On November 30, Gary Johnson told reporters in his home state of New Mexico that he sees no chance of pulling a large vote in the New Hampshire Republican primary, mostly because he was not included in 14 of the last 16 Republican debates. In the interview, he also seems to be leaning toward seeking the Libertarian nomination. See the report here from New Mexico Capitol Report.
I just hope he understands what a buzzsaw he would be getting himself into if he pursues the LP nomination. There are loads of people who remember the last time the party nominated a former Republican office holder (Bob Barr) and what a disappointment that campaign turned out to be. If his eyes are wide open then I say “Run, Gary, Run!”
There is an enormous difference between Bob Barr and Gary Johnson. Barr, while in Congress, had been a leader of the anti-libertarian side for both medical marijuana and same-sex marriage. He changed his views radically when he sought the Libertarian nomination.
Johnson, on the other hand, first called for marijuana decriminalization in 1999, while he was Governor. Even in 2000, certain Libertarian Party leaders tried to persuade him to seek the Libertarian 2000 nomination.
Remember Ron Paul was a former Republican office holder. Gary Johnson did speak at the 2002 LP convention in Indiana.
He’d be a great “Stop Root” candidate, and has libertarian credentials and a measure of name recognition. Yeah, I’d vote for Gary.
I hope that Gary Johnson will make it official and seek the Libertarian Party’s nomination.
He would be a much better candidate than anyone else running for the LP nomination right now, particularly WAR who just makes the skin crawl with his Obama conspiracy stuff and used car salesman vibe. And as Mr. Winger points out Johnson would not have to completely change met of his positions in order to be a Libertarian. My guess is he would still struggle an essentially be a non-factor in the end but if he can just break 1% it would be a step in the right direction for the LP.
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Richard @ #2… I completely agree with you. I lived in New Mexico the entire time Johnson was governor. He was a great governor. My point is that so many Libertarians are so narrow in their focus that they will use his GOP past against him despite his accomplishments and largely libertarian views. I just hope he realizes that it won’t be a cake walk. Some LPers are just plain damn mean!
I really dislike Gary Johnson’s support of the Fair Tax. This is a toxic plan and I urge all Libertarians to avoid it like the plague.
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I remember that some in the LP tried to get him to run for president in 2008.
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