Newsdesk: Pushing for a Three-Party System

The Libertarian Party of Texas is hoping for a record election year. Well, at least in terms of candidates. They're planning on having 174 names on the November ballot, beating their 2006 record of 168. They've already nominated 131 candidates for Senate, House, and District seats, plus 33 for county offices, and they hope to get eight candidates for statewide offices, plus their presidential ticket.

The LPT is riding high off state party Chair Pat Dixon retaking the Place 4 Lago Vista City Council seat he lost in 2007. Dixon has already said he'll be every inch the strict constitutionalist, having proclaimed: "When you're sworn in, you swear to uphold the Constitution. Some people think it's a formality. I take it seriously."

But who does this big turnout of candidates hurt the most? Traditional thinking has always said that the free-market end of the GOP is most likely to break bread with the Libertarians, but there's a theory that they may be picking up on some protest Democrat (and stoner) votes as well.