得州参议员竞选中的自由意志党候选人泰德·布朗驳回了有关为他投票可能会分裂选票、从而导致肯·帕克斯顿（共和党）在竞争激烈的选战中落败的说法。布朗在接受NewsNation节目《国会山周日》采访时表示：“双方都在说同样的话。民主党人说，嘿，我是在从塔拉里科那里抢走选票，共和党人说我是在从帕克斯顿那里抢走选票。但现实是，我只是在推广我的候选人资格和自由意志党。我们需要这个党派、这个国家的一个替代选择。而两大党都没有提供。”
Ted Brown, the libertarian candidate in the Texas Senate race, shut down claims that votes for him could end up splitting votes in the highly contested race, leading to a potential outcome that could cost Ken Paxton (R) the race. “Both sides are saying the same thing. Democrats are saying, hey, that I'm taking votes away from Talarico, and Republicans say I'm taking votes away from Paxton,” Brown said in an interview with NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”“But in reality, I'm just promoting my candidacy and the Libertarian Party. We need an alternative in this party, in this country. And the two parties are just not providing it.”
距离选举不足两周，布朗驳斥了“投自由意志党等于把参议院控制权拱手让给民主党”的论点，称他在选票上的存在为选民提供了传统两党体制之外的选择。他说：“生活中其他各方面都有多种选择，油漆颜色、冰淇淋口味、烧烤酱，什么都有，唯独政治没有。这非常重要。所以我在这里是为了推广另一种观点。”
With the election less than two weeks away, Brown dismissed arguments that by voting Libertarian, the race would amount to handing control of the Senate to Democrats, saying his presence on the ballot offers voters a choice outside of the traditional two-party system. “Every other aspect of life, there are multiple choices, paint colors, ice cream flavors, barbecue sauce, everything, except for politics. And it's very important. So I'm here to promote an alternative point of view,” he said.
他接着说：“我不认为投我票是反对——它们是投给我、投给一种替代方案，而不是为了打倒两大党中的一个。得州确实有自由意志主义传统，更多是在共和党内部。”
He continued, “I don't believe that votes for me are against the — they're for me and for an alternative, not to take down one of the major parties. Texas does have a Libertarian history, more within the Republican Party.”
这场争议出现之际，在初选中获得特朗普总统背书的帕克斯顿，正面临民主党人詹姆斯·塔拉里科的有力挑战，争夺参议员约翰·科宁（共和党-得州）现任的席位。非党派选情分析机构“库克政治报告”已将这个深红州的选情从“倾向共和党”调整为“势均力敌”，多项民调显示塔拉里科在冲刺阶段略微领先帕克斯顿。主要党派候选人之间微弱的差距，引发了对布朗可能对选举产生影响的关注。
The dispute comes as Paxton, who was endorsed by President Trump in the primary, faces a competitive race against Democrat James Talarico for the seat held by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report shifted the race in the deep red state from “likely red” to “toss-up,” and several polls found Talarico with a slight lead ahead of Paxton in the last stretch of the race. The narrow margin between the major-party candidates has drawn attention to Brown’s potential impact on the election.