Incumbent Democatic state Sen. Evie Hudak fought hard for the narrow win against Republican challenger Lang Sias on Tuesday, but she had some help from Libertarians.

The race for Senate District 19 in Jefferson County ended with Hudak having received 46.9 percent, or 34,359 votes, to Sias’ 46.4 percent, or 34,027 votes, a 332-vote margin too high to trigger a recount.

But less noted was the 6.5 percent, or 4,823 votes, that went to Libertarian Lloyd Sweeny.

Political observers say Libertarians, who generally favor limited government and lower spending, tend to take more votes from Republicans than Democrats.

“I think you have to go on the assumption that the majority of Libertarian votes would go to a Republican candidate if the Libertarian candidate was not on the ballot,” said Dick Wadhams, a political strategist and former state GOP chairman. “I think history would dictate that.

“I think in a race as close as this one, clearly that Libertarian candidate affected the outcome and handed it to a Democrat.”

There were Libertarian candidates in 40 state House races and 12 in state Senate races, but the Hudak-Sias matchup was the only contest in which Libertarian votes arguably changed the outcome.

There were also American Constitution Party candidates in two Senate races and eight House contests, and two House races with unaffiliated candidates. But the margins of victory for the winners in those races were large enough that the involvement of third-party candidates had no effect on the outcome.

Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626, thoover@denverpost.com or twitter.com/timhoover