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Get ready to rumble

DENVER -- A multi-ballot battle for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination is almost guaranteed, now that the party has posted the official results of the delegate-token count:

Bob Barr (94 tokens)
Wayne Allyn Root (94 tokens)
Mary Ruwart (94 tokens)
Mike Gravel (67 tokens)
Mike Jingozian (63 tokens)
George Phillies (62 tokens)
Steve Kubby (60 tokens)

That's a total of 534 tokens, meaning that nearly 100 delegates didn't give their tokens to any candidate, or else gave tokens to one of the seven declared candidates who didn't make the cut. At any rate, Barr's token count (even allowing a cushion for the tokens his campaign lent to Gravel) amounts to less than one-sixth of the more than 600 delegates. Barr will probably get a larger first-round vote, but it looks nearly impossible for him to get the 300+ votes needed for a majority on the first ballot.

Lots of intrigue and horse-trading can be expected, and Team Barr face an obvious challenge from the LP's more radical bloc. If Jingozian, Phillies, and Kubby throw their support to Ruwart to form an anti-Barr alliance, that would put Ruwart -- the sweetheart of the radicals -- close to a majority of the delegates. (Oh, all those ignorant MSM reporters who thought the nomination was a done deal for Barr!)

Meanwhile, at 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. MT), Jim Pinkerton will moderate the seven-candidate debate on C-SPAN tonight.

Here's video of Barr addressing his supporters this afternoon:

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More Blog Posts by Robert Stacy McCain

http://spectator.org/blog/2008/05/24/get-ready-to-rumble
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