While no one knows whether Steve Stivers or Mary Jo Kilroy has won the race for the 15th Congressional District, it’s clear that libertarian Mark Noble did better than expected.

Noble won almost 5 percent – or more than 13,000 votes – on Election Day. The last pre-election poll for the race showed Noble with 2 percent support. With about 400 votes separating Stivers (R-Columbus) and Kilroy (D-Columbus), one wonders if some of Noble’s supporters would have voted for either of the major-party candidates had he not run.

Noble said that’s probably not the case because his supporters agreed with his opposition to policies that both Stivers and Kilroy supported, namely the federal bailout of banks and financial institutions. Rather, he said, he and independent Don Eckhart were fighting for a pool of voters.

“It’s theoretically possible that people who oppose bailouts may...vote against what they actually believe in, but I actually see more overlap between a lot of Stivers and Kilroy supporters than I do between the campaigns of Eckhart and I, for example,” Noble said. “If anything I think Eckhart and I probably cannibalized off each other.”

Noble said he would have won more voters if he had been allowed to participate in two televised debates, with Stivers, Kilroy and Eckhart.

Noble said Republicans would fare better in future races if they were more conservative on economic issues, but moderate-to-liberal social positions.

“The problem that I see with Republicans in turning out typically, is that if they do run more right on the conservative issues than they also run more right on the social issues,” he said.

Noble supports reforming drug laws and allowing gay marriage.

Noble said he will definitely run for office again but is not sure which position he’ll seek.