HELENA Jerry McConnell, one of two Libertarian candidates on the U.S. Senate ballot in Montana this year, said Thursday hell be withdrawing from the race. <\/p>\n
The Missoula businessman said he didnt feel he could make much of an impact as a Libertarian candidate, so the campaign wasnt worth the expense. <\/p>\n
I didnt want to put myself in the position of just stealing votes from somebody else, he said. <\/p>\n
McConnell said hell send his formal withdrawal papers to the secretary of states office on Friday. <\/p>\n
McConnell has been one of two Libertarians on the U.S. Senate ballot, which pits U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., against U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont. The other Libertarian, Dan Cox of Hamilton, remains in the race. <\/p>\n
Earlier this spring, Secretary of State Linda McCulloch ruled that the two Libertarians would not have a primary election to choose a single candidate and instead both remain on the general election ballot in November. <\/p>\n
Now, with McConnells withdrawal, his name will be removed from the November ballot, leaving only Rehberg, Tester and Cox. <\/p>\n
McConnell, who described himself as a very conservative individual, said he initially chose to get into the race because hes frustrated by what he sees happening in Congress and that running as a Libertarian seemed like the only option. <\/p>\n
I didnt see anyone stepping up to be anything else than just another politician in Washington, D.C., he said. <\/p>\n
Yet he said Thursday that he didnt feel he could do much better than prior Libertarian candidates in Montana, who seldom poll more than a few percentage points. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Missoula Libertarian to withdraw from U.S. Senate race<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HELENA Jerry McConnell, one of two Libertarian candidates on the U.S. Senate ballot in Montana this year, said Thursday hell be withdrawing from the race Continue reading