gary johnson libertarian

Republican presidential candidate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson speaks during an interview Monday morning, Dec. 12, 2011 in the lobby of a Hampton Inn and Suites in Clearwater, Fla. Johnson was in Clearwater to speak at a public event organized by local Libertarian party members, the Save America Foundation, and the 1787 Network.

(Associated Press)

Kevin Martin of Ipswich is a lifelong Republican and a businessman who volunteered for Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's campaigns. But Martin cannot bring himself to pull the lever for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in November.

"He's a dangerous character in my mind," Martin said. "It's kind of scary what's left there on the debate stage to pick from."

Martin is the national co-chairman and co-founder of a new super PAC for Republicans supporting Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson and vice presidential nominee William Weld.

The group has its roots in New England, with Martin and co-chairman Ed Lopez-Reyes of Connecticut. Former Massachusetts Republican state Rep. Dan Winslow, who grew up in Amherst, serves on its national leadership team. The political action committee aims to have a broad impact, and the group has attracted some experienced Republican campaign staffers.

"By many measures, I'm supporting the best Republican ticket running -- two successful two-term Republican governors," Winslow said.

Johnson is a former governor of New Mexico and Weld is a former Massachusetts governor. Both were Republican governors. Nationally, there has been growing discontent among many Republicans with Trump in light of the GOP nominee's incendiary comments.

Johnson and Weld hope to capitalize on that discontent. In recent national polls, compiled by the website Real Clear Politics, Johnson is polling at an average of 9 percent, with a high of 12 percent. He must reach 15 percent in five national polls to get into the presidential debates, the first of which is Sept. 26.

In interviews, Martin and Lopez-Reyes said one priority for them is getting Johnson and Weld into the debates. They are trying to convince pollsters to include Johnson in the national polls and are considering appealing to the independent Commission on Presidential Debates to include the Libertarians, even if they do not meet the threshold.

The organizers of the super PAC recognize the long-shot odds that Johnson and Weld face. But they believe the Libertarians have a chance in an unconventional election year, given the strong negative opinions that many voters have of both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

"Trump won the nomination, and that's something most of us thought was impossible," said Lopez-Reyes. "It's such an unpredictable year, there is a path for Johnson and Weld."

Lopez-Reyes, a consultant for a numerous organizations, served on Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman's 2012 New Hampshire steering committee and was previously national vice chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

The directors of the super PAC's national leadership committee are Liz Mair and Marco Nunez.

Mair, the president of a political strategy firm, was online communications director at the Republican National Committee during the 2008 presidential campaign. She has advised top GOP politicians including Carly Fiorina, Rick Perry, Rand Paul and Scott Walker. Nunez worked on the Republican presidential campaigns of John McCain and President George W. Bush.

Other members of the group's national leadership committee include former staffers and advisers who have worked for the Republican National Committee, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, former presidential candidate Ron Paul and others.

The new super PAC has not done any significant fundraising yet, according to Martin and Lopez-Reyes. Under federal campaign law, a super PAC can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money but cannot coordinate directly with a campaign.

Lopez-Reyes said the group will first focus on getting Johnson and Weld into the debates. Over the coming months, he said, the group will put energy into states where they think voters might favor the Libertarians -- including North and South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Winslow said even if Johnson and Weld cannot win outright, they could win enough states so neither Clinton nor Trump gets support of a majority of the electoral college, which would throw the election to the Republican-controlled U.S. House.

Winslow, now general counsel for a large software services company, was chief legal counsel to former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney. He previously worked with Americans Elect, a group dedicated to electing a third-party candidate through the internet during the 2012 presidential campaign.

Although there are at least two other super PACs supporting Johnson, this is the first one specifically targeting Republicans.

Organizers of the super PAC say they hope voters will appreciate Johnson and Weld's fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. Winslow compared them to "Ronald Reagan on the fiscal side, Bernie Sanders on the social side," referring to the conservative former U.S. president and the Democratic socialist U.S. Senator from Vermont.

"It's not just the lesser of two evils," Winslow said. "You have a third choice that combines fiscally conservative principles with socially progressive issues."