OPINION:
Behold yet another Democratic tactic for winning elections; namely, the spoiler. Get a third-party candidate on the ballot and voila — just enough votes to pull from Republican candidates to produce a Democratic victory. It got Bill Clinton elected president in 1992, thanks to Ross Perot, and it got Sen. Mark R. Warner re-elected in the Senate race in Virginia, thanks to Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis.
Likewise in Maryland, where we await the final absentee-ballot tally in the razor-thin margin between Republican Dan Bongino and Democratic Rep. John Delaney in Maryland’s 6th District. Spoiler: George Gluck. There are many other races with spoilers, all resulting in Democratic “victories” that are too numerous to mention. Making mandatory a subsequent runoff vote would resolve this issue if a candidate receives less than 50 percent, as is being done in Louisiana between Democratic Sen. Mary L. Landrieu and her Republican challenger, Rep. Bill Cassidy.
LORRAINE RYAN
Berwyn Heights
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