Walsh Floats Third Party Bid When GOP Campaign Inevitably Fizzles

ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, OCT. 14 AND THEREAFTER - In this Oct. 9, 2012 photo, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep Joe Walsh makes a point during a debate with his Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth in Rolling Meadows, Il... ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, OCT. 14 AND THEREAFTER - In this Oct. 9, 2012 photo, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep Joe Walsh makes a point during a debate with his Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth in Rolling Meadows, Ill. Walsh, a tea party favorite with a history of headline-grabbing comments, and Duckworth, an Iraq veteran and former helicopter pilot who lost both her legs in combat, have engaged in a series of contentious debates in their run in Illinois' 8th Congressional District. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Patrick Kunzer) MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT, TV OUT MORE LESS
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Former congressman and 2020 Republican candidate Joe Walsh, who will almost certainly not capture the GOP nomination, indicated Wednesday that he sees a third-party bid as a real option.

“Then who knows?” he said in response to a hypothetical that he doesn’t win the Republican nod, posed by Real Clear Politics. “I think there is certainly room for a viable third-party challenge next year.”

Waslh has morphed from a Tea Party firebrand to Trump moralizer in recent years, becoming a regular presence on cable news. Some of his past outrageous comments include saying young male Muslim immigrants should be “profiled.”

Walsh announced his run last weekend, already prompting a tweet from the President. He and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R) are officially in the race, with former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) mulling a challenge.

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