Groundhog Day Politics: a Libertarian-Republican Two-Way Contest in Missouri

I have stated before that as the two-party system continues to deteriorate into a one-party state in polities across the country, we will likely witness a rise in viable third party or independent forces, counter-intuitively, where the major parties appear strongest. An upcoming special election for an open seat in Missouri's House of Representatives perfectly illustrates this point. At the KY3 Political Notebook, David Catanese wrote last September:

Although the special election isn't until February, Stone and Taney county voters will likely know who their next state House representative will be on Saturday. That's when the District 62 GOP legislative committee will meet and vote on the candidate who will carry the Republican banner next year. The public meeting is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Branson West City Hall, according to District 62 GOP chair Layne Morrill. A Democrat has never held a legislative seat in Stone County, Morrill noted. . . . there will be between 19 and 21 total committee votes. The winner would need to secure at least 11 for victory.

Thus, in this way, yet another election would be decided by the local politburo of the ruling party. As All Politics is Local reported in late December:

This could have been an interesting race after Democratic governor Jay Nixon named Republican legislator Dennis Wood to be Commissioner of Stone County, but it wasn’t to be when the Democrat dropped out.

Arguably, however, it is for this precise reason that the race has become interesting. It is now a two-way contest between Republican Nita Jane Ayres and Libertarian Patty Tweedle. Ironically, Patty Tweedle's candidacy demonstrates that not all elections need be contests between the Republican Tweedledum and the Democratic Tweedledee. The Libertarian Tweedle announced her candidacy in mid-December. A news item I recently relayed at Third Party and Independent Daily from the Branson Tri-Lake News quoted Tweedle, saying:

“I am running for the 62nd district House seat because the Libertarian party has a lot to offer,” Tweedle said. “If I can get the conversation going about liberty and less government involvement in people’s daily lives, then I’ve accomplished something. The two-party system has shown itself to be unsuccessful in promoting healthy, thriving societies all across America.”

If elected, Tweedle said she would work to stop the Real I.D. Act. Tweedle said the act would require all citizens to carry a national ID card, restricting people’s movements and cataloguing their activities.

At her website, Tweedle writes: "don't forget to vote on Groundhog Day 2010! Grounded in Liberty for All."