Libertarians challenge Trump-backed Republicans, look to shake up midterms beyond GOP-Dem duopoly

Libertarians are pitching themselves as a third option in the midterms, with Jeremy Todd, a Kentucky congressional hopeful, among those trying to peel away voters disillusioned with both major parties. Todd is running in the 4th District, where Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was defeated in the primary by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL endorsed by President Donald Trump. Democrat Melissa Strange is also on the ballot. Todd told Fox News Digital that Republicans have drifted from small-government principles, saying that being more conservative than Democrats is not "good enough." He describes himself as to the right of MAGA and hopes his campaign grows into a broader movement for limited-government conservatives.

Todd has endorsements from Ron Paul, a former congressman, and Joe Kent, who resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center this year because he opposed the Iran war.

Third-party prospects remain slim. A Pew Research survey conducted Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 found 5% of registered voters favoring someone other than a Republican or Democrat in their House race, while 15% were undecided; the margin of error was plus or minus 1. 8 percentage points. No Libertarian nominee has ever won a seat in Congress.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →