Johnson's comes as a growing number of congressional Republicans denounce Trump over the video and vow not to vote for the nominee. | Getty Gary Johnson courts Republicans as GOP officials abandon Trump

Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson urged Republican voters to support his campaign on Saturday, hoping to capitalize off a newly public recording of Donald Trump making lewd remarks about women and boasting about sexual assault.

"Today, as we watch Republicans across the nation struggle with the disclosure of Donald Trump’s indefensible and embarrassing words, and the attitude toward women displayed by those words, we respect the difficult spot those Republicans are in. It can’t be easy," Johnson said in a statement from him and running mate Bill Weld.


"Today, we would like to reach across party lines to invite our Republican friends to join our campaign," they continued. "There is a presidential ticket with two candidates who served honorably and effectively as Republican Governors, and we are it. "

The statement comes as a growing number of congressional Republicans denounce Trump over the video and vow not to vote for the nominee.

Johnson and Weld have polled far behind Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Trump. A recent Quinnipiac University national poll found Johnson with 6 percent support, trailing Clinton with 45 percent and Trump with 40 percent among likely voters.