Unsurprisingly, the Commission on Presidential Debates has ruled that Gary Johnson does not qualify to participate. If you are in agreement with this, then the fact that Johnson will appear on all ballots with Clinton and Trump, or that those two individuals are so reviled that an overwhelming majority of voters want to see Johnson included, or that he has shown rare staying power in the polls will probably not sway you. However, there is good news for Johnson’s supporters. As we have seen with Bernie Sanders, even after the writing is on the wall as far as the unattainability of ultimate victory, passion for the campaign and for more reachable yet very important goals can remain. Those who have sided with Johnson have no reason to switch allegiances just because the fix is in with the debate commission. Nor is it carved in stone that the remaining debates will also only include the crooked and the crazy. This has been a uniquely unusual election so far, unlike any other in our nation’s history. There is not only no good reason to abandon the Two Governors, to the contrary it is time to redouble efforts on their behalf.

As mentioned, the Republican and Democrat in the presidential race have historically high unfavorable ratings. Voters have disliked both of these candidates a lot for a long time. Historically, debate performances have not resulted in large changes. There is no reason to believe that watching Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump be nasty to each other for an hour and a half will give anyone a reason to suddenly like either one. The only reason that the debates had the potential to have great impact was because of the possibility of Johnson’s inclusion, without him little can be expected to change, including the number of voters who plan to support the Libertarian ticket.

There is no reason to believe that watching Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump be nasty to each other for an hour and a half will give anyone a reason to suddenly like either one.

If September 26 shows us the same Donald and the same Hillary that we’ve come to know and loathe it seems likely that the unprecedented calls for Johnson to be in the debates by a wide array of media and political voices would be renewed with vigor. It’s important to remember that the Commission on Presidential Debates merely provides cover to the two major party candidates to do what they want without having to accept responsibility for it. Neither Clinton nor Trump are required to participate, and if the CPD were actually seeking to serve the electorate they clearly would have been more inclusive not just this year but in several if not all previous presidential elections. The CPD is the designated fall guy. Enough public pressure after a dismal and uninformative debate at Hofstra University may overpower the ability of the CPD to deflect it. Or either Trump or Clinton, or both, might decide that they could benefit from Johnson’s presence. We all know that if these two old pals were to decide they wanted him on the stage it could be easily arranged in a couple of days. Both Bill Clinton and Bush the Elder thought they would gain with Ross Perot included, else it would not have happened. The first debate in 1980 featured Ronald Reagan and John Anderson without Carter, who refused to appear with the Independent. Only by giving up on his insistence on Anderson’s participation was Reagan able to get Jimmy Carter to debate just one week before election day. In an election season that has shown that anything can happen, surprises are almost certainly still in store for us.

If Gary Johnson’s results on election day are just half of what the polls are projecting, the Libertarians will retain ballot access in over 40 states, a feat that no alternative party has accomplished in a hundred years.

It has never been probable that Gary Johnson would be taking the oath of office on January 20, 2017. At best it’s only been remotely possible. The chance, small though it is, does still remain, but that’s never been the reason that a man who did all of this four years ago only to receive a little less than 1% of the vote would do it again. The objective, for candidate and party, has always been to raise the Libertarian profile. It is succeeding magnificently. Three significant newspapers have endorsed the LP presidential ticket, media coverage has been greater than that received by all previous presidential candidates combined, and Gary Johnson is so clearly relevant that the press pounced on his Aleppo gaffe. Hundreds of Libertarians are running under the party label across the country, from high profile US Senate campaigns by Lily Tang Williams and Paul Stanton to dozens of two-way races for state and local offices. If Gary Johnson’s results on election day are just half of what the polls are projecting, the Libertarians will retain ballot access in over 40 states, a feat that no alternative party has accomplished in a hundred years.

If you’ve been telling your friends about Gary Johnson and using the #letgarydebate hashtag, there’s no reason to stop now. Americans want a third party and the Libertarians are diligently working to provide what the market seeks. The level of relevance obtained in this election season cannot be ignored or dismissed, and every day more and more voters and potential voters learn about the one party that prizes rights over regulations and people over politics. Johnson’s poll numbers aren’t going to drop significantly because the CPD froze out the alternative voice that America wants and needs to hear. If anything, he’s going to be trending up.