Emily Ekins on Third-Party Senate Candidates Giving Establishment Republicans Conniptions

To take control of
the Senate this November, Republicans need a net gain of six Senate
seats to take control of Congress, but third party candidates in
North Carolina, Kansas, South Dakota, Georgia, (and sort of
Louisiana) may undermine this goal.

In North Carolina, a libertarian pizza deliveryman could
determine the race between Kay Hagan and Thom Tillis. An
independent in Kansas is leading the Republican incumbent Pat
Roberts in many recent polls, also with a libertarian who could
influence the outcome.  An independent in South Dakota has
introduced uncertainty in what should have been considered an “in
the bag” seat for Republicans. A libertarian and a tea partier
could force both Louisiana and Georgia into a run-off election.
Strikingly in Virginia, the Libertarian candidate is capturing more
votes than the Republican among young voters.

While it is true third-party candidates typically don’t win,
serious third party challengers can still identify the major
parties’ vulnerabilities based on which types of voters they peel
away. For Republican candidates struggling to close the deal with
the public, writes Reason Foundation polling director Emily Ekins,
liberty-minded small government views may be the missing
ingredient.

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