Third parties in the mix for unhappy voters - #lakewoodnews

Democrats and Republicans aren't the only ones reaching out to Colorado voters --; the Libertarian and Green parties are hoping to target disaffected voters who do not care for either Republican nominee Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

"I think there are a lot of people on both sides of the aisle who have gone unaffiliated because they aren't happy with how they've been represented by both parties," Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder Matt Crane said.

In a Marist College/Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of 899 registered Colorado voters in August, 69 percent said they had an unfavorable view of Trump, while 59 percent had an unfavorable view of Clinton.

That same poll showed an increase in support for the two most prominent outsider candidates since last month, with 15 percent saying they would vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson, an increase of two points from July, and 6 percent saying they would vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, also an increase of two points.

State Libertarian Party Chair Jay North said his party --; by far the largest outside of the Republicans and Democrats --; has seen an uptick in donations as well as interest in Johnson, a former Republican governor of New Mexico and businessman who captured 1.38 percent of Colorado's vote in 2012.

"A huge amount of people are looking at different opportunities," North said.

But Libertarians aren't alone in trying to draw Republican support. Democrats are aware of the state's swing potential --; it was carried by George W. Bush twice, then twice by Barack Obama --; and are hoping some Republicans dislike Trump enough to vote for Clinton.

"Clearly we've got a two-party system," state Democratic Party Chair Rick Palacio said, when asked why anti-Trump Republicans would vote for Clinton rather than Gary Johnson. "This race is going to come down to a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton."

Palacio noted that Colorado Republicans largely oppose Trump, with the state's delegation mostly supporting U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at the Republican National Convention in July.

Also running as an alternative for anti-Trump conservatives is independent Evan McMullin, a largely unknown former CIA officer and Republican policy adviser who jumped into the race on Aug. 8 and made his way onto the Colorado ballot on Aug. 11.

In addition to Johnson, Libertarians are running a challenger in the U.S. Senate race, Lily Tang Williams, of Parker.

The Libertarian Party --; championing limited-government ideals --; may seem to be the obvious choice for conservative voters who dislike Trump, but North said disaffected Bernie Sanders supporters have also shown interest in Johnson.

The Green Partywith its progressive platform, is hoping to position its presidential candidate, Jill Stein, as the alternative for Sanders supporters who do not like Clinton. The retired doctor received 0.29 percent of the state'svote in 2012.

Although most of Colorado's Democratic delegates preferred Sanders, a Vermont U.S. senator who ran to Clinton's left, Clinton is the party's nominee, and Palacio believes most Sanders supporters will vote for her.

The Green Party also has a U.S. Senate candidate, former Eagle County Commissioner Arn Menconi, and a challenger to Republican incumbent Mike Coffman and Democrat Morgan Carroll in the 6th Congressional District race --; Aurora resident Robert Lee Worthey.

North said that high numbers of unaffiliated voters in counties like Arapahoe and Jefferson can be misleading, as most of them end up voting with the major parties. Colorado is the birthplace of the national Libertarian Party, and it is by far the largest third party in the state, but still makes up less than 1 percent of voters, while the Green Party accounts for only about a quarter-percent.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Third-parties-in-the-mix-for-unhappy-voters,234756