US Mid-Term Elections: Pizza delivery man, other outsider candidates could swing control of the US Senate - by Noah Bierman

Sean Haugh, a Libertarian candidate for US Senate in North Carolina, didn’t file a lawsuit or storm the television studio when he was excluded from a recent televised debate.

“I just went to work and delivered some pizzas,” he said, referring to his day job.

Underdog candidates such as Haugh, who said he has raised about $10,000, run in every election. But this year, with polls showing an unusually high number of close races, Haugh and other dark horses could swing elections - and determine which party controls the US Senate - even if they don’t win. 

Third-party candidates have a chance to win in two states -- Kansas and, to a far lesser extent, South Dakota -- while a Libertarian and a Tea Party Republican could force a run-off in Georgia and Louisiana. 

“People are just dissatisfied. They’re not seeing the reforms they need. They’re not seeing the principled leadership,” said Amanda Swafford, a Libertarian in Georgia, who could force a run-off between Republican David Perdue and Democrat Michelle Nunn if neither candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote. “In the past, a third-party vote was considered a protest vote, but this time we are really seeing a difference.”

These candidates -- several of whom have small budgets, day jobs, and few or no staffers to hand them talking points -- present a stark contrast to their mainstream rivals who depend on poll-tested commercials, scripted stump speeches, and tens of millions of dollars from outside groups.

Read more: Pizza delivery man, other outsider candidates could swing control of the US Senate - Politics - The Boston Globe