Ron Paul Courted By Libertarian Party Supporters – ThirdAge

Ron Paul is getting invites from Libertarian Party supporters to run as a third-party candidate, ABC News reported.

The Republican presidential candidate is being courted from leaders of the Libertarian Party, who are enthusiastic about his political views and calling him the “ideal candidate.”

“Absolutely, that would be fabulous,” said Jim Lesczynski, media relations director for the Manhattan Libertarian Party as quoted by ABC News.

The Libertarian Party would share some of the same beliefs as Paul, including limited government intervention and a hands-off social policy. Many members of the Manhattan Libertarian Party openly campaign for Paul.

Paul has previously ran under the Libertarian banner during the 1988 election in which George H.W. Bush defeated Democratic rival Michael Dukakis.

Despite the overtures from the Libertarians, Paul campaign spokesperson Jesse Benton said Monday to U.S. News & World Report that he is “99.9999, decimal over the nine” sure that a third-party run will not happen.

Theoretically, Paul could run under the Libertarian ballot, but the May timing of the Libertarian convention is halfway through the Republican nomination season.

Another caveat for Paul is some states’ sore loser laws, which forbid a person running in another primary under one party and in the general election under another. But these laws don’t present a huge hurdle for a third-party run, according to Richard Winger, publisher of Ballot Access News.