Third-place special election finisher Taylor Bryant has thrown his support behind Hardie Davis in the Feb. 2 runoff, which will decide who replaces Ed Tarver as the District 22 state senator.

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Mr. Bryant, a Libertarian who ran against three Democrats for the seat, said his party normally doesn't make endorsements, but he felt it would be hypocritical not to, seeing as how he stated on the campaign trail that he could work with both Republicans and Democrats.

"Make no mistake," Mr. Bryant said in an e-mailed statement, "my endorsement is from Taylor Bryant, not the Libertarian Party, its members, or affiliates. I have stood in front of all of Augusta and said I will be determined to work with other political parties, and not endorsing a candidate flies in the face of that statement."

Mr. Bryant said that after weighing the two remaining candidates, he decided Mr. Davis' positions, particularly his economic development plans and tax policies, were more in line with his than those of Harold Jones II. He said he had a meeting with Mr. Davis, had a brief phone conversation with Mr. Jones and met with supporters from both sides.

"I have discussed several contradictions in (Mr. Davis') platform and mine," Mr. Bryant said in his statement, "and I hope he will take those into consideration if and when elected.

"We all want the same things for Augusta, we just have different methods to do it," he said. "I encourage more people to get involved in the process and even run for office. We can never have too many choices in leadership."

In the Jan. 5 special election, Mr. Davis came in first with 4,456 votes, or 48.42 percent, falling short of the needed majority. Mr. Jones got 39.99 percent, with 3,680 votes; Mr. Bryant took 9.14 percent with 841 votes; and Sandra Scott received 2.42 percent with 223 votes.

Turnout among 75,834 registered voters was 12.16 percent.

Dr. Scott said this morning that she has still not decided who she will endorse, or if she will do so at all. She said she is still waiting for either Mr. Davis or Mr. Jones to tell her that they will back her campaign platform, which came to her from "the voice of the people."

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Mr. Bryant's complete statement:

To all concerned:

This letter is to inform all of Augusta of my choice of endorsement for Senate District 22. We ran a very hard, lean, and productive campaign, but we have failed in our goal of victory. My only hope is that I have brought things to the table that otherwise would lay unaddressed, and have given the electorate a principled choice that they would not have had. I have no regrets, and we will keep pushing for change in legislation to promote freedom, socially and economically.

An endorsement from a Libertarian candidate is a rarity. due to our stance of "all or nothing" policies. I feel I need to stand and make a decision on who I would support. Make no mistake, my endorsement is from Taylor Bryant, not the Libertarian Party, its members, or affiliates. I have stood in front of all of Augusta and said I will be determined to work with other political parties, and not endorsing a candidate flies in the face of that statement. This was a difficult decision to make, but I feel as a potential leader, we are faced with much more than this on a daily basis.

It is my decision that Hardie Davis is the best remaining choice for this seat. He has shown me that his economic development plans and tax policies are more in line with mine. I have discussed several contradictions in his platform and mine, and I hope he will take those into consideration if and when elected.

Augusta should be proud of the four candidates. This was the cleanest race ran in recent memory. I have enjoyed talking to all of the candidates, and it has given me a broader view of my own political beliefs. We all want the same things for Augusta, we just have different methods to do it. I encourage more people to get involved in the process and even run for office. We can never have too many choices in leadership.

Thank you for all of the positive feedback in the past few weeks. I have learned so much, and hope to apply it in later endeavors.

Taylor Bryant