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Obama: Third-party votes help Trump

by Jesse Byrnes - 09/28/16 10:45 AM ET

President Obama on Wednesday ratcheted up Democrats’ attacks on third-party candidates, arguing anything other than a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for Donald Trump.

“If you don’t vote, that’s a vote for Trump. If you vote for a third-party candidate who’s got no chance to win, that’s a vote for Trump,” Obama said during a radio interview with Steve Harvey.

{mosads}Democrats have worried about Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson and the Green Party’s Jill Stein drawing votes away from Clinton, the Democratic nominee, especially among younger voters.

Several liberal groups have targeted the third-party candidates recently in an effort to shore up support for Clinton, who is in a tighter-than-expected race against Trump, the Republican nominee.

Polls showing a close race between the major-party nominees in the battleground states of Colorado, Nevada and Virginia have show Johnson drawing significant support among young voters and independents.

Obama on Wednesday also argued that voters should be just as engaged this election as they were for his two White House bids.

“My legacy is on the ballot. All the work we’ve done over the last eight years is on the ballot,” he said.

Obama also argued that Monday night’s first debate showed that Clinton is qualified to be president, while also showing that Trump doesn’t do his homework.

Tags Donald Trump Gary Johnson Hillary Clinton