Former County Councilman, Ebert Beeman is set to formally announce his candidacy for U.S. Congress today, but what impact could he have on the race?

As we told you earlier this week, Beeman is throwing his hat back into the political ring, this time as a member of the libertarian party.

Friday afternoon, Beeman will be making his formal campaign announcement in Perry Square.
In November, Beeman will be facing off against incumbent republican Mike Kelly and democratic challenger Ron DiNicola.

Back in 2012, the 69-year-old pleaded guilty to social security fraud and spent about a year in federal prison. He also owed more than 2 million dollars in back taxes.

Despite that felony conviction, he did manage to get the more than 1,300 signatures needed to get on the ballot for November. Election officials said there are no rules that would keep his name off the ballot.

However, the question is, how will Beeman running impact the landscape the race. Erie News Now talked with Joe Morris, he's a professor of political science at Mercyhurst University who tells us, that in a tight race, Beeman joining could tip the scale one way or another.

"It's incredibly difficult to say how this will play out. However, if it turns out that a libertarian candidate entering the contest draws more voters from the republican side, then in a very close election then I think a libertarian candidate could have a real impact on the election,” Said Joe Morris.

Beeman is set to make his formal campaign announcement Friday at 2 p.m.