For all that I think libertarians tend to be nitwits, you almost seem to be suggesting that they haven't really got a right to run for office under their own party banner....
They have a right, but they have to ask themselves would they prefer a Republican who gives them a lot of what they may want, or help continue what will be a 24-year hegemony by the far left rodentry of these offices ? OR now has the second-longest one-party Democrat domination of the Governorship in the country, only beaten by WA state, and most intellectually honest pundits concede that we won it in 2004. It also seems mighty intriguing that the same man happened to stop Mannix twice in very close contests in different races. The Democrats would find it in their best interests to fully fund Libertarian candidates to deprive the GOP of victory in these tight races.
If the Green Party tried that on a routine basis and deprived the Dems of victory consistently (of which I’ve only seen two real instances of — Nader and the special election in NM for Richardson’s seat a decade ago), the left would stop them at all costs after their first “success.” Note how much support Nader got in ‘04 and the rodents destroyed the Green party lady who deprived the Dems their NM win.