Libertarian contributes to Mia Love defeat in Utah

Examiner.com ^ | 11/07/2012 | Michael McGuire

[aimhigh]

With 100 percent of the votes counted, incumbent Democrat Jim Matheson received 108,075 (49.34 percent) to Republican Love’s 105,257 (48.06 percent).

Running on the Libertarian ticket, Vein received 5,690 votes, or 2.6 percent.

[aimhigh]

How does a supposedly conservative, Mormon state like Utah elect a Democrat?

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

My Love lost. So sick about this. And West’s defeat in FL as well.

[miserare]

Me too. But she is young and strong and will return to fight another day.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Easy. The Paulbots struck again.

[Wayne07]

In any race that is close, we should assume the republican will lose 1 point to a third party candidate, and 1 point to fraud. So better be leading by 2-3 points on election night.

[TheDon]

Democrats must be sending in contributions to the Libertarians.

[CedarDave]

Two Republican Congressional candidates lost in Arizona because of Libertarians getting 6% of the vote:

Paton in AZ District 1 (Lib vote 5.9%)
Parker in District 9 (Lib vote 6.3%)

http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/results/election.php

[livius]

In both Florida and Ohio, if the libertarian/third party vote had gone to the GOP, we’d be looking at President Romney today.

These people are so “pure” they have just dragged the entire country into a hell from which it may not return.

[Erik Latranyi]

My Love lost. So sick about this. And West’s defeat in FL as well.

But Jesse Jackson Jr was re-elected even though he has been in rehab for over a year for an unknown problem and hasn't shown up for work once!

[Bronzy]

Perhaps in Indiana, too:
Indiana

Joe Donnelly
1,263,138 votes
49.9%

Richard Mourdock
1,123,137
44.4

Andrew Horning
145,910
5.8
99.9% of precincts reporting

[driftdiver]

yeah but they voted their conscience

[fishtank]

Name one nationally known conservative Mormon elected official.

There aren’t any.

[Wuli]

In some cases I just find registered Libertarians as not really all that principled, in terms of this country’s founding principles; that many times their vote seems no more than a “vanity” exercise.

Of what greater principle towards what any Libertarian hopes to achieve FOR THIS COUNTRY is it to have Ms Love defeated by her Dim opponent.

It seems that the Libertarian thinks that “see me, I got 5,000+ votes” makes some great and significant contribution to achieving Libertarian principles in goverment; knowing that Libertarians in Congress WOULD be able to partner with Ms Love on many issues, while not so with her opponent.

I am more and more convinced that registered Libertarians neither want to change the country or win - they just want to run.

The GOP is no “perfect” party by any means. But it is a hell of lot better than it would be if social Conservatives - from the 60s to the 80s - had accepted the GOP as unchangeable and gone their own third party route. They would be no stronger, collectively than they are today and the GOP would be weaker as well.

We need to work on showing Libertarians and social Conservatives the common ground in essential Liberty they share - on the principles - and get more cooperation and less competition between them; at least for everything post-primary.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

In both Florida and Ohio, if the libertarian/third party vote had gone to the GOP, we’d be looking at President Romney today.

Nope. Obama could have lost Ohio, Florida AND Virginia and still ended up with 272 electoral votes.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

In both Florida and Ohio, if the libertarian/third party vote had gone to the GOP, we’d be looking at President Romney today.

Nope. Obama could have lost Ohio, Florida AND Virginia and still ended up with 272 electoral votes.

[StormEye]

The Libertarian party is really a creation of the DemocRAT Party. And the Libertarians are doing exactly what the Democrats want — defeating conservative Republican candidates.

[BerniesFriend]

that’s why runoffs are a great way to stop 3rd party candidates..if no candidate gets 50% plus 1 vote of the election..the top two candidates would appear in a runoff..only them..regardless of party..has worked wonders in Louisiana for decades now..would have stopped Jesse Ventura and al franken in Minnesota..

[rightwingintelligentsia]

JJJ could have been dead for two months, and he still would have been re-elected in that district.

[elkfersupper]

This is easy.

We all just witnessed a slow suicide by the GOP.

The only conceivable solution at this point would be to get libertarian (small "L").

[Zhang Fei]

It’s not demographics - the district is 91% white. And it’s not racism - this is Matheson’s 2nd narrowest victory in 7 terms. I’d say he’s vulnerable. One more run, and Love will take his seat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah%27s_2nd_congressional_district