6 Reasons Why Bernie Sanders Supporters Should Vote For Governor Gary Johnson

In a C-SPAN interview this week, Bernie Sanders finally accepted the fact that he will not be the Democratic nominee this election cycle. This acceptance that he will not be the nominee begs the question: who will the 12 million Bernie Sanders supporters vote for this fall? I don’t feel that Bernie supporters will likely support the person who their whole campaign has targeted this election cycle: Clinton. It would be giving in. Where will they go? Libertarian Governor Gary Johnson is a great alternative for the Sanders supporters. Let me explain why.

Johnson Supports Marriage Equality

Unlike most conservatives, the Libertarian Party supports marriage equality, much like Bernie’s progressives. The Libertarian Party has supported marriage equality from the party’s inception in 1971, as opposed to the Democratic Party, which only adopted it in the 1990s. Bernie himself started to support this notion in the 1980s, before the mainstream Democrats did. In the past, Clinton has flip flopped on this issue several times. When Gary Johnson was Governor of New Mexico, he supported marriage equality, setting the groundwork for same-sex marriage legalization in the coming years.

Johnson Supports Ending the Wars

Much like Bernie, Governor Johnson supports ending the wars we are involved in all over the world. He agrees with Bernie that there isn’t a need to be involved in other people’s conflicts. We have enough issues on the home front—let’s settle those first. We have no need to be dropping bombs halfway around the world. Let’s bring our troops home.

Both Men Are Pro-Choice

Bernie and Gary agree on a woman’s right to choose. Abortion is a difficult choice to make and both men agree that the government doesn’t need to be stepping in and dictating moral standards in a time like that. It should be up to the women to choose, not the government. There shouldn’t be a law making abortions illegal.

Abolish the Death Penalty

The two men agree that the death penalty needs to be removed. Sanders and Johnson both think that too many people are innocently convicted for there to be a death penalty. Too often, we find out after the execution that a person did not commit a crime, thus that person died for nothing. That isn’t right.

It’s Time to Get Rid of the NSA

If the founding fathers could see what the NSA is doing to the average American, they would roll over in their graves. The NSA is completely unconstitutional, considering its practice of spying on the public. Both Johnson and Sanders agree on this and would support ending the NSA spying program on the average American, restoring privacy rights that we lost.

Legalize Weed and End the War on Drugs

Both men (and frankly the majority of America) agree that the war on drugs was a waste of time and money. It has cost billions of dollars and has cost many people their lives. It also has incarcerated millions of Americas for doing nothing more than smoking weed. This isn’t right, they argue. The best way to solve the War on Drugs is to legalize weed for recreational use.

In fact, Governor Johnson was CEO of a medical marijuana company and understands the business. There is a common misconception that people have of Libertarians that we want all drugs legalized. That is a half-truth. The Libertarian Party has a radical wing that is mainly for the Anarchists and Anarcho-Capitalists of the party. They want legalization of all drugs, while the party as a whole only wants legalization of marijuana. Don’t let the extremes of the party fool you.

The mainstream media would have you believe that progressives and libertarians cannot get along—the opposite is true though. Libertarians and progressives can work together to make America a better place on many issues. Sure, libertarians and progressives differ when it comes to economics, but on social issues the two factions are in complete agreement. In November, think about voting for Governor Johnson over Clinton or Trump. He will help the Bernie supporters carry on the “political revolution.”