Libertarians say they hold the balance of power in Senate race

ATLANTA - The battle for Georgia&#39;s U.S. Senate seat may look like a struggle between Democrats and Republicans, but Libertarian voters hold the key to which of the two major parties wins it. <br> <br> At least that the assertion of the state chairman of the Libertarian Party, Helmut Forren. <br> <br> Forren commented at a news conference to announce his party&#39;s slate for the November 5 general election in which the party will field candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and other statewide offices, as well as for the Senate. <br> <br> Because the party received more than one percent of the vote in the last general election, it is eligible to place its statewide candidates -- chosen in convention last March -- on the ballot. <br> <br> Forren said the party also is fielding legislative and congressional candidates, who must qualify by petition. <br> <br> The party&#39;s Senate candidate is Claude ``Sandy&#39;&#39; Thomas, a Louisville, Kentucky, native who moved to Marietta in 1993. <br> <br> Forren said, ``Sandy Thomas is in control of whether Max Cleland or the Republican challenger wins. Depending on how Sandy Thomas runs his campaign, is he going to take more Republican votes away or is he going to take more Democratic votes away?&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Cleland, a Democrat, is unopposed in his party&#39;s August 20 primary but will face the winner of a three-way Republican primary scramble in November, along with the Libertarian. <br> <br> Libertarians have never attracted a sizable vote in Georgia, but in 1992 their candidate captured three percent in a tight battle between Democrat Wyche Fowler and Republican Paul Coverdell for Fowler&#39;s U.S. Senate seat. The Libertarian vote was enough to throw the election to a runoff, which Coverdell won.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/8/191668