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Greg Gutfeld has never hosted the Academy Awards, done carpool karaoke with Ariana Grande or chugged cocktails with Lizzo. Yet he's become the hottest name in late-night TV by sticking to a simple, but smart, formula: Cater to a conservative audience tired of being beat up by liberal Hollywood.

Gutfeld, a former editor at Men's Health and Stuff magazines, has been part of Fox News since 2007. But it wasn't until two years ago that he became a force that can't be ignored with the launch of "Gutfeld," which airs at 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. His program averages more than 2 million viewers a night, thanks in no small part to having Laura Ingraham as his opening act. But it's still impressive that he has more than five times the audience that "The Daily Show" can muster. On most nights, he has higher numbers than any of the network hosts, with Stephen Colbert as his closest competitor.

The fact that he does it with mediocre material and a minuscule budget shows just how hungry conservatives are for humor. Any humor.

"Gutfeld" airs from an intimate New York studio with lights so hot that you could probably roast a chicken on stage. After a snarky monologue, the 58-year-old host turns to four panelists, often regular Fox contributors hot-footing it over from nearby sets.

The mix usually includes a stand-up comic, a marquee name like Sarah Palin or Kat Timpf, a 34-year-old libertarian commentator who often looks embarrassed to be sharing space with guests her parents' age. When Gutfeld tried to explain the plot of "Indecent Proposal" to her, she reacted like he was trying to revive the telegraph.

"I don't even know who Robert Redford is," she said.

The conversation is sometimes interrupted by taped comedy bits, like one that imagined a Zoom debate between Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Kamala Harris. The impressionists were so awful that I wouldn't be surprised to learn they were volunteers from the studio audience.

Gutfeld himself is the show's biggest draw. He may come from a print background but he's got the timing and delivery of a veteran stand-up. I could do without his habit of teasing segments with corny rhymes ("There's no disputing/The downed drone was Putin?") but he seems to relish the fans' groans.

I wish he and his writers were more ambitious.

In mid-March, the war raged on in Ukraine, Silicon Valley Bank collapsed and Donald Trump inched closer to being indicted. But the show mostly ignored those issues, focusing instead on the threat of the woke movement.

Gutfeld routinely acts as if policies catering to trans people are the most divisive issue to face this country since the Civil War.

There's also a tendency to pick at low-hanging fruit way past its expiration date. A new Fox Nation documentary gave Gutfeld the excuse to once again go after Jussie Smollett, the actor who falsely claimed he was targeted in a racial attack more than four years ago. Gutfeld poked fun at Brian Stelter, who lost his high-profile gig at CNN seven months ago. The audience broke into applause when he compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Clintons.

Like a number of his Fox colleagues, Gutfeld seems to take particular delight in going after "The View," joking that Guinness World Records gave the panel the title of heaviest program in daytime TV.

An entire segment was dedicated to a recent conversation on "The View" in which Sunny Hostin admitted that she still has her groceries delivered to her home. Gutfeld and his cohorts reacted like she had sold classified documents to the Chinese.

After one particularly nasty joke, Gutfeld asked: "Did I go too far or not enough?"

Those who despise everything about Fox would answer: Too far. For those who would welcome a truly funny show from a conservative viewpoint, it's not enough.

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Why Fox News' Greg Gutfeld is the king of late-night TV - Star Tribune

The Washington Post

The United States recently suffered the second- and third-largest bank failures in the countrys history.

This wasnt supposed to happen. A slew of protections were put in place after the financial crisis 15 years ago to prevent a repeat of big banks collapsing and nearly taking down the whole banking system with them.

But once again, the federal government had to step in with what amounted to a bailout of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank along with a bazooka of aid to prevent more banks from collapsing. Its welcome news that the dramatic action appears to have prevented other regional banks from toppling, too, though no one should be pleased. Bankers were once again taking unwise risks, and regulators were once again too lax.

Theres more to learn about all of the mistakes that led to this moment, but its already obvious midsize financial institutions need additional scrutiny. What is now apparent is that the list of too big to fail banks is far longer than most assumed. Congress and regulators have to face this new reality and rapidly adjust. Silicon Valley Bank was the nations 16th largest with about $200 billion in assets, and Signature Bank was the 30th largest with about $110 billion in assets.

These banks put profit over prudence. Silicon Valley Bank courted startups and venture capital money. Signature Bank wanted to be a player in crypto and real estate. Both had a heavy reliance on high-risk clients with many deposits well over $250,000, which is supposed to be the upper limit for insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

On top of that, Silicon Valley Bank heavily bought assets that sank in value as the Federal Reserve hiked rates to fight inflation. When depositors attempted to rapidly withdrawal $42 billion earlier this month, the bank had no option but to sell those assets at a deep loss.

The FDIC, the Fed and the Biden administration calculated they had no choice but to make all of Silicon Valley Banks depositors whole. Among them were companies such as Roku and Roblox, which might have had to struggle to pay workers if they had lost their uninsured funds.

Then there was fear that panic might spread into a classic bank run if people and businesses suddenly withdrew money en masse from other midsize financial institutions. The risks to the broader economy and banking system turned out to be hefty. When the crisis came, tech luminaries and bank heads, some of the most vocal proponents of free markets in Silicon Valley, were willing to set aside their libertarian principles to plead for help.

Taxpayers were not on the hook for this bailout. Regulators used money from fees that banks pay to the FDIC. But a dicey precedent was set that all deposits of any size would be treated as though they were insured. Banks wont like it, but this new environment will likely require higher fees so the pot of emergency funding at the FDIC remains large enough going forward. If it is not, taxpayers could indeed have to step in directly as that fund is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Originally posted here:
Another viewpoint: Bank failures will change system - Seymour Tribune

The 2024 Presidential race is a couple years away. It could be a pivotal election year for Libertarians the moment when we finally make a mark in politics. But, will we? Who are the 2024 Libertarian presidential candidates? Who else will run? Will Trump run again? And what about Joe Biden? Were all wondering what will happen in 2024, but one things for sure: 2024 is going to be an interesting presidential race.

Before I get into who our candidates are, let me explain what a Libertarian is. A lot of people have heard about Libertarians, but dont know what Libertarians believe. So, what is a Libertarian? That often depends on who you ask, but in my opinion, most people are libertarians or agree with much of the libertarian philosophy of live and let live. Libertarianism is a philosophy or belief system, not just a platform for a political party. You can be a libertarian without being in the Libertarian Party.

Libertarians believe in a small, fiscally conservative government. Libertarians are not anarchists (this is not to say that some arent). We believe in having laws and government, but that the scope and size of government should be limited. The role of the government should be limited to protecting people from harm and fraud not arbitrary rules or rules that enforce a groups cultural ideas.

Libertarians are generally conservative on fiscal issues and liberal on social issues. While you can be conservative in your own life, we dont believe in trying to enforce anyones lifestyle, morals, or choices on others. We love diversity and believe that no one group should try to control the choices of others through laws or government.

Theres no doubt the 2024 presidential race is one were all anticipating. But, will the Libertarians have a great candidate this time, or will we have a lack-luster, no-name, or not-so-libertarian candidate? I will be updating this post as time unfolds but these are the candidates that we think might run in 2024.

Right now the Libertarian Party only has two presidential candidates confirmed. There will be more candidates for sure, as this race is definitely one that Libertarians could do well in. So, whos running and who do we think our 2024 Libertarian presidential candidates will be?

Website: MiketerMaat.com

Mike ter Maat is a pro-reform police officer and an economics professor who graduated with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He later went on to get his MS and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from George Washington University.

In the 2021-22 election cycle, Mike ran as the Libertarian candidate in a special Congressional election in Floridas District 20. He served as a police officer in Broward County from 2010-2021. Mike has worked in finance, economics, and education for banks, the White House, and other organizations. He started his own consulting business in 2002 where he provided professional education to bank executives. He ran this business until 2009.

Mike pledges to a Gold New Deal. He commits to the decentralization of authority and the power of our government. He has created a plan that includes ending the federal reserve, limiting government spending, and allowing states to have a constitutional option to remain in the Union for purposes of defense only.

Website: https://donate.lars24.com/

Lars Mapstead is a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party and an active Libertarian. Lars grew up on a farm, without electricity or indoor plumbing. Despite these challenges, he was able to found several successful internet companies. Now he spends his time in the Libertarian Party advocating for limited government and taxation.

He supports ranked-choice voting, cutting regulations, and term limits. He has a detailed plan to win an electoral vote for the Libertarian Party. He believes there is no better way for Libertarians to gain power than to be the deciding factor in the presidential vote.

Website: VoteChaseOliver.com

Chase Oliver is the Libertarian candidate who disrupted the Georgia Senate race by forcing a run-off. Hes been called the most influential Libertarian in the US right now byRolling Stones, and hes just announced that hes exploring the possibility of running as the Libertarian Partys presidential nominee.

Ina videohe released on Friday, Oliver announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian presidential nomination. He is a likely contender for the Libertarian nomination because of his ability to garner positive publicity and connect with ordinary voters.

Unlike other potential candidates, Chase Oliver is adamantly pro-choice when it comes to bodily autonomy, not just for vaccines, but on the issue of abortion. This could become a deciding factor for many Libertarians and voters in 2024.

He is charismatic, energetic, and speaks in a way that voters resonate with. With a small budget, he was able to garner 2 percent of the vote in Georgia. He was one of the most successful candidates during the 2022 election cycle, which earned him a lot of media attention. Could his appeal translate into the party nomination? Many of his fans think so.

Learn more about Chase Oliver by visiting his website,VoteChaseOliver.com. You can also follow him onTwitterto learn more about him.

There are many potential candidates for the Libertarian nomination in 2024. Several Libertarian candidates have expressed interest in running, and many within the party would like to see them run. However, if they do decide to run they will need support from within the party to win the nomination. These are the three most talked about Libertarians. They hold a lot of promise in leading us to victory in 2024 if they decide to run.

Also Read: Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Who Forced a Run-Off in Georgia, Is Considering Presidential Run

Justin Amash, former congressman from Michigan, is one of the most popular Libertarians in the Libertarian party. In 2020, he formed an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Party presidential nomination. However, he decided shortly after launching the committee that 2020 wasnt the right time for him to run. Though many Libertarians want him to run, Amash has repeatedly told party members and the media that this isnt on his radar right now.

In spite of this, many Libertarians are still hopeful he will run in 2024, myself included. I believe he would consider running in the 2024 election if the timing made sense and he was in a position to run in a viable race. He expressed this sentiment to media outlets like USA Today saying, I want to do what I can to work from the outside to change things because Ive tried the inside and right now I cant get much traction.

I dont know if Justin Amash will run in 2024, but he is my ideal candidate. He has a strong sense of integrity and the ability to appeal to all types of people, including Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians. With strong delegate and financial support from the Libertarian Party, I think he would be their best candidate.

Amash does not have a campaign website. He is not officially running, but he hosts a podcast where you get to know him better. You can listen to The Justin Amash Podcast here or follow him on Twitter to learn more about him.

Also read: Will Justin Amash Run for President in 2024?

Dave Smith is a New York stand-up comedian and libertarian commentator. He has appeared on Fox News, CNN, and many other popular media outlets. Hes known for his thought-provoking comedy and says he represents a new generation of pundits. He is a well-liked member of the Mises Caucus and a rising star in the Libertarian Party.

Smith has name recognition that is on par with Amash and is a first choice for many Mises Caucus members. Like many other Mises Caucus members, he became a Libertarian because of the Ron Paul movement. He likes Ron Paul because he challenged him to think differently about the government. He inspired him to read and learn more about liberty through authors like Rothbard, Mises, and Friedman.

He believes the Libertarian Party must fight harder against the tyranny of big tech monopolies which limit free speech and promote political correctness. Hes called overregulation of misinformation the biggest threat to liberty. He has also been an outspoken critic of Covid lockdowns and mask mandates.

Smith is appealing for a few reasons. One of them is that he attracts millennials with his charisma and humor. The millennial voter block may prove to be the deciding factor in the 2024 election. Although he has not stated publicly that he will seek the Libertarian nomination, he has said that its a possibility. To learn more about Dave Smith, you can follow his podcast Part of the Problem, where he discusses current events, government and foreign policy.

Also read: Dave Smith 2024 Will He Be the Next Libertarian Presidential Candidate?

Spike Cohen is a Libertarian activist and entrepreneur. In 2020, Spike Cohen was the running mate of Jo Jorgensen. He has a large social media following and is enthusiastically supported by nearly all Libertarians. He has not expressed an interest in running for president yet, but many in the party believe he would be the best choice.

There is a strong case for Spike Cohen as the Libertarian presidential candidate if he chooses to run. He is well-liked. He has an active presence in the media and can commit to campaigning full-time. He also has a background in web design and marketing.

Cohen started his web design company when he was still a teenager and retired from it in 2017. He now travels the country training Libertarians on how to run their campaigns and promotes a positive and principled message of libertarianism on social media, YouTube, and media appearances. He is what we Libertarians call a home-grown Libertarian, without the baggage of coming from the Republican or Democrat party.

Although its not clear if Cohen would even consider the nomination, he would be supported by most Libertarians if he was selected. Spike currently co-owns a news and entertainment company called Muddied Waters Media. You can also find him on YouTube at You Are the Power. Like most Libertarians, Spike is committed to working towards the partys goal of a world set free in our lifetime.

Larry Sharpe is a former marine and popular Libertarian from New York. He has not publicly stated any intention to run as a Libertarian presidential candidate in 2024. However, he has a lot of supporters in the Libertarian community who would support him if he decided to run as our Libertarian presidential nominee.

Sharpe is a successful entrepreneur who started and sold a trucking and distribution business. Hes also been a leadership coach who has helped other entrepreneurs, executives, and companies to develop stronger leadership and team-building skills. Hes been a guest instructor at universities including Yale and Columbia University.

He is highly respected in the Libertarian community for his grassroots campaigning and activism. As a Libertarian,he ran for governor of New York in 2018 and 2022. He was also a candidate for the Libertarian Vice Presidential nomination in 2022.

At this point, he hasnt mentioned anything about running as a presidential candidate in 2024. While it seems unlikely to me that he is interested in this role right now, I think anything is possible between now and our 2024 convention.

You can learn more about Larry Sharpe atLarrySharpe.com.

Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard appears to be preparing for a run for president. She hasnt announced anything, but her recent departure from the Democrat party and subsequentcampaigning for MAGA Republicanscertainly hinted at a presidential run in 2024.

Shes also launched her own YouTube channel,The Tulsi Gabbard Show, which already has thousands of subscribers. As I mentioned in my video about her, YouTube is the largest social media platform for young voters.

I think she is keenly aware of the demographics she needs to win an election. This is also why I believe shes targeted MAGA Republicans. She and Trump may both appeal to the same group of voters voters who are fed up with politics as usual. Even with Trump announcing his own run for president, aligning with his base may help her if she decides to run herself.

She is well-liked by many Libertarians. On her show, she spoke with Ron Paul, a prominent figure in the Libertarian community. The two discussed civil liberties and how they are under attack in the U.S. She also changed her views on the second amendment. It looks like she is realigning her political views to attract a wider base of voters, including Libertarians.

At this point, it is unlikely that she will run as a Libertarian. It appears she is trying to win over Republican voters. Still, she isnt a Republican and has views that dont fit into any of the major parties. This is why some think she will run as an independent or third-party candidate and possibly as a Libertarian.

Historically, the Libertarian Party has not performed well in presidential races. In 2016, the party had its best showing ever with candidate Gary Johnson. Although he only received 3.3 percent of the vote nationally, this was a record-setting campaign for the party.

In the United States, many people are unhappy with the two-party system. Pew reports that almost half of younger adults wish they had more parties to choose from. This is most felt by millennials, who will have the biggest impact on the next election. With many young adults unhappy with how Biden has handled the economy, this could be the right time for a strong Libertarian presidential candidate to enter the race as an alternative.

We know that many in the U.S. are dissatisfied with the two-party system. Pew Research reports that nearly half of younger adults wish they had more parties to choose from. This discontent is most felt by millennials, who will have the biggest impact on the next election. With many young adults unhappy with how Biden is handling the economy, this could be the right time for a third party to shake up the presidential race.

Libertarians have reason to be optimistic in 2024. But, with the events currently taking place in the Libertarian Party, its hard to say if any candidate will have the funding or ballot access needed to win. It is now more important than ever for Libertarians to be engaged and active in their state parties.

In 2024, Libertarians will hold a convention to select the presidential and vice presidential candidates. The convention will be held in Washington, DC. To serve as a delegate at the national convention, you must be selected by your state party to represent your state as a delegate at National.

If you are not involved in the Libertarian Party, I hope you will get involved. If you are new to politics, I strongly encourage you to join my Facebook group, Pattys American Integrity and Liberty Group. We are a group of friendly people from all over the country. My goal is to help you learn about libertarianism and connect with like-minded, principled, positive people.

Help me spread the message of liberty to more people. Take a second to support Patty for Liberty on Patreon!

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2024 Libertarian Presidential Candidates - Who's Running in 2024?

Chase Oliver had to fit his campaign for Senate into the spare hours he had left over after his two day jobs. The 37-year-old ran the operation out of his basement, with four staffers, and help from friends. Every Saturday morning for the last several months, he would wake up early, drive his beat-up Toyota Corolla to a different neighborhood and start knocking on doors. Voters, he says, were very happy that they got to hear from a candidate directly even if they werent voting for me.

Almost 4 million Georgians cast ballots on Tuesday. Most cast them for Sen. Raphael Warnock, or his celebrity challenger, the former football star Herschel Walker. And then there was the small but mighty slice of the electorate that stuck it to the two-party system and threw their support behind Oliver, the Libertarian candidate. He ended up with a little more than two percent of the vote. Warnock, meanwhile, finished 0.6 percent shy of the 50 percent he needed to avoid a runoff.

The Warnock-Walker rematch is now set for December 6. By forcing Warnock and Walker into a runoff, Olivers scrapy candidacy has already had an outsize influence on the midterm elections. And with the ear of more than 80,000 Georgia voters, he may have even more influence left to exert. Oliver is not endorsing either candidate at least not yet. Hes offered to put their slights behind him, and host a forum with both candidates for voters to hear where they stand on issues like weed legalization and immigration reform. Rolling Stone spoke with him about how it felt to be the most influential libertarian in the United States this year.

You ran this campaign out of your basement how does it feel to have, quite possibly, decided control of the Senate?Its humbling to know that over 80,000 people have put their faith in this campaign. Im really honored to have earned their votes. The fact that I was able to do it on a shoestring budget shows just how much dissatisfaction there still is with the two-party system.Editors picks

How much did you spend?I think were hovering around the $10,000, total, for the entire campaign. I would like to say that I took zero PAC money, unlike my opponents. And, unlike my opponents, a majority of my funds actually came from within the state.

Ive heard you describe yourself as a former Democrat how did the Democrats lose you?I started out my political life as an anti-war activist in the wake of the war in Iraq. I was an ardent supporter of Barack Obama in 2008, because he promised to close Guantanamo. He said he was going to stop the drone policies of the Bush administration, and the wars. And he really didnt do any of those things and yet he got a Nobel Peace Prize. That, to me, was very insulting. And what really bothered me was that the anti-war left that was marching with me in the streets while Bush was president, completely disappeared while Obama was president. That drove me out of the Democratic Party.

How did Libertarians win you over?It was in 2010. I was at Atlanta Pride, and the Libertarian Party of Georgia was at the Pride Festival. I started speaking to them and realized that they were a party that broadly speaks for peace and free markets and things like a balanced budget which used to be something that Democrats championed: Bill Clinton championed a balanced budget in the 1990s, and it brought us broad prosperity and a growing middle class. Libertarians preach that message of fiscal sanity, as well as a different kind of foreign policy, social issues like immigration reform and gay rights. I felt I found a political home there.

You have a full-time job, right?This was almost like a side-hustle for you. What did you hope to accomplish with this campaign?I do have a full time job. And then I also have a side job as well. I work in HR for a security company in Washington State. Basically, I do job interviews and fill out HR paperwork all day.

I really wanted to make sure that people understood that we need to have more choices on our ballot and more voices in the discourse because the two-party system is poisonous. Right now we have two major parties that are continuing to pull each other further and further apart and going to the ideologically extreme bases. And that leaves a lot of voters feeling unrepresented. And I wanted to provide a real option for those voters. And I also wanted to highlight how structurally broken the United States Senate is itself. Its basically [party] leadership handing us thousands of pages of bills, and they get voted on the next day. And thats a real problem.Related

Youre facing a lot of criticism right now for spoiling this race. How are you responding to it?A lot of people in this election spouted rhetoric about how we need to preserve and save our democracy. The truth is: our democracy functions better when we have more than just two choices on the ballot. I dont think people should be angry with me for providing another option. We have a runoff for that very reason.

As a libertarian though, does it grate on you the amount of money the government spends on runoff elections like this one? It was something like $6.1 million in Fulton County alone last time.First, Im the only candidate in my election who actually came up with a solution to stop the cost of runoffs in the future: ranked choice voting. I talked about it in my debate with Senator Warnock. His only solution was If you dont want a runoff, you just need to get out and vote for me. I think thats insulting to the independent voters out there who wanted to have another option. As far as the cost of the runoff to the taxpayer, people have been saying, Well, these people who caused the runoff, they need to pay for it. But the truth is Libertarians pay the costs of the Republicans and Democrats primary every election, whether theres a runoff or not, and we dont get to participate. And thats an immediate advantage for Republicans and Democrats. So I dont feel bad about causing it especially when the Libertarian the race is the only one providing the solution.

You ran on legalizing weed, criminal justice reform, tax reform, gun rights, abortion rights which issues are you most hopeful the candidates take up in your absence?Whomever represents Georgia in the United States ought to take up comprehensive immigration reform, because its something that we have been discussing and debating since Ronald Reagan was president, and it hasnt gotten done. We really need a bipartisan group of senators to come together to actually make immigration less costly, more efficient, and more simple. And as far as justice reforms, we really need to see an end to qualified immunity for law enforcement at the federal level, so that states can follow suit.

Youve talked about hosting a forum in which you would interview both candidates. I understand youve reached out to both campaigns about this idea have you heard back?We sent an email out before noon [on Thursday]. We have not yet heard back from either campaign. We will continue to reach out throughout the [runoff].Im leaving the invitation until the day of the election.

What were your impressions of Walker and Warnock as you were campaigning against them?I didnt really focus on the individual campaigns too much as I was trying to do my own thing. I feel like Walker should have participated in one of the debates I would have liked to have seen him on the debate stage alongside myself and Senator Warnock. I felt he did a disservice to his campaign to not show up. At the same time, I also felt Warnock did a disservice to the voters of Georgia by basically ignoring his opponent on stage when we were debating.

Which is worse ignoring you to your face, or refusing to debate you at all?Neither of them are really pleasant. But I think theres something kind of personal when someone is standing a foot to your left and they cant look to the right for an hour. That, maybe, is a little bit more personal. But I think both are a disrespect to the voters of Georgia. I can be personally disrespected, I dont mind, I have a thick skin. But its when the voters are disrespected, that that bothers me.Trending

Will you be voting in the runoff? For who?I havent made a decision yet. Ill probably get out and vote. But I want to hear more from both candidates first, before I make a decision.

Who do you think your 80,000 voters will back? Do you have a prediction?I predict its going to be a high turnout for a runoff thats what I predict. A lot of people are going to get out and vote. I cant say whos gonna win, because if you look at exit polling for my supporters as to where they were going to go, its kind of all over the place. Its pretty evenly split as to who was, ideologically, going to go with the Democrats or Republicans as a second choice. Theres also the factor of: some libertarians just will not vote for a two-party candidate. They are a smaller minority within that pool of voters. [But] thats going to have an effect as well.

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Who Is Chase Oliver? The Person Picking Between Warnock and Walker ...

Unlike his counterpart in Arizona, Erik Gerhardt says he isn't going anywhere.

Gerhardt is the Libertarian Party candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, which is likely to be one of the closest and most important races in the country. The same could be said of Arizona's Senate race, which was shaken up on Monday by Libertarian Marc Victor's decision to drop out and endorse the Republican in the race, Blake Masters, seemingly in an effort to throw the key election to the GOP.

Despite that, Gerhardt says there's nothing that would make him drop out of the Pennsylvania race to clear the way for either Democratic candidate and former Lt. Gov. John Fetterman or Republican nominee and reality TV star Mehmet Oz.

"They can't promise me anything that would make me happy enough to do so," Gerhardt tells Reason."There's no monetary value to the morale that would be lost with either of [those] candidates winning that seat."

"So, yeah, that's a hard no," he added. "That's not happening."

The closeness of the race in Pennsylvania has already inspired one alternative candidate to drop out. Independent candidate Everett Stern ended his write-in campaign last week and endorsed Fetterman.

That sort of zero-sum politicking seems antithetical to the very point of third parties. It makes little sense to spend the time and effort to get on the ballotin Pennsylvania, Gerhardt needed to get 2,000 signatures to qualifyonly to genuflect to one of the two major parties in the week before the election.

But that's exactly what happened in Arizona.

Although Masters' background includes working in the libertarian movement, he has more recently stated that libertarianism "doesn't work" and embraced more authoritarian positions on a variety of issuesparticularly on immigration and his promises to get "tough" with China.

Victor's announcement sparked another round of an ongoing fight over the purpose and function of the Libertarian Party. Some prominent libertarians including podcast host Dave Smith (who, like Ron Paul, had previously endorsed Masters outright) defended Victor's decision as a strategic move "in the interest of liberty." Others, like former congressman Justin Amash, condemned it.

Chase Oliver, the Libertarian candidate in the hotly contested Georgia Senate race, wrote on Twitter that "any Libertarian who endorsed Masters should be laughed out of the convention hall." That's a shot at both Victor and Smith, who is widely considered a leading candidate for the party's presidential nomination in 2024.

"If you support endorsing Republicans, you ought to be one," Oliver wrote.

There's little doubt that Victor moved the needle in Arizona, where he was polling well into the double-digits at one point and as high as 8 percent in the past week. As Reason's Brian Doherty reported Monday, Victor's campaignraised over $128,000, which is high for a Libertarian candidate, though most of it came from Democratic-leaning organizations that clearly seemed to believe he would take votes from Masters and help Sen. Mark Kelly (DAriz.) win reelection.

In Pennsylvania, Gerhardt is polling less well but the close race between Fetterman and Oz means every vote he gets could be important to the outcome. The Real Clear Politics polling average has Fetterman leading by 1.2 percent despite ongoing concerns about his health and a shaky debate performance last week.

The results could also affect the Libertarian Party's future ballot accessgarnering more than 2 percent of the vote would guarantee the party statewide ballot access in 2024.

Rather than running from the role of being a potential spoiler for Fetterman or Oz, Gerhardt is embracing it.

"I say split the divide and take everything that they don't have," Gerhardt, a 37-year-old general contractor and master carpenter, told Reason on Monday. "And I take some stuff they already do have and I bloody both their noses and then I come back harder next time."

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Will Pennsylvania's Libertarian Senate Candidate Drop Out? 'That's a ...