Hutchinson noted a possible spoiler

Several longshot third party candidates are considered possible spoilers, according to a Washington Post article. The article points to Minnesota Indepence Party gubernatorial candidate Peter Hutchinson as trying to follow in the shoes of the first IP Governor in Minnesota Jesse Ventura.

In Minnesota Hutchinson has been polling between 5 and 9 percentage points, and in a race that is a statistical dead heat those few percent could make a big differenced. The article points to Maine and Texas as also having races that could be swung by a third party candidate.

Hutchinson has been focusing on debates and getting the other candidates in public arenas. He hasn’t been able to raise even a quarter of what his opponents have brought in.

“People are really fed up with politics as usual. They think it’s fundamentally broken,” said Hutchinson, quick with one-liners and sharp at debates. Voters, he said, are sick of politicians and their promises. “What they say to me is, `They think we’re dumb.’” (Washington Post)