Schwarzenegger Speaks in Favor of Libertarians in Debates

by Josh Guckert

On Friday, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger became the latest prominent voice to call for Gary Johnson and William Weld to be included in the presidential debates:

The former action movie star and Mr. Universe spent his term as governor acting often as a “moderate” Republican. Though far from libertarian, his voice is certainly welcome in encouraging the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) to include Johnson and Weld.

The CPD is set to announce their debate lineup sometime this month. The Libertarian ticket maintains that their only chance at victory involves inclusion in the presidential debates. Though the two former Republican governors are known by a small portion of the country, they have continually polled at around 10% in most surveys.

Though the CPD has set a 15% threshold in an average of five polls, one is left to wonder if more prominent and well-respected figures may push the organization to loosen their criteria. Between this suggestion, in addition to the similar opinions of former governors Mitt Romney and Mitch Daniels, Johnson and Weld have received near-unprecedented support for their inclusion in the ever-important presidential debates.

The first presidential debate is scheduled for September 26 at Hofstra University.