One poll last week had the uniquely named Independent/Libertarian candidate Joe Kennedy pulling as much as 5% in the Massachusetts Senate race. But traditionally, 3rd party "spoilers," lose support at the very end. Witness the recent NJ Governor's race, where the much-touted 3rd party challenger, ended with a dissapointing 4%, much below original polling predictions of as much as 15%.

Joe Kennedy, a polished, but somewhat mild-spoken Libertarian candidate running on the Independent line, was recently featured in the NY Times article. They called him the "wild card" in the race. Reporter Michael Cooper followed his campaign, and only 12 showed up at a basement speech. In the very latest poll, his support has subsided to just 3%. Other polls have him at just 1%.

Now some well-known Libertarian Party backers are even backing away. From Independent Political Report (top site for 3rd party politics):

Trent Hill, Co-Editor, IPR:

Libertarians should be cheering on a Brown victory–not because Brown is any better, but because it will likely have the effect of stopping the healthcare bill (or at least slowing it dramatically).

Gene Berkman, a prominent leftwing Libertarian, California LP member:

I certainly hope that Joe Kennedy gets a big vote, and takes enough liberal votes to cause the Democrat to lose... he [Brown] might still oppose Obamacare...