Recently, a Denver Post guest commentator offered pragmatism as justification for his tepid support for Donald Trump: “While I do prefer the Libertarian candidate (and former New Mexico governor) Gary Johnson, he can’t beat Clinton. That’s why Trump has my vote.” As it turns out, Johnson doesn’t have to beat Clinton (or Trump). Winning just one state — Colorado, for example — could be enough to send him to the White House.

As others have noted, in the event that no candidate wins an absolute majority in the Electoral College, a presidential election is decided by the House of Representatives. Thus, if Gary Johnson were to win Colorado while Trump and Clinton split all other electoral votes 50-50, the House of Representatives would pick the winner. Given that Trump and Clinton are the two most unpopular presidential candidates in recent history, a divided House might compromise by selecting Johnson.

Crazy?

Perhaps. But so was the idea that a state could outright defy federal drug prohibition, yet here we are surrounded by marijuana dispensaries. With this in mind, Colorado voters unhappy with the major parties’ candidates should recognize and assert their influence on the national political landscape.

Moreover, a quick glance at recent polls reveals that supporting Gov. Johnson might not be that crazy. Recently, a survey conducted by CNN and ORC International put Johnson at 13 percent nationally in a four-way race with Clinton, Trump and Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Here in Colorado, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll also has him polling at 13 percent.

Despite the fact that Johnson garnered just 1 percent of votes in 2012, his current popularity should come as no surprise. His achievements include turning his construction business into a multimillion-dollar corporation and climbing Mount Everest on a broken leg. During his two terms as governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, he balanced the state budget, vetoing more than 700 bills — a state record — in an effort to curb spending and cut taxes.

Of particular interest to some Colorado voters, Johnson made headlines during his time in office when he became the nation’s highest-ranking official to call for the legalization of marijuana — back in the ’90s before it was politically acceptable. More recently, he served as the CEO of Cannabis Sativa Inc.

Perhaps most importantly, this time around Johnson has a formidable running mate in former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who fellow former Gov. Mitt Romney describes as a “terrific governor.” Weld also was elected governor as a Republican twice, including in 1994 when he was reelected with a whopping 71 percent of the vote. Like Johnson, Weld challenged GOP orthodoxy during his governorship, supporting gay marriage and abortion rights.

Now, the former governors describe themselves as “fiscally conservative and socially liberal.” Johnson recently condensed their platform into a simple message: “(We support) the notion that people should be able to make their own choices in their own lives … (we are) always coming down on the side of choice.” On the issue of foreign policy, he rejects the label “isolationist” in favor of “noninterventionist.”

For voters wary of continued government growth both domestically and internationally, Johnson’s words are a breath of fresh air. With a bit more support, Johnson can preach his message to a national audience; by reaching 15 percent in national polls, he would earn a spot on the debate stage this fall alongside Trump and Clinton.

In Colorado, we know from experience that we do not have to accept bad federal policy. If you do not like the policies peddled by Trump and Clinton, you need not accept the lesser of two evils. There is a third option, and he is rising.

Sure, a third-party candidate has never won the presidency, and the House of Representatives hasn’t decided an election in almost two centuries. But something in the air tells me that Colorado voters might just be crazy enough to change that.

Brian Marein is a Ph.D. student in economics at the University of Colorado Boulder and a former research associate at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. He lives in Denver.