The Libertarian Party's Candidate, Gary Johnson, Is Suddenly Presidential Hopeful

Trending News: Hate Donald Trump? Distrust Hillary Clinton? You Now Have Another Choice

Why Is This Important?

Because in this weird election year, never count anything out as impossible.

Long Story Short

The Libertarian Party has selected its candidate for the presidency, and it’s the ex-Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson — a small government, socially liberal former businessman.

Long Story

In the era of #NeverTrump and #NeverHillary, what’s a principled small-c conservative to do? Abstain? Or vote for the candidate that doesn’t make them recoil in horror and/or disgust?

Gary Johnson and his Libertarian Party are hoping for the latter. The 63-year-old secured the party’s nomination over the Memorial Day Weekend convention in Orlando, FL with 55.8 per cent of the votes. He beat out a slate of five other candidates in the second round of voting. Johnson was also the party’s nominee in 2012.

As the party emerges out of its convention, it’s clear its leadership is hoping to cash in on the record-high unfavorables dogging both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. His vice-presidential nominee is Bill Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts, who brings additional governing experience and fundraising reach to a party often lacking in both. “We have been given the gift of Trump and Clinton,” Libertarian v-p candidate Larry told the New York Times. “Their ears are open and I want them to hear who we are and vote for us for who we are.”

Adds the party’s national chairman Nicholas Sarwark, “There are Republican voters who are going to feel cheated by the fact that their presidential nomination has been taken by a reality show star, and there are Democratic voters who are going to feel cheated when that corporate shill boxes out Senator Sanders at the convention in that rigged process…. When those people feel cheated, we present an option for them.”

The Libertarian platform calls for the abolition of the IRS, a consumption tax to replace income and payroll taxes, and a hands-off approach to social issues like abortion and marijuana use. Johnson also called the national debt the “single greatest threat to our national security.”

There certainly seems to be an appetite for a third party among the American electorate. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll revealed that 47 per cent of voters would consider a third-party candidate if Trump and Clinton were the major party nominees. Another poll suggested the Libertarians could garner as much as 10 per cent of the vote in a Trump-Clinton contest. If Johnson can get to 15 per cent in the polls, he would likely be invited to participate in candidate debates, becoming the first third-party leader to do so since Ross Perot in 1992.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: Will enough voters choose Libertarian on Election Day to make a difference?

Disrupt Your Feed: Depending on how un-crazy Johnson and Weld sound on the campaign, they can seriously upset this election.

Drop This Fact: Ross Perot was polling at 19 per cent in 1992, but didn’t carry a single state.