Libertarian Robert Sarvis, center, could pull votes away from Republican Ken Cuccinelli, left, which could help Democrat Terry McAuliffe, right.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- The Virginia governor's race has often been looked to as an off-year barometer of national political sentiment.

This year's grind-it-out race, an acrimonious spitball contest between two candidates only slightly more likeable than Walter White, is anything but.

In a lesser-of-two-evils campaign, Terry McAuliffe, the longtime Democratic fundraiser and confidante to former President Bill Clinton, is clinging to a modest but sturdy lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the state's attorney general.

Republicans have pilloried McAuliffe as a sleazy political operator and failed businessman who exploited his Washington connections to help his sputtering car company, GreenTech Automotive. Cuccinelli has been targeted as a far-right social crusader who would curb abortion rights and access to contraception. Democrats on Twitter are fond of calling him #creepyken.

McAuliffe is leading Cuccinelli among likely voters by an eight-point margin, 47% to 39%, according to a Washington Post poll out this week.

McAuliffe is hardly bulletproof: A federal investigation into GreenTech has sullied his reputation, and only two-thirds of Democrats -- his own party -- consider him "honest and trustworthy."

But Cuccinelli is on much shakier ground. While Republicans are slightly more fired up about voting for him than Democrats are for McAuliffe, Cuccinelli's favorable ratings are next-to-toxic: More than half of likely voters view him unfavorably.

Enter Robert Sarvis.

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Libertarian threatens to spoil GOP hopes in Virginia