Who is Chase Oliver? The presidential candidate that could cost Trump or Harris the 2024 election

With Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a neck-and-neck contention that could beryllium decided by conscionable a fewer 1000 votes successful 7 cardinal battleground states third-party candidates could good plaything the contention for either the Republican oregon Democrat.

In fact, 3rd parties get mentioned astir often erstwhile there's imaginable for them to enactment arsenic a spoiler, meaning that the fig of votes they person could tilt the predetermination successful favour of 1 of the 2 superior candidates by siphoning from the loser. 

So with the contention betwixt Harris and Trump fundamentally a coinflip, keen governmental observers person pointed retired that Libertarian statesmanlike campaigner Chase Oliver could beryllium the deciding origin successful the race.

Oliver, 39, is connected the ballot successful each 7 swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

'Libertarians and third-party candidates similar Chase tin alteration the result successful elections that are razor-thin successful plaything states,' Lars Mapstead, who ran against Oliver for the party's statesmanlike information this cycle, told The Hill.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his run successful August to join up with Trump’s movement, pushing his supporters to backmost the erstwhile president whether oregon not they unrecorded successful a plaything state. 

Trump has said Kennedy would person a ‘big relation successful the administration’ if he’s elected.

During his raucous Madison Square Garden rally past weekend, Trump suggested he’d fto the salient anti-vaccine advocator ‘go chaotic connected health.’

‘I’m going to fto him spell chaotic connected health. I’m going to fto him spell chaotic connected the food. I’m going to fto him spell chaotic connected the medicines,’ Trump said.

There was a clip erstwhile pundits were informing that RFK Jr., who had much of an anti-establishment flair, could person a spoiler effect.

The champion RFK Jr. ever polled was implicit 20 percent support, but that was backmost successful December and January erstwhile it was inactive a head-to-head matchup betwixt Joe Biden and Trump.

But RFK Jr. dropping retired of the contention and endorsing Trump was besides a large boon to Oliver, with immoderate saying the biology lawyer Kennedy scion's conjugation could flock to him.

Meanwhile, Jill Stein, the Green Party summons topper who Democrats were hoping would driblet out, is definite to siphon votes distant from Vice President Kamala Harris, mostly implicit the struggle successful the Middle East, successful what could beryllium 1 of the closest elections successful history. 

While Stein ran for president successful 2012, it was successful 2016 erstwhile she became much memorable owed to the condemnation she received aft Hillary Clinton lost, arsenic much radical voted for the Green Party hopeful than the borderline Clinton mislaid by successful Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Just 1,000 ballots formed for Stein successful 1 of the six battleground states wherever she appears connected the ballot - she's not competing successful Nevada - could tilt the election.

Now that Oliver is 1 of 2 main alternate enactment for voters, it's unclear whether his beingness volition wounded Harris oregon Trump more.

But helium already has a past of forcing highly adjacent races successful his location authorities of Georgia - 1 of the most-watched predetermination nighttime battlegrounds - wherever helium ran for Georgia's 5th Congressional District successful 2020 and 2 years aboriginal for the Senate.

Since it was a crowded tract of 7 candidates, Oliver had practically nary effect connected the legislature race, lone receiving 712 votes, oregon conscionable 2 percent.

But successful the 2022 Georgia peculiar predetermination for Senate, Oliver had a monolithic impact.

Democrat Raphael Warnock was warring to clasp onto his spot helium had conscionable won a twelvemonth earlier, and Republican campaigner Herschel Walker, a erstwhile NFL moving back, was looking to oust him.

Oliver siphoned capable votes distant (about 2 percent again) truthful that neither Warnock nor Walker could get to the 50 percent needed to triumph outright.

There was a runoff predetermination successful December that Warnock won with conscionable implicit 51 percent of the vote.

If Oliver is capable to replicate this ballot stock successful Georgia and immoderate of the different plaything states, it's astir definite that he'll person a marked effect connected the race.

The last New York Times/Siena poll recovered that Harris and Trump had little than 2 percent points separating them successful the important states of Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

In North Carolina and Wisconsin, Harris led Trump by 2 percent points.

Pennsylvania, seen arsenic a indispensable triumph by some campaigns  but particularly for Harris, could beryllium wherever Oliver volition person the top sway.

Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson won astir 150,000 votes successful Pennsylvania successful 2016, and Trump lone won the authorities by conscionable implicit 44,000 votes.

Oliver has pitched himself arsenic an anti-establishment prime who really cares astir Americans' freedoms.

When Biden was down successful the polls to Trump earlier helium dropped retired successful July, Oliver, who is openly gay, besides branded himself arsenic a generational alteration candidate.

'I'm nether the property of 80, I talk successful implicit sentences, I'm not a convicted felon,' Oliver said earlier Harris became the Democratic nominee. 'It's a precise debased bar, but I've managed to wide that.'

Oliver has distinguished himself from Harris, who is overmuch younger than Biden, by proposing the abolition of the Federal Reserve.

He believes this would shrink authorities bureaucracy and would halt the US from further falling into debt.  

'When the authorities prints trillions of dollars retired of bladed air, it devalues the dollar that is successful your wallet, that devalues the dollar that you instrumentality to the market communicative to capable up the market cart, the dollars that you usage to wage your rent, the dollars that you usage to tally your business. And it’s clip for that to stop,' Oliver said astatine a Las Vegas lawsuit successful July.

He besides sought to differentiate himself from Harris by proposing his ain thought to alleviate rising lodging costs.

Among different things, Harris floated offering $25,000 successful downpayment assistance to immoderate first-time homebuyers.

Oliver, meanwhile, thinks the authorities shouldn't beryllium progressive astatine all, which would way with his libertarian beliefs.

'You don’t truly ain your home, due to the fact that you wage spot taxes, and if you don’t wage those spot taxes, the authorities tin prehend the location that you seemingly own,' Oliver said astatine a statement with different 3rd enactment candidates successful October.

Some Democrats judge Oliver's connection that the authorities is simply a hindrance paired with his pro-healthy nutrient level could play good with voters successful Wisconsin.

Oliver's beardown absorption to Israel's warfare successful Gaza could mean he'll person a important interaction successful Michigan, a plaything authorities with sizable Arab American and Muslim populations.