Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is making an audacious argument. He says he could actually win the White House in the November election.

"You know how crazy this election cycle is," Johnson told Fox News Sunday. "I might be the next president. You know that, right?"

That's a big claim, based on wild optimism. The truth is that Johnson might not even qualify for the first general-election presidential debate scheduled for Sept. 26 in Hempstead, New York. Participants will need at least 15 percent support in the polls to qualify, and Johnson is not there, with the date fast approaching. The latest NBC News/Survey Monkey poll, released last week, gives Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton 43 percent, Republican nominee Donald Trump 38, Johnson 11 and Green Party candidate Jill Stein 5.

Johnson is pulling out all the stops – taking out ads and making as many media appearance as he can – to gain attention in order to vault himself into the debate. He says it's "game over" if he fails, and he's correct about that. It would be virtually impossible for him to win the presidency if he isn't in the debate.

But rolling up national numbers isn't his only goal. Strategists for both major parties say Johnson could have an impact on the race in key states where he might draw enough support from Clinton or Trump to influence the outcome. They include Colorado, New Hampshire and Utah. And he is hoping to build the Libertarian Party into a long-term force around the country. This makes Johnson's candidacy important to the nation's political future.

A former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico, Johnson describes himself as a fiscal conservative, a social liberal and a non-interventionist in foreign policy.