Published September 21. 2014 4:00AM

Of the three candidates challenging U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, as he seeks a fifth term in Congress, at least two think many of the nation's problems can be solved by reducing the size of the government.

Congressional hopefuls Dan Reale, a freelance paralegal from Plainfield, and Lori Hopkins-Cavanagh, a real estate broker who ran for mayor of New London in 2011, don't hide their libertarian leanings. They speak of limiting the federal government and talk about the Constitution with reverence. Neither has held political office before. Each of them sought the Republican endorsement in May and the Libertarian endorsement in late June.

Although their philosophies are similar, Reale, who is running as a Libertarian, and Hopkins-Cavanagh, who is on the Republican ticket, bring different platforms, priorities and backgrounds to the race against Courtney and Green Party candidate Bill Clyde.

Hopkins-Cavanagh beat out Reale and a third candidate for the Republican nomination. Although she is affiliated with the Connecticut Libertarian Party, which requires her to pay dues of $25 a year and sign a nonaggression pledge, Hopkins-Cavanagh is a registered Republican and describes herself as a "constitutional conservative."

"If (former President Ronald) Reagan's a libertarian, then yes, I'm the same Republican that Reagan was," said Hopkins-Cavanagh, 54, who said she is primarily interested in the emphasis libertarians put on "fiscal responsibility."

Although Reale, 32, lost his bid for the Republican nomination, he won the support of Libertarians for the third time in a row. This will be the first time Reale won't need to petition to get his name on the ballot, because he received more than 1 percent of the vote in 2012.

He's thrilled that he has automatic ballot access this year, because petition drives "take pieces of your soul out."

Reale said he sought the Republican nomination at the request of friends in the party who said they were dissatisfied with their choices and didn't seem deterred by his loss.

"I'm a Libertarian. I don't just believe in it, I live it," said Reale, who stayed in the race in 2012 despite going through a divorce, dealing with his mother's death and suffering from pneumonia.

The rest is here:

Two Courtney challengers take pride in libertarian leanings