to appear on O’Reilly Factor on Wednesday
WASHINGTON, DC -- Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik just could be George Bush’s worst nightmare -- and he’s going on the O’Reilly Factor explain why.
According to political analysts, Badnarik has the potential to draw conservative votes away from Bush in several key states and tip the outcome of the presidential election -- thus becoming the “Ralph Nader of 2004.”
Badnarik will be in New York on Wednesday for an appearance on Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor” and is available for media interviews on Thursday.
David Paul Kuhn, chief political writer for CBSNews.com, says in a May 21 article: “While Democrats fret over the possibility of Ralph Nader causing them to lose another election by stealing votes on the left, President Bush may face an even greater third-party threat from the right wing. The Libertarian nominee could cost Mr. Bush his job in 2004.”
Kuhn’s article, headlined “Bush’s Third-Party Threat,” analyzes voting patterns in swing states and concludes that Libertarians have already cost the GOP gubernatorial and U.S. Senate seats in the following states:
* WISCONSIN: In the 2002 gubernatorial race, Libertarian Ed Thompson earned 185,455 votes, while Democrat Jim Doyle won the state by about 75,000 votes.
* OREGON: In the 2002 gubernatorial race, Libertarian Tom Cox garnered 57,760 votes to help Democrat Ted Kulongoski edge out Republican Kevin Mannix by just 35,000 votes.
* NEVADA: In the 1998 Nevada U.S. Senate contest, Libertarian Michael Cloud won 8,129 votes while Democrat Harry Reid beat Republican John Ensign by 401 votes.
Lawrence Jacobs, director of the 2004 Elections Project for the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, agrees. In an April 20 commentary in the Christian Science Monitor, he says that 20 percent of voters are disaffected from both major parties and that “a significant number of them could be tapped by gifted candidates running as independent or Libertarian.”
The end result, he says: A small-government candidate who appealed to disgruntled conservatives could “erode Bush’s GOP base of support” and cost him the election in November.
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