Johnson Gains Serious Ground in New Poll

by Josh Guckert

On Tuesday morning, Washington Post-Survey Monkey released polls of all 50 states. The race is tight across the country, but perhaps most interesting is the success of Gary Johnson. The Libertarian is doing as well as 25% in his former governing state of New Mexico, and reaches 15% or better in 14 other states. Johnson’s appeal is not relegated to any one region of the country. His worst showing is in Mississippi, where he is only at 4%. That state represents one of only eight where he fails to reach double-digits.

In the national survey, Johnson is at 12%, up 1% from the last time the group conducted the poll. The sampling of course takes place only 20 days before the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Should the Libertarian wish to have any chance of victory in any state (or nationally), he likely must be invited to that debate, as well as the other two on October 9 and October 19. The Johnson campaign would also immensely benefit from running mate William Weld‘s inclusion in the October 4 vice presidential debate.

Given these polls, it would appear that Johnson is picking up momentum at just the right time. As a third-party candidate, he has a serious uphill climb to gain legitimacy in the eyes of American voters. However, as more have turned their focus toward November, he has been able to present himself as a serious choice.

Watch one of the Libertarian campaign’s newest ads below: