Libertarians Could be Spoilers in Key Races, Polls Show

[Frodo]

Libertarians could be spoilers in key Senate races

By MANU RAJU and SCOTT WONG | 10/15/12 4:30 AM EDT

Democratic hopes of maintaining a razor-thin Senate majority may hinge on an unexpected outside force: Libertarians.

In the battlegrounds of Montana, Arizona and Missouri, polls show the Libertarian nominee poised to siphon a fraction of the vote — a small fraction, but potentially enough to tip the outcome in a cliffhanger. And with the battle for the Senate shaping up to be a coin-flip proposition, no factor — not even fringe candidates with little more than a Libertarian label to propel their campaigns — is too insignificant to dismiss.
(...)
Libertarian candidates in these three Senate races — as well as in Indiana — have enormous handicaps: a lack of money, party infrastructure and name ID, to name a few. So they’re clamoring to share the debate stage with their better-known rivals — and Democrats are all too happy to oblige.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82379.html#ixzz29PV3O3Iu

[Talleyrand]

Republicans will win all these with the exception of Missouri (possibly), and I don't think the results would be changed with or without the Libertarian.

[Donerail]

If the L helps the D in Montana/Missouri/Indiana, then I'm good with it. Shame it hurts Flake though; the party should've just cross-endorsed him, as he's about as close they'll get to an LPer in the Senate. Hope it hurts Rehberg bad though.

[tmthforu94]

Well, in Indiana, all the far-right Republicans who may support a Libertarian are already backers of Mourdock, who's a pretty far-right Republican, so I don't see Horning doing too well.

Had Lugar been the nominee, he could have broken 10% though - would have been something like 56-35-9, if I had to guess.

[CountryRoads]

I hope it doesn't hurt Flake, or Rehberg too much. I like both republicans there a lot. In Missouri, I don't care because I support McCaskill (Supported Steelman in GOP Primary).

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

It's not clear in some of these races who's a "spoiler" for who.  In Montana, the Libertarian candidate might be drawing more from those who might otherwise vote for Tester, and in Missouri a lot of the Libertarian vote will be from those who wouldn't vote for Akin against anyone.