The impact Libertarian Lucas Overby is having on today’s special election for the 13th congressional seat in Florida is stirring controversy. Roll Call reports that the race between Republican David Jolly and Democrat Alex Sink is a tossup.
Some contend votes for Overby will come out of Jolly’s take. But Overby’s platform includes both fiscally conservative proposals and support for marriage equality. The Washington Post says his campaign is attracting “the type of voters who don’t usually vote.”
A Karl Rove PAC is funding robocalls that carry a message from Sen. Rand Paul urging a vote for Jolly — in striking contrast to Paul’s address at CPAC on March 7, where he proclaimed, “You may think this is about electing Republicans. It’s not. It’s about electing lovers of liberty.”
Republican David Jolly, a former lobbyist, espouses several positions at odds with liberty. He supported military action in Syria and has said he supports raising the federal debt ceiling.
“Analysts are calling this an extremely close race,” said Overby. “The get out the vote for my campaign is extremely important for liberty. I urge people to get out and vote tonight.” Polls close at 7:00 p.m.
Here’s a sampling of today’s coverage:
- “Rand Paul does American Crossroads robocall to thwart Libertarian candidate in FL-13,” Breitbart.com
- “Rand Paul robo call for Jolly,” Tampa Bay Times
- “National Parties Watch Closely as Florida Votes in House Race,” New York Times
- “Rand Paul working to get David Jolly over the finish line in FL-13 special,” Hot Air
- “Voters Head To Polls In Congressional Special Election,” CBS Miami
- “GOP Fears Libertarian Could Tip Florida House Race to Democrat,” Newsmax
- “With the Florida special election on a knife’s edge, we’re calling the race a pure tossup,” Daily Kos
- “The Jolly-Sink showdown: What to watch,” Politico
- “Poll: Florida Dem Narrowly Leads in Tomorrow’s Special Congressional Race,” Slate
- “Everything you need to know about today’s special election in Florida,” The Fix
