Bob Barr

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge's ruling that keeps Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr on the ballot will force Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama to take him seriously in a key battleground state, a Barr campaign spokesman said Monday.

"Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, now running for president on the Libertarian ticket, told a Portland crowd today he got into the race to offer an option for those who want less government intrusion in their lives.

Barr is Libertarian nominee; he vows 'strongest ticket' in party's history. Former Georgia congressman Bob Barr, who used to be a Republican, today won the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination.

The former GOP congressman from Georgia accuses the government of irresponsible spending. He says McCain can't call himself a true conservative. Clinton and Obama campaign in West Virginia.

WASHINGTON -- Bob Barr, a former congressman from Georgia and a former Republican, today announced his candidacy for president as a Libertarian who would rein in federal spending and foreign wars.

"Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr said Saturday he has formed a presidential exploratory committee and may seek the Libertarian party nomination.

"America today faces a grave moral and leadership crisis, and those of us who care about our country's future can no longer sit on the sidelines and remain neutral," Barr told an audience at the Heartland Libertarian Conference in Kansas City, Mo.