Libertarians and fringe candidates could tip Senate races

Washington Examiner ^ | August 11, 2014 | Byron York

[Cincinatus' Wife]

"................................The conventional wisdom is that Haugh would hurt Thom Tillis, the Republican Senate candidate in North Carolina. But the situation might not be that clear cut. Recently some conservative strategists made a careful study of the Virginia governor's race, in which Democrat Terry McAuliffe won narrowly after a Libertarian candidate received six and a half percent of the vote. The strategists went into the study thinking the Libertarian took votes mostly from Republican Ken Cuccinnelli — taking maybe 90 votes from Cuccinnelli for every 10 votes from McAuliffe. The study showed that yes, the Libertarian did hurt Cuccinnelli, but that the ratio was closer to 60-40. So the damage was not quite as one-sided as some in the GOP thought.

Still, a Libertarian candidate nearly always presents a challenge to the Republican. "We do have a problem with the libertarians," says the conservative strategist who directed the Virginia study. "The Democrats fund them. The Left has gotten good at that. We've got to address it by 2016."

Libertarianism is a hot topic these days, at least in some media circles. A recent New York Times magazine cover story asked, "Has the 'Libertarian Moment' Finally Arrived?" with the answer being yes, sort of. Some libertarians seem ready to embrace the presidential candidacy of Sen. Rand Paul and, if the Times is to believed, many throw glamorous libertarian-themed parties in Washington.

But out in the states, Libertarian and other third-party candidates could be a troublesome wild card for Republicans trying to win the Senate.

[Ann Archy]

No, I have a problem with problem people who don’t use the brains God gave them.

[JAKraig]

I hear this kind of nonsense response to candidates that we don't deem as good as could possibly be. Mitch McConnell is a perfect example. Mitch is far from perfect, but he is not Harry Reid.

Mitch McConnell has done a lot of good conservative things, he has also done a lot of bad progressive things but in my opinion the good outweighs the bad. I would much rather vote for Mitch McConnell than not vote and let my absence of vote go to a Democrat.

I understand the frustration with progressivism and I understand the hate of Republican in name only but a little bad is a whole lot better than a lot of bad.

with Republicans who are not wonderful at least the deals they make will include deals with true conservatives. With a Republican majority in both houses we at least, if nothing else, slow progressivism and at best turn it backwards.