



Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who once scaled Mt. Everest, spoke to a sparse crowd Thursday at the steps of the New Hampshire statehouse to announce another difficult journey: his desire to seek the Republican nomination for president.

"I'm going to spend a lot of time in New Hampshire, where you can go from obscurity to national prominence overnight with a good showing," Johnson, 58, a former two-term governor, said to dozens.

Johnson is a conservative with a libertarian bent, much like Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who ran unsuccessfully in the last presidential race. Both men favor the legalization of marijuana and oppose the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and runaway federal spending.

While Paul is affectionately known as "Dr. No" for his rigid stance to "never vote for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution," Johnson was equally tough as a governor, proudly vetoing 750 bills while in office, earning him the nickname "Governor Veto."