Third-Party Candidates Stir Senate Race Concerns

Republicans fear Libertarian candidates could siphon conservative protest votes in close Senate races in Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa, particularly in Ohio, Kansas and Texas, amid dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s Iran war and expansion of executive power. In Kentucky, Libertarian congressional candidate Jeremy Todd is pitching himself as an alternative for voters who believe Republicans have abandoned limited-government conservatism; he is backed by former Rep. Ron Paul and former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent, and no Libertarian has been elected to Congress. Recent polling shows Democrats ahead in several Senate contests, including Texas, Kansas, Michigan and Maine, while Trump’s approval is weak in key states, though past polling errors are a caution. In South Carolina, Trump’s role in elevating Sen. Darline Graham has angered some Republicans, and a poll found her tied with Democrat Annie Andrews amid criticism of her qualifications and limited Republican consolidation. Third-party votes could affect races in either direction: a Republican-linked group has also promoted a socialist candidate in Ohio, apparently seeking to draw support from Democrat Sherrod Brown.