Posted on 11/03/2022 12:50:02 PM PDT by RandFan
Blake Masters’s chances of toppling Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) got a boost this week when Libertarian candidate Marc Victor dropped out and threw his support behind the GOP nominee, handing Republicans a last-minute lifeline in a race that has narrowed.
Kelly has been considered the favorite to win reelection since Masters emerged from the early August primary battered and underfunded.
But the wind has seemingly shifted and recent surveys show Masters gaining momentum at a crucial moment.
Victor’s announcement Tuesday added to the positive news for the Peter Thiel protégé. The Libertarian candidate was pulling between 2.7 percent and 6 percent support in recent public polls, opening the door to his decision having an impact on what is already a close race.
“I think it could be a difference maker. There are a lot of ballots out there, and if the Libertarian pulls a couple percent, it can have an impact,” said Daniel Scarpinato, who served as a top aide to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R).
“We’ve seen that in Arizona in many cycles,” he added, pointing to past congressional races where a Libertarian candidate has helped play spoiler.
In 2012, for example, the Libertarian candidate in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District pulled in more than 15,000 votes — or 6,500 more than separated the Democratic and Republican candidates.
Victor’s name, however, will remain on the ballot, meaning that he will still be a visible option for voters. And, as of Wednesday morning, more that 1 million voters have already returned their ballots since early voting began on Oct. 12.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Now there is something you don't see every day—a libertarian with common sense. It's a tad late in the game, but better late than never. Good call, Marc Victor!
Maybe if Kelly loses, he’ll go back up into orbit to live.
interesting
Would have been nice if he dropped out before early voting started three weeks ago...
Any libertarian candidate who is polling in the single digits who does NOT pull out and endorse the Republican is a closet Dem.
I’m mostly Libertarian, we only differ on matters of national defense. That being said, I generally vote Republican as I hold my nose. I cross to Democrat only in the primaries to get rid of the most obnoxious Democrats.
I’m in Hawaii so my vote doesn’t count anyway.
I doubt it will make much difference.
People that were going to vote for him did so as a protest vote against the Pubs and the Rats, not because they thought he could win.
So since he’s on the ballot they’ll still vote for him in protest.
Rich Baris was in the middle of polling AZ on multiple days. Baris said the Libertarian was polling at 3% and change the first night of his polling. After the endorsement, that dropped to 1% and change and Masters went up a little over a point. He might release this poll today or tomorrow, but it will not fully reflect the actual shift to Masters.
He was being urged to drop out by the likely 2024 Presidential nominee from the Libertarian party (Dave Smith).
Masters himself used to be a Libertarian.
Sadly, none of the thousands of votes he receives will count towards Masters.
Masters is going to win. Rich Baris’ poll has had him holding a consistent lead these last few weeks. It ticked upward a little more when the Libertarian dropped out.
That’s amazing considering how much money the Democrats lavished on gun grabbing China sellout and Schumer rubber stamp Mark Kelly. He’s had many times the campaign cash Masters ever got.
A Libertarian candidate in Georgia in 2020 caused one of the Senate races to go to a runoff, which the Democrat won although the Republican probably would have won without the Libertarian in the race. So the Senate would have been in Republican hands the last two years.
Libertarian = Liberal Hipster-type that thinks everything should be legal, as long as none if it happens where they live.
Also mostly Libertarian but vote Republican enthusiastically. Usually. Refuse to see a D associated with my name even in a primary. As for national defense, it would be lovely if war could only be defensive, but that just isn’t practical. There are times when our long term interests make us side with one side or the other so that we don’t have to fight a defensive war later. Ukraine not being one of those.
I think who the LP candidate publicly threw his support to cannot be a gaurantee as to who his supporters wil vote for. I think their actual votes could go either way.
Agreed.
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