Johnson is hoping to convince the Libertarian Party that he's their ideal 2012 candidate. Johnson eyes Libertarian route

Gary Johnson hasn’t given up on his New Hampshire-centric bid for the Republican nomination yet — but he’s already in talks with the Libertarian Party about becoming their candidate instead.

And though they’re interested in the former New Mexico governor, he’s not their first choice.


Or their second.

Libertarian officials are still hoping Ron Paul will reconsider and seek their nomination at the Las Vegas convention in May. Barring that, they confirmed, they’re pursuing the interest Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has expressed to them about coming back into the arena to run on their line.

But Johnson’s hoping to convince them that he’s the one, and has made clear to Libertarian Party chairman Mark Hinkle that he’s committed.

“My understanding is that some time before the New Hampshire primary Gary Johnson will say goodbye to the GOP and re-register with the Libertarian Party,” Hinkle said.

Johnson, who was a dues-paying Libertarian Party member while governor, told POLITICO he’s quickly losing faith in the Republican process in the first-primary state.

“I feel like I have been excluded from the process here,” Johnson told POLITICO. “What I’m saying really resonates. … I’m still hoping to give that message as a Republican, but I don’t see any reason why that’s going to be the case.”

Though he intends to stay a Republican through the Jan. 10 primary, he wouldn’t go much beyond that.

“I’m still in the race,” Johnson said. “I’m registered in New Hampshire and the intention would be, hope against hope that I would be able to be heard. But there is not much hope.”

Johnson is already on GOP primary ballots in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan and Missouri, according to his spokesman, Joe Hunter. He did not qualify for the ballot in South Carolina, which is the next state after New Hampshire.

Ballot access won’t be a problem for the Libertarian candidate. The party’s 2008 candidate, former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr, was on the ballot in 45 states, Hinkle said, and the party has designated $300,000 in an effort to get on in all 50 states this cycle.

At Ventura’s instigation, Hinkle said he spoke two weeks ago with the former Minnesota governor and pro wrestler, who was elected in 1998 on the Reform Party line, about running for president but came away with the impression that Ventura is looking beyond 2012.

“Jesse is more interested in 2016 than he is in 2012,” Hinkle said. “But I think he’s serious. If Ron Paul ran as a Libertarian, I think he definitely would be interested in running as a vice presidential candidate. He’s thinking, ‘If I run as the vice presidential candidate under Ron Paul in 2012, I could run as a presidential candidate in 2016.”

Ventura could not be reached for comment.

Hinkle and Libertarian Party executive director Wes Benedict stressed that, as party elders, they take no sides and make no endorsements ahead of the party convention. Already the party has six official declared presidential candidates and three more who have declared their interest but have yet to file with the Federal Elections Commission.

“We cant stop anyone from saying they want to try and run,” Benedict said. “So there are always some joke candidates who decide they want to try.”

This article tagged under: Gary Johnson

Jesse Ventura