How will Libertarian affect KY-3?

The entrance of a third-party candidate in the 3rd Congressional District race could have an impact on the November election. Calling himself a "disenfranchised Goldwater Republican", Edward Martin announced that he will run as a Libertarian candidate for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Louisville).

Could Martin attract enough other "disenfranchised Republicans" to give Yarmuth the winning margin over former U.S. Rep. Anne Northup (R-Louisville)?

The last time a third-party candidate played a potentially deciding role in the district was in 1994 when Democrat Mike Ward edged out Republican Susan Stokes by 44.4 to 44.1 percent. That year, Richard Lewis ran as an anti-abortion candidate for the Taxpayers Party of Kentucky and drew 11.5 percent of the vote.

Other than that recent exception, third party candidates have had minimal impact. In 2000, Libertarian candidate Donna Walker Mancini received 2.9 percent of the vote when then-incumbent Anne Northup defeated Eleanor Jordan (D) by 52.9 to 44.2 percent. Northup was easily re-elected in 2004 when Libertarian candidate George C. Dick received 1.9 percent of the vote. But in a tight race in 2006 when Yarmuth defeated Northup by a narrow 3 percent margin, Mancini managed just 0.9 percent of the vote.