肯塔基党第三势力进军11月选票：仅305名党员，主将挑战麦康奈尔空出的参议员席位
【据《路易斯维尔信使报》10月12日报道】2026年11月3日的肯塔基州选票上，除了共和党与民主党，还会出现一个陌生的名字——肯塔基党（Kentucky Party）。这个2024年才成立、目前仅有305名登记党员的小党，将派出多名候选人参加联邦、州和地方各级选举。
肯塔基党的平台仅两页纸，围绕三个核心：反腐败、反对战争、支持“肯塔基州所有人的机会平等”。党的网站写明，该党“支持并维护法治”“非暴力并承诺非暴力”，反对参与战争、军事资助和武器出口，同时致力于在各级政府提名候选人，提高公众参与、承诺透明。
该党最受关注的候选人是克里斯·坎贝尔（Chris Campbell），他将与共和党的安迪·巴尔（Andy Barr）、民主党的查尔斯·布克（Charles Booker）同场角逐即将退休的米奇·麦康奈尔留下的联邦参议员席位。坎贝尔的政见包括主张对数据中心开发实行三年冻结、加强人工智能监管，以及投资肯塔基的大麻产业。他通过与支持者一起收集到州法要求的5,000个签名，成功上了选票。
其他候选人包括：皮特·林奇（Pete Lynch，肯塔基大学政治学讲师），出战第6国会选区，对手是共和党提名人拉尔夫·阿尔瓦拉多与民主党提名人扎克·德姆博；阿曼达·塞特尔（Amanda Settell）角逐费耶特县治安法官；老牌参选人杰夫·杨（Geoff Young）角逐列克星敦的州议会席位。
党的创始人之一杰夫·塞贝斯塔（Geoff Sebesta，2019年曾以民主党人身份参选州务卿）表示，该党并不想取代民主党和共和党，“我们就是肯塔基人的选举支持 boutique——我们把肯塔基人送上选票，并好好支持他们”。尽管该党候选人不会出现在选前主要民调中，但坎贝尔表示，这个第三选项对那些对两党都失望的选民“很重要”。
Kentucky Party Sends Third-Party Slate to November Ballot: Just 305 Registered Members, Its Top Candidate Runs for McConnell's Open Senate Seat
【Source: Louisville Courier Journal, Oct. 12】On Kentucky's November 3 ballots, alongside Republicans and Democrats, voters will see an unfamiliar name — the Kentucky Party. Founded in 2024 and counting just 305 registered members, the small party is fielding candidates in federal, state and local races across the state.
The party's platform is a two-page document built around three priorities: fighting corruption, opposing wars and supporting "equality of opportunity for everyone in the Commonwealth." It says the party "supports and upholds the rule of law" and "is nonviolent and is committed to nonviolence," opposing participation in wars, military funding and arms exports, while committing to run candidates at every level of government, increase public participation and operate transparently.
Its most high-profile candidate is Chris Campbell, who will appear alongside Republican Andy Barr and Democrat Charles Booker in the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Mitch McConnell. Campbell's platform includes a three-year moratorium on data center development, stronger safeguards around artificial intelligence and investment in Kentucky's hemp industry. He got on the ballot after collecting the 5,000 signatures required by state law.
Other candidates include Pete Lynch, a political science lecturer at the University of Kentucky, running in the 6th Congressional District against Republican nominee Ralph Alvarado and Democratic nominee Zach Dembo; Amanda Settell, running for a magistrate seat in Fayette County; and perennial candidate Geoff Young, running for a state legislature seat in Lexington.
Party co-founder Geoff Sebesta — who ran for secretary of state as a Democrat in 2019 — said the party is not trying to replace the Democrats and Republicans: "We are basically a boutique of electoral supporters. We put Kentuckians on the ballot." While the party's candidates won't appear in major pre-election polling, Campbell said the third option matters to voters disillusioned with both major parties.
图片来源：Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 公共领域，作者 Daderot（肯塔基州议会大厦外景，法兰克福，实景照片）
