Romney faces battle with Virginia libertarians Colin Mason and Mike Powell should be safe voters for Mitt Romney. The two friends, and co-owners of a video production business in Front Royal, Virginia, a Republican stronghold in a state that backed Barack Obama in 2008, have strong moral objections to some of the president's policies and will not vote for him in November. But nor will they support Mitt Romney, a candidate that Mr Mason says lacks convictions and is only interested in getting elected. "[For Romney] everything else is negotiable," Mr Mason says. Both are ready to pull the lever for an obscure outside candidate - neither has chosen one yet - and relish the idea that a "protest vote" could cost the former Massachusetts governor the critical swing state of Virginia and with it, the presidency. They are not alone. Across the state, there are distinct pockets of voters who are staunchly opposed to Mr Obama, but will not vote for his Republican opponent, and their motives vary. Some are loyal supporters of Texas congressman Ron Paul, who feel slighted by the Republican party. There are also deficit hawks and social conservatives who are wary of Mr Romney's record as a moderate governor. And some are libertarians who do not feel represented in the two party system. They fundamentally oppose the idea that their vote should support Mr Romney because he is "the lesser of two evils" - a phrase that is frequently used. "We want Romney to lose and the reason why is because we want to send a message to the Republican party," says Thomas Conway, a grassroots supporter of Mr Paul, who says he will cast his ballot for the libertarian former two-term governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson. Like Mr Paul, Mr Johnson's foreign policy is non-interventionist. He believes marijuana should be legalised, supports abortion rights and wants immediately to balance the budget and eliminate income and corporate tax. "We don't think he's going to win, but if he can kill Romney's chances of winning, even better," Mr Conway said. We can go on like this forever - there can be a Democrat in office for the next 20 years if they [Republicans] want to keep it up. Mr Conway and Justin Malkin, a politically-active libertarian who also supports Mr Johnson, say they believe - though it is unsubstantiated - that up to 60 per cent of Mr Paul's supporters will flock to Mr Johnson. That would be significant, since Mr Paul won 40 per cent of the vote in Virginia's Republican primary in March in a head-to-head contest against Mr Romney. The army of the disaffected may not be large enough to register on national polls that track the two main candidates. But in the state of Virginia, which must turn from "blue" to "red" in order for Mr Romney to win, there is enough uncertainty about the Republican nominee's standing among such voters that analysts say their support for Mr Johnson or Virgil Goode, a socially conservative former Virginia congressman who is running for president under the Constitutional party, could be determinative in a tight race. "I'm hopeful that we are sizeable in number and that the GOP does recognise that they can't throw up a candidate like Romney and expect our support," says Mr Malkin. In an interview with the FT, Mr Johnson said he expected to take an equal share of votes away from Mr Obama nationally as he would from Mr Romney, whose policies he said did not "add up." But it is only the Republicans that have pursued legal challenges against Mr Johnson's inclusion on state ballots, suggesting they feel much more threatened by the libertarian candidate than the Democrats. It is pretty blatant and I should be flattered. But outside the flattery - we don't have paid guys in dark suits - it is thuggery," Mr Johnson says, referring to Republican party attorneys whose attempts to keep his name off the ballot have largely failed. I mean, Romney's people are very, very inspirational to us. Thank you, thank you Romney. In southern Virginia, Mr Goode - the former congressman who still has a following in his old congressional district - could attract disillusioned Southern voters who supported John McCain in 2008. They don't trust Mitt Romney's background, they may not like his [Mormon] religion or his style. There is an opportunity there," says Dave Wasserman, an analyst at the Cook Political Report. In Front Royal, two volunteers at a Romney campaign office that gives out yard signs dismiss the idea that a sizeable number of conservatives might not support their candidate, even though Mr Paul won their county in the Republican primary. And yet, even here, there are subtle signs that they have doubts about Mr Romney. A brief disagreement over whether the Mormon is a "real Christian" is quickly hushed up in the presence of a reporter. Susan Conway, a volunteer, also seems worried that Mr Romney will not be tough enough in the debates. "He can't be a wuss," she says. Asked whether Mr Romney will win the state, Ms Conway responds: "I really think Warren county will go for Romney." But after a pause, she adds: "Virginia has become very liberal."