Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson Gary Earl JohnsonWhat the numbers say about Trump's chances at reelection Presidential race tightens in Minnesota as Trump plows resources into state The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden condemns violence, blames Trump for fomenting it l Bitter Mass. primaries reach the end l Super PAC spending set to explode MORE said on Saturday that there would be “dire consequences" for his campaign if he is not included in the presidential debates.

ADVERTISEMENT

“By dire consequences, I don’t think there’s any way you can be elected president and not be in the presidential debates,” Johnson told The Des Moines Register after a rally in the Iowa capital.

The Commission on Presidential Debates requires that candidates average 15 percent support in five national polls in order to be included in a debate. The first presidential debate is Sept. 26.

According to RealClearPolitics, the former New Mexico governor is currently averaging 7.8 percent in four-way polls, nearly 5 points ahead of Green Party nominee Jill Stein but at least 30 points behind Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJoe Biden looks to expand election battleground into Trump country Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden goes on offense MORE and Republican nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE.

Johnson says his polling numbers indicate that he has the support of about 13 million people, a constituency that he believes deserves to be represented on the debate stage.

“Our polling is ticking up,” Johnson said. “It’s ratcheting up. And so if we’re not in the first debate, there’s a good chance we’ll be in the next debate. But I’ll just ask you this: When you’re representing 13 million people, how do you discount that? How do you say 13 million people shouldn’t be represented on the stage?

“Fifty percent of everyone going to register to vote right now is independent,” he said. “And independent means, look, I’m going to look at the candidate. I don’t care about the parties. … That’s where the opportunity exists to run the table.”