Gary Johnson predicts demise of GOP

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson. Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson. Photo: Scott Morgan, FRE Photo: Scott Morgan, FRE Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Gary Johnson predicts demise of GOP 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN -- Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson on Saturday predicted the raucous campaign for the nation's highest office will end in the demise of the Republican Party, and maybe the two-party system.

Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival, Johnson said the country's political system of two major parties has become so polarized to the point that this year's campaign promises to change future races.

"I don't see politics as ever being the same again and it's because the two parties have become so polarized," Johnson told ABC News' Matthew Dowd during a one-on-one panel presentation.

The former New Mexico, who ran four years ago as the Libertarian nominee and lost, complained that the current system is rigged against third-party candidates. Lamenting that he has been excluded from Monday's first presidential debate for the general election, Johnson said, "the only way to have a chance at winning is to be at the presidential debates."

Nationally, Johnson is polling at less than 10 percent in most states and, for that reason, was not included in the debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

Johnson acknowledged Saturday that most Americans don't know who he is, even though he has been pitching his campaign for months as a sensible alternative to both Trump and Clinton, who have the highest negatives among voters in a presidential race year.