Forget Bob Barr and Ralph Nader. Ron Paul is the “third-party” candidate who has the potential of being the spoiler in Montana.
Paul officially is not a presidential candidate, of course, but his supporters nevertheless got him on the ballot in Montana and Louisiana. Reason magazine political blogger David Weigel reports on a Montana State University-Billings poll released October 23, showing these results:
Barrack Obama 44.4%
John McCain 40.2%
Ron Paul 4.2%
Ralph Nader .7%
Bob Barr 1%
Undecided 9.5%
Another report on the poll, on Montana’s News Station, says that “Ron Paul’s voters were 70.6% independents, 11.8% Republicans, 0% Democrats, and 17.6% of the voters undecided about their partisanship.”
As Weigel observes, “The gap between Obama and McCain is exactly the same as Paul’s support in the state. In the interals, Paul is drawing independents, ‘other parties,’ and Republicans, but no Democrats whatsoever.”
Poster Comment:
Quick, someone get Diebold on the horn!