Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the most tenacious and polarizing presidential candidates in American history. Due to ignorant rhetoric from both sides of this political war, the majority of Americans have fallen into the position of voting for a party instead of standing up for their personal ideologies. Due to this fact, many people have decided to look into third party candidates who are more aligned with their own beliefs, the most popular of which being the Libertarian party’s nominee, Gary Johnson.
Johnson’s unique set of principles have morphed him into the middle man of the ideological battle between the two majority parties. In the most recent CNN presidential poll, he’s climbing close to double digit percentage points at 9 percent nationally. If he reaches 15 percent nationally, which has not been seen by a third party candidate in recent history, he will be on the main stage during debates with Clinton and Trump.
For most Americans, two major questions linger in the air when it comes to him: what is a Libertarian, and who is Gary Johnson?
What is a Libertarian?
Libertarians, in general, believe minimal government provides maximum freedom for citizens. This is the short hand way of explaining the belief of rolling back government intervention in civilian lives, such as deleting particular federal agencies and programs deemed unconstitutional and over-funded, to give people more freedom in their everyday lives.
This is the most popular third party in the U.S., and due to its growing popularity, the party’s nominee is on the general election ballot in all 50 states.
The most common example of a Libertarian politician is Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). He is a lawyer from Kentucky who became senator in 2010, and has fought for what many Tea Party Republicans call the "liberty vote." This is the philosophy of following individual freedoms as laid out by the constitution and its amendments.
Who is Gary Johnson?
Johnson is a former Republican politician turned Libertarian. After not gaining enough traction in the 2011 Republican presidential nomination race, losing badly in the New Hampshire primary in 2011, he announced his departure from the Republican race and party to the Libertarian party, and became the party’s presidential nominee in 2012. He received .99 percent of the popular vote, or 1.27 million votes, becoming the most successful Libertarian presidential candidate in the history of the party.
Johnson has been a longtime supporter of Libertarian ideology throughout his tenure as governor of New Mexico, and during his 2012 presidential bid. Although Johnson currently fits the bill for the third party on many issues, he isn’t a purebred Libertarian. He believes in moderate regulation, such as keeping most DEA class one controlled substances illegal and having background checks required for gun purchases.
What lines him up with the Libertarian Party is his willingness to understand tender political issues, while simultaneously considerate toward needs of the American people. He understands the need for a complete restructure of our immigration policy, keeping the internet free and a place for people to share ideas, and giving term limits to elected officials to prevent career politicians from hijacking our legislatures.
However, he is more popularly known for wanting to legalize marijuana, being a user himself. During the CNN Libertarian Town Hall on June 22, he told the news anchor he hasn’t had a sip of alcohol in 29 years, and stopped using marijuana a few weeks prior. He has supported legalization since 1999, and he was previously CEO of Cannabis Sativa Inc., a publicly traded marijuana dispensary chain.
Many people have criticized Johnson to be far closer a Republican than a Libertarian. This distinction between him and the extremists of his party is the best of both worlds for people outside of his party.
Instead of being a borderline anarchist who wishes deregulation of government to the point of removing background checks on firearm purchases like some extremists of the Libertarian party, he understands certain regulations are necessary for federal government to keep its people from self-destructing under unlimited freedom.
His ideas on immigration, net neutrality, and common sense restructuring of our decrepit drug policy resonates with Americans across the board.
Who is his running mate?
Due to the Libertarian Party holding their national convention in June instead of July like the Democratic and Republican parties, Johnson has already recognized former Governor of Massachusetts, and former Republican, William Weld as his running mate.
Weld was governor from 1991-1997 under the Republican Party. Previously he was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1981-1986, then became the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division under Ronald Reagan’s Department of Justice from 1986-1988. After a few failed political runs, such as his 1996 U.S. Senate bid and running for governor of New York in 2006, he kept his daytime job as an attorney for a Chicago-based firm.
He has similar stances to Johnson, but is more strongly opinionated. He believes in gay marriage and isn’t afraid to stand up for his ideologies in a room full of either party. He stands next to Johnson as his equal during press events, such as the recent CNN Libertarian Town Hall, and stands to elevate both Johnson and his own worth as a presidential duo.
