In 2010, after being beaten in her GOP Primary by Joe Miller, Lisa Murkowski went on to win on a write-in campaign. However, beforehand she tried to run as the Libertarian Party candidate but was rejected by the party.
What if Murkowski had run as a Libertarian in 2010? She'd likely just caucus Republican the way King and Sanders caucus Democrat. Odds are she wins over Miller by a wider margin if she's actually on the ballot. I'm not sure whether she'd change her policy stance on many issues if she didn't have to be accountable to Republican Primary voters, though Alaska is a pro-marijuana state,
Various states have laws wherein if a party's candidate does well enough in a statewide the party is entitled to a number of county office positions in that state and in other states. In 2010 Tom Tancredo's Colorado gubernatorial bid entitled the Constitution Party to a bunch of county offices for example, though their issue was that the party was so small that it couldn't fill them. Libertarians might actually be able to fill county offices in some states.
A Libertarian Senator might mean Johnson draws more attention in 2012. The party as a whole might attract more money and attention beforehand.
What if Murkowski had run as a Libertarian in 2010? She'd likely just caucus Republican the way King and Sanders caucus Democrat. Odds are she wins over Miller by a wider margin if she's actually on the ballot. I'm not sure whether she'd change her policy stance on many issues if she didn't have to be accountable to Republican Primary voters, though Alaska is a pro-marijuana state,
Various states have laws wherein if a party's candidate does well enough in a statewide the party is entitled to a number of county office positions in that state and in other states. In 2010 Tom Tancredo's Colorado gubernatorial bid entitled the Constitution Party to a bunch of county offices for example, though their issue was that the party was so small that it couldn't fill them. Libertarians might actually be able to fill county offices in some states.
A Libertarian Senator might mean Johnson draws more attention in 2012. The party as a whole might attract more money and attention beforehand.