Brian Doherty on Robert Sarvis, Libertarian for Senate in Virginia
Robert Sarvis made the biggest splash for the Libertarian Party in many years with his surprising 6.6 percent, or nearly 145,000 votes, total in 2013's Virginia gubernatorial race. The former tech entrepreneur and lawyer did this even while making Republicans angry that he was allegedly stealing votes from their man Ken Cuccinelli, dodging bogus accusations of being a secret Democratic Party plant, and annoying some of the Libertarian hardcore by answering questions about health care by taking about policies that stymied competition rather than just repeating "repeal Medicare!"
Sarvis is trying politics again, running for U.S. Senate from Virginia, in a race likely to include incumbent Democrat Mark Warner, vying for his second Senate term, and Republican Ed Gillespie, former Republican National Committee chair and consummate insider.
Sarvis, writes Brian Doherty, is a rational guy, not given to the emotionally charged side of the small-government message. Will it play at the voting booth?