Cornell Chapter Calls Johnson the “True Conservative” in the Race

by Josh Guckert

On Friday afternoon, the Cornell University College Republicans posted a Facebook update endorsing Gary Johnson for President.

The move is nearly unheard of, as it is extremely rare for a group based on a political party to endorse outside that same party. However, the 2016 election is completely unprecedented in that both major nominees are highly disliked by most Americans, including those within their own parties.

In the open letter, the Cornell Republicans call Johnson the “true conservative” in the race and reference his record as Governor of New Mexico:

Governor Johnson’s commitment to fiscal conservatism is unparalleled. Governing a blue state, he shrunk the size of the government, balanced the state’s budget, and never increased taxes. While we do not agree with all of his positions, we firmly support his devotion to free trade, states’ rights, and other conservative principles.

This endorsement could be extremely important, as it in some ways leads the way for other College Republicans chapters to follow suit. Johnson is extremely popular among millennials, and a grant of legitimacy by student groups could help boost his campaign.