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By Steve Mistler smistler@pressherald.com Staff Writer

Gary Johnson isn't a household name in Maine or most other places, yet the Libertarian presidential candidate could become an attractive option at the ballot box for some of the same voters who helped sweep Republicans into power here just two years ago.

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Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson

AP photo

The former New Mexico governor will be on the Nov. 6 ballot in 34 states, including Maine. National pundits say Johnson has no chance of winning the presidency, but some believe he could be a spoiler candidate in several swing states, such as Nevada, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and Colorado. Although Maine isn't among those states, Johnson's level of appeal may signal the future of the Maine Republican Party.

The reason isn't just Johnson's platform of limited government and fiscal conservatism, key tenets of the tea party and the current energy core of the Republican Party.

It's also because an increasingly bitter standoff between establishment Republicans and the so-called liberty movement could spur some tea party voters to abandon the presumptive Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.

Johnson backers certainly hope so.

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Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson may sway voters