Gary Johnson May Seek Libertarian Nomination

Feeling abandoned by the Republican Party, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson is weighing a Libertarian Party bid for president.

James Joyner · · 10 comments

Gary Johnson is running for the Republican nomination for president but only Doug Mataconis has noticed. So, he’s thinking about running for the Libertarian nomination.

Santa Fe New Mexican (“‘Abandoned’ by GOP, Johnson could seek Libertarian nod“):

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson knows he’s not going to win the New Hampshire presidential primary and that he won’t be the 2012 Republican presidential candidate. But in an interview Wednesday, he said he’s seriously considering running for the Libertarian Party nomination for president. “I feel abandoned by the Republican Party,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “The Republican Party has left me by the wayside.” He’s been left out of all but two of the seemingly endless Republican presidential debates. His fundraising is low and his poll numbers are below radar level. “If I’d have been included in 16 of the last debates we wouldn’t even be having this conversation,” Johnson said. Johnson said there have been “overtures made” by the Libertarian Party. While there’s no guarantee he’d win the nomination, Johnson believes he’d have a fair chance. The Libertarian Party is on the ballot in all 50 states, Johnson said. However, he noted the party’s presidential nominee has never received more than 1 percent of the vote nationally.

How earth shattering is this news? This story was published two days ago and Taegan Goddard is just noticing.

Johnson is of course right that he’s gotten a raw deal. You’d think eight years as governor of New Mexico would be enough to merit invitations to the debates. Certainly, he was no less plausible a candidate than Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman, or Herman Cain. But the truth of the matter is that he’s a better fit for the Libertarian Party than the GOP.