, all of whom they home-schooled. Howe, currently a resident of Oxford, North Carolina, also volunteered extensively with La Leche League, a breastfeeding support and advocacy organization.

Howe has made previous bids as the Libertarian candidate in races for U.S. Senate (1998), North Carolina Governor (2000), and North Carolina House of Representatives (1992, 1996, 2002).